| Born Jun Fan Lee in San
Francisco, Lee's family returned to Hong Kong while he was an infant. During his teens, he
made films in the Hong Kong market and at the age of 18, moved to the United States to study
Philosophy at the University of Washington. There he met American Linda Emery, and the two
married in 1964. As a student, he thoroughly studied the human sciences of kinesiology and
physiology, which led him to create his own method of self-defense called Jeet Kune Do. His
revolutionary teachings strayed from traditional techniques and became the first martial art
method to ever be taught on the basis of total freedom for the individual practitioner. Lee
published his first book in 1963 titled "Chinese Gung Fu: The Philosophical Art of
Self-Defense." After a
particularly electrifying demonstration at a karate tournament in 1964, Lee was offered the
role of "Kato" in "The Green Hornet" television series. The syndication of
the show gave him a substantial following. Before long Lee returned to Hong Kong to star in
two motion pictures, The
Big Boss (1972) and Fist
of Fury (1972). The financial success of his first two films gave Lee the creative
latitude to direct and write his next film The
Way of the Dragon (1973). At the same time, he was signed to star in Enter
the Dragon, the first co-production between American and Hong Kong film studios. The
film proved to be an international hit, famous as much for its pearls of wisdom, as for its
spectacular martial art action sequences.
During his lifetime, Lee cultivated a personal philosophy,
a synthesis of eastern and western insights, which helped him overcome many adversities. He
passed away at age 32 as a result of hypersensitivity to a pain medication. At the time of his
death, he was in the process of making The Game
of Death (1978), for which he filmed three action sequences. This was to have been the
most important film of his budding career. Scenes from The
Game of Death now appear on Bruce Lee: A
Warrior's Journey, a one-hour documentary featuring 33-minutes of never-seen footage.
Lee's influence on the action film genre dramatically
effected change in the film industry. He introduced eastern and western film relations which
spawned a martial arts phenomenon that continues to bring enormous financial success to the
film industry. His presence in the film community defied stereotypes and opened doors for many
of today stars who, through their work, allow his legacy to live on. |
