Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee (November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Hong Kong American martial artist, actor, movie director, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement. Lee is famous for martial arts films in the United States in the 1970s, when he played in a series of movies. Lee starred in five movies: The Big Boss, Fist of Fury (also known as The Chinese Connection and The Iron Hand), The Way of the Dragon (also known as Return of the Dragon), Enter the Dragon and The Game of Death.

Bruce Lee
Lee in 1973
Born	Lee Jun-fan (1940-11-27)November 27, 1940 San Francisco, California, United States
Died	July 20, 1973(1973-07-20) (aged 32) Hong Kong
Cause of death	Cerebral edema
Occupation(s)	Actor, movie director, movie producer, screenwriter, martial arts instructor Jeet Kune Do, philosopher
Years active	1941–1973
Height	1.72 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in)[1]
Spouse	Linda Lee Cadwell (m. 1964)
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	李小龍
Simplified Chinese	李小龙
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Lǐ Xiǎolóng Yue: Cantonese Jyutping Lei5 Siu2 Lung4
Lee Jun-fan
Chinese	李振藩
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Lǐ Zhènfān Yue: Cantonese Jyutping Lei5 Zan3 Faan4
Website	Bruce Lee Foundation Bruce Lee official website

He starred in the first ever martial arts movie in the United States - called Enter the Dragon, which was released after Bruce's death. He died in 1973 during the production of a movie called, The Game of Death. The movie was not finished, although some completed section were later released. Almost 20 years later his son, Brandon Lee would also die while making a movie. Lee also taught other people martial arts, including actors Huggo Chairres, Steve McQueen, James Coburn, and basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He inspired many other actors who are famous for using martial arts in their movies including Jean-Claude Van Damme, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Tony Jaa, and Chuck Norris. Jackie Chan had a small part in 'Enter The Dragon' and Chuck Norris co-starred in Way of The Dragon.

He is noted for his major contributions to both the Hong Kong and American movie industry during the 1970s, his martial arts movement and innovative ideas (including Jeet Kune Do), his philosophy, and his physical fitness ability. He is considered to be a cultural icon and is considered to be one of the most influential martial artists ever by social critics and other martial artists alike.

On the night of July 20, 1973, Lee aged 32, died at his home from cerebral edema, which is a buildup of fluid around the brain. This is believed to have been caused by a reaction to painkillers he was taking for a back injury.

Movies

• Golden Gate Girl (1941)
• The Birth of Mankind (1946)
• Wealth is Like a Dream (1948)
• Sai See in the Dream (1949)
• The Story of Fan Lei-fa (1949)
• The Kid (1950)
• Blooms and Butterflies (1950)
• Infancy (1951)
• A Myriad Homes (1953)
• Blame it on Father (1053)
• The Guiding Light (1953)
• A Mother's Tears (1953)
• In the Face of Demolition (1953)
• An Orphan's Tragedy (1955)
• Orphan's Song (1955)
• Love (1955)
• We Owe It to Our Children (1955)
• The Faithful Wife (1955)
• The Wise Guys Who Fool Around (1956)
• Too Late For Divorce (1956)
• The Thunderstorm (1957)
• Darling Girl (1957)
• The Orphan (1960)
• The Wrecking Crew (1968, as choreographer)
• Marlowe (1969)
• A Walk in the Spring Rain (1970, as choreographer)
• The Big Boss (1971)
• Fist of Fury (1972)
• The Way of the Dragon (1972)
• The Game of Death 死亡的遊戲 (1972)
• Fist of Unicorn (1973, as choreographer)
• Enter the Dragon (1973)

TV series

• The Green Hornet and crossover with Batman (1966-1967)
• Ironside(1968)
• Blondie (1968)
• Here Come the Brides (1968)
• Longstreet (1971)

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Notes

1. all the series produced after Lee's death (1973) feature archival footage of Lee, as Game of Death (1978), Game of Death II (1981) and documentaries