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Bruce Lee (November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was an American-born martial artist, philosopher, instructor, martial arts actor and the founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts system, widely regarded as the most influential martial artist of the twentieth century and a cultural icon. He was the father of actor Brandon Lee and of actress Shannon Lee. Lee was born in San Francisco, California and raised in Hong Kong. His Hong Kong and Hollywood-produced films elevated the traditional Hong Kong martial arts film to a new level of popularity and acclaim, and sparked the first major surge of interest in Chinese martial arts in the West. The direction and tone of his films changed and influenced martial arts and martial arts films in Hong Kong and the rest of the world as well. Lee became an iconic figure particularly to the Chinese, as he portrayed Chinese national pride and Chinese nationalism in his movies. Many see Lee as a model blueprint for acquiring a strong and efficient body and the highest possible level of physical fitness, as well as developing a mastery of martial arts and hand to hand combat skills. The dominant figure in martial arts related entertainment in modern culture, and one of the most enduring pop icons of the twentieth century, Bruce Lee was an actor, director, and instructor whose films and philosophy popularized martial arts in both Western and Eastern cultures in the late 1960s and into the early 1970s. Though as a mature performer, he made only a handful of films between 1971 and 1973, his graceful yet lethal screen presence was so magnetic – and such a source of pride for Asian audiences – that his influence continued to eclipse subsequent martial arts superstars like Jackie Chan and Jet Li decades after his sudden and mysterious death in 1973. Born Lee Jun Fan to actor Lee Hoi-Chuen and Grace Lee on Nov. 27, 1940 in San Francisco, CA, his Anglicized name was courtesy of the supervising doctor, Mary Glover. Lee’s father was a noted singer with the Cantonese Opera in both his native Hong Kong and the United States, so it was not surprising that the young boy would make his acting debut at just three months in a stage production with his father. At age three, Lee’s family relocated to Kowloon in Hong Kong, and three years later, he began landing juvenile roles in local film productions. Impressed with his scrappy screen persona, Lee soon graduated to supporting and lead roles, often under the name “Lee Siu Lung” or “Little Dragon.” Lee Jun Fan was born in the hour of the dragon, between 6-8 a.m., in the Year of the Dragon according to the Chinese zodiac calendar, November 27, 1940 at the Chinese Hospital in San Francisco’s Chinatown in the United States. His father, Lee Hoi-Chuen (李海泉), was Chinese, and his Catholic mother, Grace (何愛瑜), was of Chinese and German ancestry. Lee and his parents returned to Hong Kong when he was three months old. He was a citizen of the United States by birth and did not hold any other citizenships. At age 12, Lee entered La Salle College and later he attended St. Francis Xavier's College. In 1959, at the age of 18, Lee got into a fight and badly beat his opponent, getting into trouble with the police. His father became concerned about young Bruce's safety, and as a result, he and his wife decided to send Bruce to the United States to live with an old friend of his father's. Lee left with $100 in his pocket and the titles of 1958 Boxing Champion and the Crown Colony Cha Cha Champion of Hong Kong. After living in San Francisco, he moved to Seattle to work for Ruby Chow, another friend of his father's. In 1959, Lee completed his high school education in Seattle and received his diploma from Edison Technical School. He enrolled at the University of Washington as a drama major and took some philosophy classes. It was at the University of Washington that he met his future wife Linda Emery, whom he would marry in 1964. He had two children with Linda, Brandon Lee (1965-1993) and Shannon Lee (1969-). Brandon, who also became an actor like his father, died in an accident during the filming of The Crow in 1993. Shannon Lee also became an actress and appeared in some low-budget films starting in the mid 1990s, but has since quit acting. His fame may have contributed to some friction he experienced at the age of 12, when he was badly beaten by a local street gang. Determined to never again lose a fight, he trained in Wu style Tai Chi Chuan under his father, later studying the Wing Chun style of kung fu with legendary instructor, Yip Man. Lee also trained in Western boxing and fencing, courtesy of his brother Peter, who was a champion in the sport. In fact, all of these elements would later contribute to Jeet Kun Do, Lee’s own style of martial arts which would go on to be widely copied and admired. A champion boxer and dancer by the age of 18, Lee also developed an explosive temper that frequently ran him afoul of Hong Kong authorities. Concerned for his son’s safety, Lee’s father sent him back to San Francisco, where he lived with and worked for relatives before relocating to Seattle, WA. There, he received his high school diploma and later attended the University of Washington, where he studied drama and philosophy. Lee also met Linda Emery, a pre-med student who became one of his students when he opened his first martial arts school in the early 1960s. By 1963, the pair was married, and produced two children: son Brandon in 1965 and daughter Shannon in 1969. For the next few years, Lee devoted himself to researching martial arts as well as developing a rigorous physical fitness regime which drew from elements of Western weight lifting, boxing and other training methods – with a good mix of nutrition and spirituality lumped in. Along with his previous studies, these coalesced into a school of combat philosophy which he called Jeet Kune Do, a.k.a. The Way of the Intercepting Fist. The style emphasized practicality, speed and efficiency over raw power, and by 1964, Lee was operating schools in Seattle and Oakland, CA to spread his new dogma. Lee's Cantonese given name was Jun Fan (振藩; Mandarin Pinyin: Zhènfán). At his birth, he additionally was given the English name of "Bruce" by a Dr. Mary Glover. Though Mrs. Lee had not initially planned on an English name for the child, she deemed it appropriate and would concur with Dr. Glover's addition. However, his American name was never used within his family until he enrolled in La Salle College (a Hong Kong high school) at the age of 12,[12] and again at another high school (St. Francis Xavier's College in Kowloon), where Lee would come to represent the boxing team in inter-school events. Lee initially had the birth name Li Yuen Kam[2](李炫金); Mandarin Pinyin: Lǐ Xuànjīn) given to him by his mother, as at the time, Lee's father was away on a Chinese opera tour. This name would later be abandoned because of a conflict with the name of Bruce's grandfather, causing him to be renamed Jun Fan upon his father's return. Also of note is that Lee was given a feminine name, Sai Fung (細鳳, literally "small phoenix"), which was used throughout his early childhood in keeping with a Chinese custom, traditionally thought to hide a child from evil spirits. Lee's screen names were respectively Lee Siu Lung (in Cantonese), and Li Xiao Long (in Mandarin) (李小龍; Cantonese pengyam: Ley5 Siu² Long4; Mandarin Pinyin: Lǐ Xiǎolóng) which literally translate to "Lee the Little Dragon" in English. These names were first used by director 袁步雲 of the 1950 Cantonese movie 細路祥, in which Lee would perform. It is possible that the name "Lee Little Dragon" was based on his childhood name of "small dragon", as, in Chinese tradition, the dragon and phoenix come in pairs to represent the male and female genders respectively. The more likely explanation is that he came to be called "Little Dragon" because, according to the Chinese zodiac, he was born in the Year of the Dragon. Lee soon became involved with American martial arts instructor and promoter Ed Parker, and through him, met many of the top Western competitors, including Chuck Norris, Bob Wall, and Mike Stone. Parker invited Lee to compete at his 1964 Long Beach International Karate Championship, where Lee astounded audience members with two-finger push-ups and demonstrated the “one inch punch,” in which a closed fist held just inches from an opponent’s chest could deliver a devastating blow. Parker filmed Lee’s exhibitions and showed them to his students, including hairdresser Jay Sebring, who brought Lee to the attention of producer William Dozier of “Batman” (ABC, 1966-68) fame. Dozier was looking for an actor to fill the role of Kato, bodyguard to the venerable crime fighter “The Green Hornet,” in a TV series based on the radio serial (ABC, 1966-1967). Dozier invited Lee to audition for the role and, not surprisingly, he landed it on the strength of his martial arts skills, which were the series’ sole highlight – to say nothing of his handsome, screen-worthy looks. Though the show lasted a single season, it helped to elevate Lee’s status among the film and television community, and after opening a school in Los Angeles, he began counting such stars as Steve McQueen and James Coburn among his students and friends. In turn, they helped land Lee work in the film industry, including technical advisor on the Dean Martin spy caper “The Wrecking Crew” (1969) and several TV episodes. He earned his first substantial movie role courtesy one of his students, screenwriter Stirling Silliphant, who recommended him for the small role of an enforcer in “Marlowe” (1969). Lee gave a show-stopping demonstration of kung fu in his scene, which required him to demolish the office of private investigator Philip Marlowe (James Garner); the set piece concluded with a jaw-dropping high kick which shattered a lamp hanging from Marlowe’s ceiling. Silliphant also penned two episodes of “Longstreet” (ABC, 1971-72) for Lee, who guest-starred four times on the crime series as the martial arts instructor to James Franciscus’ blind insurance investigator. While Lee’s television appearances did little to improve his standing in the United States, the arrival of “The Green Hornet” on Chinese televisions made Lee a star. When he returned to Hong Kong to promote the series, he was deluged with offers by local film producers to star in an upcoming project. Lee eventually accepted an offer from Raymond Chow of Golden Harvest Productions, and began work on a low budget feature entitled “The Big Boss” (1971), which was filmed in Thailand. Lee's father Hoi-Chuen was a famous Cantonese Opera star. Thus, through his father, Bruce was introduced into films at a very young age and appeared in several short black-and-white films as a child. Lee had his first role as a baby who was carried onto the stage. By the time he was 18, he had appeared in twenty films. While in the United States from 1958-1964, Lee abandoned thoughts of a film career in favor of pursuing martial arts. However, after Lee's high-profile martial arts demonstration at the 1964 Long Beach Karate Tournament, he was seen by some of the nation's most proficient martial artists--as well as the hairdresser of Batman producer William Dozier. Dozier soon invited Lee for an audition, where Lee so impressed the producers with his lightning-fast moves that he earned the role of Kato alongside Van Williams in the TV series The Green Hornet. The show lasted just one season, from 1966 to 1967. Lee would also play Kato in three episodes of the series Batman, produced by the same company as The Green Hornet. This was followed by guest appearances in a host of television series, including Ironside (1967) and Here Come the Brides (1969). In 1969, Lee made a brief appearance in the film Marlowe where he played a henchman hired to intimidate private detective Philip Marlowe (played by James Garner) by smashing up his office with leaping kicks and flashing punches, only to later accidentally jump off a tall building while trying to kick Marlowe off. In 1971, Lee appeared in four episodes of the television series Longstreet as the martial arts instructor of the title character Mike Longstreet (played by James Franciscus). Bruce would later pitch a television series of his own tentatively titled The Warrior. Allegedly, Lee's concept was retooled and renamed Kung Fu, but if so, Warner Bros. gave Lee no credit. The role of the Shaolin monk in the Wild West, known to have been coveted by Bruce, was awarded to non-martial artist David Carradine, purportedly because of the studio's belief that a Chinese leading man would not be embraced by the American public. Not happy with his supporting roles in the U.S., Lee returned to Hong Kong and was offered a film contract by legendary director Raymond Chow to star in films produced by his production company Golden Harvest. Lee played his first leading role in The Big Boss (1971) which proved an enormous box office success across Asia and catapulted him to stardom. He soon followed up his success with two more huge box office successes: Fist of Fury (1972) and Way of the Dragon (1972). For Way of the Dragon, he took complete control of the film's production as the writer, director, star, and choreographer of the fight scenes. In 1964, at a demonstration in Long Beach, California, Lee had met karate champion Chuck Norris. In Way of the Dragon Lee introduced Norris to moviegoers as his opponent in the final death fight at the Colosseum in Rome, today considered one of Lee's most legendary fight scenes. “The Big Boss” was the spark that ignited the worldwide flames of adoration for Bruce Lee. At its core a simple story about a violence-prone young man who, like Lee, is sent away from his home to keep his temper in check, only to find it his best weapon against a horde of vicious drug smugglers, “The Big Boss” introduced Lee as an altogether new type of martial arts star. Unlike many of his screen predecessors, Lee was humble yet confident of his abilities, but that cool exterior masked a slow-boiling anger that exploded in an animalistic rage – complete with his trademark screeching cry – in the heat of battle. In fight scenes, Lee was exceptionally graceful – even sensual; his movements closer to dance or gymnastics than the stiff hand-to-hand combat seen in earlier kung fu efforts. And he appeared to be unstoppable, whether facing one villain or, as in one of the best set pieces in “The Big Boss,” a room full of armed thugs. On screen, Lee was simply riveting to watch, and Asian audiences flocked to see him, turning a massive profit for all involved at Golden Harvest. Not surprisingly, a second film, “Fist of Fury” (1972), was immediately put into production. A period piece which pit martial arts student Lee against the members of a vicious Japanese school, Lee’s talents were given an even greater showcase, as he dispatches the Japanese students (as well as a Russian villain, played by Lee’s student, Bob Baker) before taking on the head of the school. Lee’s hero status was cemented by numerous scenes invoking Chinese pride, most notably a flying kick delivered to a sign preventing dogs and Chinese from entering a building. Flush with two hit films under his belt, Lee began to take control of his career with his next picture, “Way of the Dragon” (1973). Lee struck a deal with Chow and Golden Harvest that gave him the final word in every aspect of the film – he would not only star in but write and direct the picture, as well as produce it through his own company, Concord Productions. Filmed in Italy, “Way” featured spectacular fight choreography by Lee, who took on champs Bob Wall and Wang Ing Sik before bringing the house down with a final bout against Chuck Norris in the Colosseum. Though “Way” was a great success for all involved, it would be the last time Lee would ever exert such a degree of control over his own films. After three massive box office hits in the Asian market, Hollywood began to view Bruce Lee with renewed interest. Martial arts films were proving profitable for independent distributors, as proven by the runaway ticket sales generated by “King Boxer,” a 1972 Hong Kong actioner released in the U.S. as “Five Fingers of Death.” Based on these successes, many studios began to purchase their own titles for release to inner city theaters. But few producers were willing to back an American-made kung fu film – that is, until producer Fred Weintraub traveled to Hong Kong and saw Lee’s films. Convinced that he could create a huge hit in the States with a film starring Lee, he struck a deal between Lee’s Concord Pictures and Warner Bros. to co-produce an English-language martial arts film shot entirely in Hong Kong and featuring Lee as its star, co-scripter, and martial arts choreographer. Despite their enthusiasm for Lee’s participation, Warner Bros. remained skeptical that an Asian actor could carry a Hollywood film, and so American actors John Saxon and martial artist Jim Kelly were brought it to support Lee; a Stateside director, Robert Clouse, was also tapped to helm the film. Though the final product lacked some of the explosive energy of Lee’s Hong Kong efforts, “Enter the Dragon” (1973) was viewed by the international film community as the first phase in Bruce Lee’s ascension to international movie icon status. But his second attempt to penetrate the Western market proved frustrating; Warner Bros. began developing a period feature for Lee about a half-Chinese martial arts student caught up in intrigue during the creation of the Transcontinental Railroad in 19th-century America. The project, simply titled “Kung Fu,” was then pitched as a television series for Lee, but the studio turned down his involvement for various unspecified reasons (among those cited by sources was Lee’s lack of proficient English), and the easier-to-understand David Carradine was cast as Caine in the eventual series (ABC, 1972-75). Though disappointed, Lee was too busy to reflect on the loss; he had returned to Hong Kong in 1973 to commence work on another feature film, “Game of Death,” which he would write and direct. In its original form, “Game” would star Lee as one of five competitors fighting their way through a Korean pagoda filled with various martial arts challenges, including Wang Ing Sik and U.S. basketball star Kareem Abdul Jabbar, whose fight with Lee was among the project’s highlights. The project was planned to serve as a demonstration piece for Lee’s finalized vision of Jeet Kune Do. But Lee would never complete “Game of Death.” Despite his incredible physical health, Lee had collapsed during a dubbing session for “Enter the Dragon” and suffered seizures and a swelling of the brain known as cerebral edema. He was rushed to a Hong Kong hospital, where he recovered and commenced work on “Game” and the final stages of “Enter the Dragon.” On July 20, 1973, Lee dined with Raymond Chow, before driving to the home of actress Betty Ting Pei to discuss “Game.” While at Pei’s house, Lee complained of a headache. The actress gave him a painkiller before he retired for a nap. Chow later returned to the apartment to get Lee up for dinner, but was unable to wake him. Lee was rushed to a nearby hospital, but was pronounced dead before arriving there. No concrete reason could be given for his untimely demise, save for the painkiller and a trace amount of marijuana in his system. All manner of conspiracy theories arose to make sense of the tragic loss – from a mob hit to the vengeance of fellow martial artists through poisoning, but the fact remained that Bruce Lee – the most widely recognized and revered star of Asian popular cinema – was dead. His legend was sealed. A funeral procession in Hong Kong was overrun by thousands of grieving fans before his body was returned to Seattle for a smaller ceremony, attended by Lee’s family and many of his Hollywood friends. He was buried at Lake View Cemetery on July 31, 1973. Six days later, “Enter the Dragon” was released in the United States. The international media attention surrounding Lee’s sudden death helped to make the film one of the biggest box office hits of the year for Warner Bros., launching a worldwide fever for all things Lee and martial arts. A small distribution company called National General quickly bought the rights to Lee’s three previous films for Golden Harvest and released them in dubbed, truncated form to hungry audiences across the U.S. and Europe. National General made life particularly difficult for early Lee scholars by administering bewildering changes to each of the film’s titles – “The Big Boss” was retitled “Fists of Fury,” while “Fist of Fury” was called “The Chinese Connection,” and “Way of the Dragon” was called “Return of the Dragon” and sold as a sequel to “Enter the Dragon.” The older films only fanned the flames of desire for more Bruce Lee films. By the mid-1970s, kung fu had transcended its grindhouse origins and infiltrated the pop culture in a myriad of ways – from the “Kung Fu” series to Carl Douglas’ 1976 pop-disco hit, “Kung Fu Fighting.” Sensing that there was an insatiable demand for Lee, Hong Kong producers began to generate a series of films featuring look-alike actors performing wan imitations of Lee’s signature skills. The resulting wave of “Brucesploitation” was, at best laughable, and at worst, tasteless – i.e. “Bruce Lee: His Last Days, His Last Nights,” an appalling softcore trash film concocted by and starring Betty Ting Pei. Even Golden Harvest got into the act by hiring “Enter the Dragon” director Robert Clouse to make sense of the “Game of Death” footage left behind by Lee. The final result was a hodgepodge of Lee’s exhilarating fight scenes mixed with crude, newer scenes featuring Lee doubles and bewildered American actors like Dean Jagger and Gig Young. In 1973, Lee played the lead role in Enter the Dragon, the first film to be produced jointly by Golden Harvest and Warner Bros. This film would skyrocket Lee to fame in the U.S. and Europe. However, only a few months after the film's completion and three weeks before its release, the supremely fit Lee mysteriously died. Enter the Dragon would go on to become one of the year's highest grossing films and cemented Lee as a martial arts legend. It was made for US$850,000 in 1973 (equivalent to $4 million adjusted for inflation as of 2007). To date, Enter the Dragon has grossed over $200 million worldwide. The movie sparked a brief fad in the martial-arts epitomized in songs like "Kung Fu Fighting" and TV shows like Kung Fu. Robert Clouse, the director of Enter the Dragon, attempted to finish Lee's incomplete film Game of Death which Lee was also set to write and direct. Lee had shot over forty minutes of footage for Game of Death before shooting was stopped to allow him to work on Enter the Dragon. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a student of Lee, also appeared in the film, which culminates in Lee's character, Billy Lo (clad in the now-famous yellow track suit) taking on the 7'2" basketball player in a climactic fight scene. In a controversial move, Robert Clouse finished the film using a look-alike and archive footage of Lee from his other films and released it in 1978 with a new storyline and cast. However, the cobbled-together film contained only 15 minutes of actual footage of Lee while the rest had a Lee lookalike, Tai Chung Kim, and Yuen Biao as stunt doubles. The unused footage Lee had filmed was recovered 22 years later and included in the documentary Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey. Though other Asian martial artists eventually rose to a degree of popularity that rivaled Lee (Jackie Chan, who once served as a stuntman in “Fist of Fury,” came the closest to approximating Lee’s status as a pop culture icon), his role as the leading symbol for martial arts entertainment never waned in the decades following his death. Lee’s image came to personify the highest degree of dedication and skill in the martial arts field, and was approximated countless times in everything from video games like “Mortal Kombat” to movies – Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill” (2005) was a virtual catalog of Lee references, from the Bride’s yellow-and-black tracksuit – a dead ringer for Lee’s in “Game of Death” – to the Crazy 88’s Kato-style outfits. Lee’s legacy even extended to his own children; both Brandon and Shannon became stars of their own martial arts films in the early 1990s. Sadly, Brandon’s accidental death on the set of “The Crow” (1993) echoed his own father’s untimely death (and launched a second wave of unpleasant “Lee curse” rumors). Shannon Lee eventually left the industry and, along with the help of her mother, maintained the Bruce Lee Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving her father’s teachings and legacy. Lee’s life was also the subject of numerous documentaries, as well as a well-received biopic, “Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story” (1993), with Jason Scott Lee (no relation) as Lee and featuring a cameo by Shannon Lee. A 40-part documentary series on Lee’s life was launched in 2007 by Chinese television to promote Chinese culture during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, while a film based on Lee’s early years was announced that same year by director Fruit Chan. Lee's celebrity and martial arts prowess often put him on a collision course with a number of street thugs, stunt men and martial arts extras, all hoping to make a name for themselves. Lee typically defused such challenges without fighting, but felt forced to respond to several persistent individuals. Bob Wall, USPK karate champion and co-star in Enter the Dragon, recalled a particularly serious encounter that transpired after a film extra kept taunting Lee. The extra yelled that Lee was "a movie star, not a martial artist," that he "wasn't much of a fighter." Lee answered his taunts by asking him to jump down from the wall he was sitting on. Bob Wall described Lee's opponent as "a gang-banger type of guy from Hong Kong," a "damned good martial artist," and observed that he was fast, strong, and bigger than Bruce. Wall recalled the confrontation in detail: "This kid was good. He was strong and fast, and he was really trying to punch Bruce's brains in. But Bruce just methodically took him apart." "Bruce kept moving so well, this kid couldn't touch him...Then all of a sudden, Bruce got him and rammed his ass into the wall and swept him, he proceeded to drop his knee into his opponent's chest, locked his arm out straight, and nailed him in the face repeatedly." After his victory, Lee gave his opponent lessons on how to improve his fighting skills. His opponent, now impressed, would later say to Lee, "You really are a master of the martial arts." There are a number of legacies surrounding Lee that still exist in Hong Kong culture today. One is that his early 70s interview on the TVB show Enjoy Yourself Tonight cleared the busy streets of Hong Kong as everyone was watching the interview at home. Another topic is that his moment of birth is often used as a modern cultural proof of the existence of the Four Pillars of Destiny concept, having been born in the year of the dragon and hour of the dragon along with other astrological alignment. Lee's first introduction to martial arts was through his father, Lee Hoi Cheun. He learned the fundamentals of Wu style Tai Chi Chuan from his father. Lee's sifu, Wing Chun master Yip Man, was also a colleague and friend of Hong Kong's Wu style Tai Chi Chuan teacher Wu Ta-ch'i. Lee trained in Wing Chun Gung Fu from age 13-18 under Hong Kong Wing Chun Sifu Yip Man. Lee was introduced to Yip Man in early 1954 by William Cheung, then a live-in student of Yip Man. Like most Chinese martial arts schools at that time, Sifu Yip Man's classes were often taught by the highest ranking students. One of the highest ranking students under Yip Man at the time was Wong Shun-Leung. Wong is thought to have had the largest influence on Bruce's training. Yip Man trained Lee privately after some students refused to train with Lee due to his ancestry. Bruce was also trained in Western boxing and won the 1958 Boxing Championship match against 3-time champion Gary Elms by knockout in the 3rd round. Before arriving to the finals against Elms, Lee had knocked out 3 straight boxers in the first round. In addition, Bruce learned western fencing techniques from his brother Peter Lee, who was a champion fencer at the time. This multi-faceted exposure to different fighting arts would later play an influence in the creation of the eclectic martial art Jeet Kune Do. Lee began teaching martial arts after his arrival in the United States in 1959. Originally trained in Wing Chun Gung Fu, Lee called what he taught Jun Fan Gung Fu. Jun Fan Gung Fu (literally Bruce's Gung Fu), is basically a slightly modified approach to Wing Chun Gung Fu. Lee taught friends he met in Seattle, starting with Judo practitioner Jesse Glover as his first student and who later became his first assistant instructor. Before moving to California, Lee opened his first martial arts school, named the Lee Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute, in Seattle. Lee also improvised his own kicking method, involving the directness of Wing Chun and the power of Northern Shaolin kung fu. Lee's kicks were delivered very quickly to the target, without "chambering" the leg. Jeet Kune Do originated in 1965. A match with Wong Jack Man influenced Lee's philosophy on fighting. Lee believed that the fight had lasted too long and that he had failed to live up to his potential using Wing Chun techniques. He took the view that traditional martial arts techniques were too rigid and formalistic to be practical in scenarios of chaotic street fighting. Lee decided to develop a system with an emphasis on "practicality, flexibility, speed, and efficiency". He started to use different methods of training such as weight training for strength, running for endurance, stretching for flexibility, and many others which he constantly adapted. Lee emphasized what he called "the style of no style". This consisted of getting rid of a formalized approach which Lee claimed was indicative of traditional styles. Because Lee felt the system he now called Jun Fan Gung Fu was too restrictive, it was developed into a philosophy and martial art he would come to call (after the name was suggested by Dan Inosanto) Jeet Kune Do or the Way of the Intercepting Fist. It is a term he would later regret because Jeet Kune Do implied specific parameters that styles connote whereas the idea of his martial art was to exist outside of parameters and limitations. Lee directly certified only 4 instructors. Taky Kimura, James Yimm Lee (no relation to Bruce Lee), Dan Inosanto, and Ted Wong are the only instructors certified by Lee. Inosanto holds the 3rd rank (Instructor) directly from Bruce Lee in Jeet Kune Do, Jun Fan Gung Fu, and Bruce Lee's Tao of Chinese Gung Fu. Taky Kimura holds a 5th rank in Jun Fan Gung Fu. James Yimm Lee (now deceased) held a 3rd rank in Jun Fan Gung Fu. Ted Wong holds 2nd rank in Lee's Jeet Kune Do. Dan Inosanto and Ted Wong are the only 2 living instructors who hold ranks in Lee's Jeet Kune Do. James Yimm Lee and Taky Kimura hold ranks in Jun Fan Gung Fu, not Jeet Kune Do; Taky received his 5th rank in Jun Fan Gung Fu after the term Jeet Kune Do existed. Also Bruce gave Dan all three diplomas on the same day, suggesting perhaps that Bruce wanted Dan to be his protege. All Jeet Kune Do instructors since Lee's death have been certified directly by Dan Inosanto. James Yimm Lee, a close friend of Lee, died without certifying additional students. Taky Kimura, to date, has certified one person in Jun Fan Gung Fu: his son and heir Andy Kimura. Dan Inosanto continues to teach and certify select students. Prior to his death, Lee told his then only two living instructors Inosanto and Kimura (James Yimm Lee had died in 1972) to dismantle his schools. Both Taky Kimura and Dan Inosanto were allowed to teach small classes thereafter, under the guideline "keep the numbers low, but the quality high". Bruce also instructed several World Karate Champions including Chuck Norris, Joe Lewis, and Mike Stone. Between all 3 of them, during their training with Bruce they won every Karate Championship in the United States. As a result of a lawsuit between the Lee's estate and the Inosanto Academy, the name "Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do" was legally trademarked, and the rights were given solely to the Lee estate. The name is made up of two parts: 'Jun Fan' (Lee's Chinese given name) and 'Jeet Kune Do' (the Way of the Intercepting Fist). The Inosanto Academy now refers to the system as "The Legacy of the Intercepting Fist". At 22 Lee also met Professor Wally Jay, and began to receive informal instruction in Jujitsu from him. The two would have long conversations about theories surrounding the martial arts and grew to be longtime friends. At the invitation of Ed Parker, Lee appeared in the 1964 Long Beach International Karate Championships and performed repetitions of two-finger pushups (using the thumb and the index finger) with feet at approximately a shoulder-width apart. In the same Long Beach event he also performed the "One inch punch". The description of which is as follows: Lee stood upright, his right foot forward with knees bent slightly, in front of a standing, stationary partner. Lee's right arm was partly extended and his right fist approximately an inch away from the partner's chest. Without retracting his right arm, Lee then forcibly delivered the punch to his partner while largely maintaining his posture, sending the partner backwards and falling into a chair said to be placed behind the partner to prevent injury, though the force of gravity caused his partner to soon after fall onto the floor. His volunteer was Bob Baker of Stockton, California. "I told Bruce not to do this type of demonstration again", he recalled. "When he punched me that last time, I had to stay home from work because the pain in my chest was unbearable." Lee also appeared at the 1967 Long Beach International Karate Championships and performed various demonstrations, including the famous "unstoppable punch" with USKA world karate champion Vic Moore. Bruce would announce to Vic Moore that he was going to throw a straight punch to his face, and all he had to do was block it. He would take several steps back and ask if Moore was ready, when Moore nodded in affirmation, Lee would glide towards him until he was within striking range. He would then throw a straight punch directly at Moore's face and stop before impact. In eight attempts, Moore blocked zero punches. Lee was not a professional competitor, but he did set his sights upon the goal of being one of the fittest and strongest fighters of the world, and he went through life earnestly attempting to achieve this. Lee researched many arts in his life and used what he found was useful and rejected what he did not. He also made subtle changes where he could if what he found did not fit his specific requirements. He tended to favor techniques where he could best take advantage of his own attributes, be it his phenomenal speed, strength, elusiveness or power. Lee did say he could have beaten anybody in the world in a real fight. Dan Inosanto said, "there's no doubt in my mind that if Bruce Lee had gone into pro boxing, he could easily have ranked in the top three in the lightweight division or junior-welterweight division." Birchland, Bob (November), ""The Truth of Boxing: A Critical Look at Bruce Lee's Hand Skills"", Black Belt Magazine: pg. 93, Lee had boxed in the 1958 Boxing Championships held between twelve Hong Kong schools, a tournament in which he beat the three-time champion from another school (an English boy). (Thomas, Bruce. Bruce Lee: Fighting Spirit. 1994, Frog, Ltd. page 27). Lee felt that many martial artists of his day did not spend enough time on physical conditioning. Bruce included all elements of total fitness--muscular strength, muscular endurance, cardiovascular endurance, and flexibility. He tried traditional bodybuilding techniques to build bulky muscles or mass. However, Lee was careful to admonish that mental and spiritual preparation was fundamental to the success of physical training in martial arts skills. In his book The Tao of Jeet Kune Do, he wrote Training is one of the most neglected phases of athletics. Too much time is given to the development of skill and too little to the development of the individual for participation." "JKD, ultimately is not a matter of petty techniques but of highly developed spirituality and physique. The weight training program that Lee used during a stay in Hong Kong in 1965 at only 24 years old placed heavy emphasis on his arms. At that time he could perform bicep curls at a weight of 70 to 80lbs for three sets of eight repetitions, along with other forms of exercises, such as squats, push-ups, reverse curls, concentration curls, French presses, and both wrist curls and reverse wrist curls. The repetitions he performed were 6 to 12 reps (at the time). While this method of training targeted his fast and slow twitch muscles, it later resulted in weight gain or muscle mass, placing Bruce a little over 160 lbs. Lee was documented as having well over 2,500 books in his own personal library, and eventually concluded that "A stronger muscle, is a bigger muscle", a conclusion he later disputed. However, Bruce forever experimented with his training routines to maximize his physical abilities. He employed many different routines and exercises including skipping rope, which served his training and bodybuilding purposes effectively. Lee believed that the abdominal muscles were one of the most important muscle groups for a martial artist, since virtually every movement requires some degree of abdominal work. Perhaps more importantly, the "abs" are like a shell, protecting the ribs and vital organs. He trained from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., including stomach, flexibility, and running, and from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. he would weight train and cycle. A typical exercise for Lee would be to run a distance of two to six miles in 15 to 45 minutes, in which he would vary speed in 3-5 minute intervals. Lee would ride the equivalent of 10 miles in 45 minutes on a stationary bike. Lee would sometimes exercise with the jump rope and put in 800 jumps after cycling. Lee would also do exercises to toughen the skin on his fists, including thrusting his hands into buckets of harsh rocks and gravel. He would do over 500 repetitions of this on a given day. According to Linda Lee, soon after he moved to the United States, Lee started to take nutrition seriously and developed an interest in health foods, high-protein drinks and vitamin and mineral supplements. He later concluded that in order to achieve a high-performance body, one could not fuel it with a diet of junk food, and with "the wrong fuel" one's body would perform sluggishly or sloppily. Lee also avoided baked goods, describing them as providing calories which did nothing for his body. Lee's diet included protein drinks; he always tried to consume one or two daily, but discontinued drinking them later on in his life. Linda recalls Bruce's waist fluctuated between 26 and 28 inches. "He also drank his own juice concoctions made from vegetables and fruits, apples, celery, carrots and so on, prepared in an electric blender".[citation needed] He consumed large amounts[vague] of green vegetables, fruits, and fresh milk everyday. Lee's devotion to fitness gave him a body that was admired even by many of the top names in bodybuilding community. Joe Weider, the founder of Mr. Olympia, described Bruce's physique as "the most defined body I've ever seen!" Many top body building competitors have indicated Bruce as a major influence on their bodybuilding careers including Flex Wheeler, Shawn Ray, Rachel McLish, Lou Ferrigno, Lenda Murray, Dorian Yates and eight time Mr. Olympia Lee Haney. Arnold Schwarznegger was also influenced by Lee, and said of his body, "Bruce Lee had a very—I mean a very defined physique. He had very little body fat. I mean, he probably had one of the lowest body fat counts of any athlete. And I think that's why he looked so believable.", A doctor who knew Lee once claimed that he was "Muscled as a squirrel, and spirited as a horse" and fitter than anyone he had ever seen. Lee was known to have collected over 140 books in his lifetime on bodybuilding, weight training, physiology and kinesiology. In order to better train specific muscle groups, he also created several original designs of his own training equipment and had his friend George Lee build them to his specifications. Although Lee is best known as a martial artist and actor, he majored in philosophy at the University of Washington. He was well-read and had an extensive library. His own books on martial arts and fighting philosophy are known for their philosophical assertions both inside and outside of martial arts circles. His eclectic philosophy often mirrored his fighting beliefs, though he was quick to claim that his martial arts were solely a metaphor for such teachings. His influences include Taoism, Jiddu Krishnamurti, and Buddhism. A foreshadowing of events to come occurred on May 10, 1973 when Lee collapsed in Golden Harvest studios while doing dubbing work for Enter the Dragon. Suffering from full-body seizures and cerebral edema, he was immediately rushed to Hong Kong Baptist Hospital where doctors were able to reduce the swelling through the administration of Mannitol and revive him. These same symptoms that occurred in his first collapse were later repeated on the day of his death. On July 20, 1973, Lee was in Hong Kong, due to have dinner with former James Bond star George Lazenby, with whom he intended to make a film. According to Lee's wife Linda, Lee met producer Raymond Chow at 2 p.m. at home to discuss the making of the movie Game of Death. They worked until 4 p.m. and then drove together to the home of Lee's colleague Betty Ting Pei, a Taiwanese actress. The three went over the script at Pei's home, and then Chow left to attend a dinner meeting. A short time later, Lee complained of a headache, and Ting Pei gave him an analgesic (painkiller), Equagesic, which contained both aspirin and a muscle relaxant. Around 7:30 p.m., he went to lie down for a nap. After Lee did not turn up for dinner, Chow came to the apartment but could not wake Lee up. A doctor was summoned, who spent ten minutes attempting to revive him before sending him by ambulance to Queen Elizabeth Hospital. However, Lee was dead by the time he reached the hospital. There was no visible external injury; however, his brain had swollen considerably, from 1,400 to 1,575 grams (a 13% increase). Lee was 32 years old. The only two substances found during the autopsy were Equagesic and trace amounts of cannabis. On October 15, 2005, Chow stated in an interview that Lee died from a hypersensitivity to the muscle relaxant in Equagesic, which he described as a common ingredient in painkillers. When the doctors announced Lee's death officially, it was ruled a "death by misadventure." Dr. Langford who treated Lee for his first collapse stated after his death that, "There's not a question in my mind that cannabis should have been named as the presumptive cause of death." He also believed that, "Equagesic was not at all involved in Bruce's first collapse." Professor R.D. Teare, who had overseen over 100,000 autopsies, was the top expert assigned to the Lee case. Dr. Teare declared that the presence of cannabis was mere coincidence, and added that it would be "irresponsible and irrational" to say that it might have triggered Lee's death. His conclusion was that the death was caused by an acute cerebral edema due to a reaction to compounds present in the prescription pain killing drug Equagesic. Dr. Peter Wu's preliminary opinion was that the cause of death could have been a reaction to cannabis and Equagesic. Dr. Wu would later back off from this position however: "Professor Teare was a forensic scientist recommended by Scotland Yard; he was brought in as an expert on cannabis and we can't contradict his testimony. The dosage of cannabis is neither precise nor predictable, but I've never known of anyone dying simply from taking it.", The exact details of Lee's death are a subject of controversy. His wife Linda returned to her home town of Seattle, and had him buried at lot 276 of Lakeview Cemetery. Pallbearers at his funeral on July 31, 1973 included Steve McQueen, James Coburn, Chuck Norris, George Lazenby, Dan Inosanto, Taky Kimura, Peter Chin, and his brother, Robert Lee. His iconic status and young and unusual death fed many theories about his death, including murder involving the Triad society and a supposed curse on him and his family. The curse theory was extended to his son Brandon Lee, also an actor, who died, 20 years after his father, in a bizarre accident while filming his last film, The Crow at the age of 28. It was released after his death and gained cult status, as his father's last film had been, and did. (The Crow was completed with the use of computer-generated imagery and a stunt double in the few, but critical, scenes that remained to be filmed.) Brandon Lee was buried beside his father. In 1993 a biopic of Lee's life titled Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story was released in which Lee was portayed by Jason Scott Lee (no relation). In April, 2007, Chinese state media announced that its national broadcaster had started filming a 40-part TV series on Lee titled The Legend of Bruce Lee to promote Chinese culture for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. Lee will be portrayed by Chan Kwok Kuen in the series. On August 22, 2007, Fruit Chan announced that he will make a film on Bruce Lee's early years, in Chinese, entitled Kowloon City, produced by John Woo's producer Terence Chang, and set in 1950s Hong Kong. Stanley Kwan stated that he was talking with Lee's family to make a biographical film on Lee. Kwan says that his film will look at how Bruce Lee was affected by the absence of his father and how he brought up his own son, Brandon Lee. |
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