Grappling
Lee favored cross-training between different fighting
styles and had a particular interest in grappling. Lee trained with several
judo practitioners in Seattle and California, among them Fred Sato, Jesse
Glover, Taky Kimura, Hayward Nishioka, and Wally Jay, as well as Gene LeBell.
Many of his first students were proficient in judo and other arts, and he learned
as much as he taught. After befriending LeBell on the set of The Green Hornet,
Lee offered to teach him striking arts in exchange for being taught grappling
techniques. LeBell had been taught catch wrestling by prestigious grapplers Lou
Thesz and Ed Lewis, and notable techniques of both judo and catch wrestling can
be seen in Lee's Tao of Jeet Kune Do. He also learned grappling moves from
hapkido master Ji Han-jae.
According to Glover, Lee only found judo ineffective at the
action of getting hold of the opponent. In their first training together,
Glover showed Lee an osoto gari, which Lee considered not a bad technique, but
he disliked that Glover had needed to hold onto Lee. While in Seattle, Lee
developed anti-grappling techniques against opponents trying to tackle him or
take him to the ground. Glover recalled Lee "definitely
would not go to the ground if he had the opportunity to get you standing
up." Nonetheless, Lee expressed to LeBell a wish to integrate judo
into his fighting style. He incorporated the osoto gari into Jeet Kune Do,
among other throws, armlocks and chokeholds from judo.
Although Lee opined that grappling was of little use in
action choreography because it was not visually distinctive, he showcased
grappling moves in his own films, such as Way of the Dragon, where his
character finishes his opponent Chuck Norris with a neck hold inspired by
LeBell, and Enter the Dragon, whose prologue features Lee submitting his
opponent Sammo Hung with an armbar. Game of Death also features Lee and Han-jae
exchanging grappling moves, as well as Lee using wrestling against the
character played by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Lee was also influenced by the training routine of The Great
Gama, an Indian/Pakistani pehlwani wrestling champion known for his grappling
strength. Lee incorporated Gama's exercises into his own training routine.
Street fighting
Another major influence on Lee was Hong Kong's street
fighting culture in the form of rooftop fights. In the mid-20th century,
soaring crime in Hong Kong, combined with limited Hong Kong Police manpower,
led to many young Hongkongers learning martial arts for self-defense. Around the
1960s, there were about 400 martial arts schools in Hong Kong, teaching their
own distinctive styles of martial arts. In Hong Kong's street fighting culture,
there emerged a rooftop fight scene in the 1950s and 1960s, where gangs from
rival martial arts schools challenged each other to bare-knuckle fights on Hong
Kong's rooftops, in order to avoid crackdowns by British colonial authorities.
Lee frequently participated in these Hong Kong rooftop fights. He combined
different techniques from different martial arts schools into his own hybrid
martial arts style.
When Lee returned to Hong Kong in the early 1970s, his
reputation as "the fastest fist in
the east" routinely led to locals challenging him to street fights. He
sometimes accepted these challenges and engaged in street fights, which led to
some criticism from the press portraying him as violent at the time.
Fitness
At 172 cm (5 ft 8 in) and weighing 64 kg (141 lb), Lee was
renowned for his physical fitness and vigor, achieved by using a dedicated
fitness regimen to become as strong as possible. After his match with Wong
Jack-man in 1965, Lee changed his approach toward martial arts training. Lee
felt that many martial artists of his time did not spend enough time on
physical conditioning. Lee included all elements of total fitness—muscular
strength, muscular endurance, cardiovascular endurance, and flexibility. He
used traditional bodybuilding techniques to build some muscle mass, though not
overdone, as that could decrease speed or flexibility. At the same time, with
respect to balance, Lee maintained that mental and spiritual preparation are
fundamental to the success of physical training in martial arts skills. In 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.
According to Linda Lee Cadwell, 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 achieving a high-performance body was akin
to maintaining the engine of a high-performance automobile. Allegorically, as
one could not keep a car running on low-octane fuels, one could not sustain
one's body with a steady diet of junk food, and with "the wrong fuel", one's body would perform sluggishly or
sloppily.
Lee avoided baked goods and refined flour, describing them
as providing empty calories that did nothing for his body. He was known for
being a fan of Asian cuisine for its variety, and often ate meals with a
combination of vegetables, rice, and fish. Lee had a dislike for dairy products
and as a result, used powdered milk in his diet.
Dan Inosanto recalls Lee practiced meditation as the first
action on his schedule.
Artistry
Philosophy
While best known as a martial artist, Lee studied drama and
Asian and Western philosophy, starting while a student at the University of
Washington. He was well-read and had an extensive library dominated by martial
arts subjects and philosophical texts. 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 say that his martial arts were solely
a metaphor for such teachings.
He believed that any knowledge ultimately led to
self-knowledge. He said that his chosen method of self-expression was martial
arts. His influences include Taoism, Jiddu Krishnamurti, and Buddhism. Lee's
philosophy was very much in opposition to the conservative worldview advocated
by Confucianism. John Little states that Lee was an atheist. When asked in 1972
about his religious affiliation, he replied, "none whatsoever". When asked if he believed in God, he
said, "To be perfectly frank, I
really do not."
Poetry
Aside from martial arts and philosophy, which focus on the
physical aspect and self-consciousness for truths and principles, Lee also
wrote poetry that reflected his emotion and a stage in his life collectively.
Many forms of art remain concordant with the artist creating them. Lee's
principle of self-expression was applied to his poetry as well. His daughter
Shannon Lee said, "He did write
poetry; he was really the consummate artist."
His poetic works were originally handwritten on paper, then
later on edited and published, with John Little being the major author
(editor), for Bruce Lee's works. Linda Lee Cadwell (Bruce Lee's wife) shared
her husband's notes, poems, and experiences with followers. She mentioned "Lee's poems are, by American
standards, rather dark—reflecting the deeper, less exposed recesses of the
human psyche".
Most of Bruce Lee's poems are categorized as anti-poetry or
fall into a paradox. The mood in his poems shows the side of the man that can
be compared with other poets such as Robert Frost, one of many well-known poets
expressing himself with dark poetic works. The paradox taken from the Yin and
Yang symbol in martial arts was also integrated into his poetry. His martial
arts and philosophy contribute a great part to his poetry. The free verse form
of Lee's poetry reflects his famous quote
"Be formless ... shapeless, like water."
Personal life
Names
Lee's Cantonese birth name was Lee Jun-fan (李振藩).
The name homophonically means "return
again", and was given to Lee by his mother, who felt he would return
to the United States once he came of age. Because of his mother's superstitious
nature, she had originally named him Sai-fon (細鳳), which is a feminine name meaning "small phoenix". The English
name "Bruce" is thought to
have been given by the hospital attending physician, Dr. Mary Glover.
Lee had three other Chinese names: Lee Yuen-cham (李源鑫), a
family/clan name; Lee Yuen-kam (李元鑒), which he used as a student name
while he was attending La Salle College, and his Chinese screen name Lee Siu-lung
(李小龍;
Siu-lung means "little
dragon"). Lee's given name Jun-fan was originally written in Chinese
as 震藩;
however, the Jun (震) Chinese character was identical to part of his
grandfather's name, Lee Jun-biu (李震彪). Hence, the Chinese character for
Jun in Lee's name was changed to the homonym 振 instead, to avoid naming taboo in
Chinese tradition.
Family
Lee and his family
Lee's father, Lee Hoi-chuen, was one of the leading
Cantonese opera and film actors at the time and was embarking on a year-long
opera tour with his family on the eve of the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong.
Lee Hoi-chuen had been touring the United States for many years and performing
in numerous Chinese communities there.
Although many of his peers decided to stay in the US, Lee
Hoi-chuen returned to Hong Kong after Bruce's birth. Within months, Hong Kong
was invaded and the Lees lived for three years and eight months under Japanese
occupation. After the war ended, Lee Hoi-chuen resumed his acting career and
became a more popular actor during Hong Kong's rebuilding years.
Lee's mother, Grace Ho, was from one of the wealthiest and
most powerful clans in Hong Kong, the Ho-tungs. She was the half-niece of Sir
Robert Ho-tung, the Eurasian patriarch of the clan. As such, the young Bruce
Lee grew up in an affluent and privileged environment. Despite the advantage of
his family's status, the neighborhood in which Lee grew up became overcrowded,
dangerous, and full of gang rivalries due to an influx of refugees fleeing
communist China for Hong Kong, at that time a British Crown Colony.
Grace Ho is reported as either the adopted or biological
daughter of Ho Kom-tong (Ho Gumtong, 何甘棠) or the half-niece of Sir Robert
Ho-tung, both notable Hong Kong businessmen and philanthropists. Bruce was the
fourth of five children: Phoebe Lee (李秋源), Agnes Lee (李秋鳳),
Peter Lee, and Robert Lee.
Grace's parentage remains unclear. Linda Lee, in her 1989
biography The Bruce Lee Story, suggests that Grace had a German father and was
a Catholic. Bruce Thomas, in his influential 1994 biography Bruce Lee: Fighting
Spirit suggests that Grace had a Chinese mother and a German father. Lee's
relative Eric Peter Ho, in his 2010 book Tracing My Children's Lineage,
suggests that Grace was born in Shanghai to a Eurasian woman named Cheung
King-sin. Eric Peter Ho said that Grace Lee was the daughter of a mixed race
Shanghainese woman and her father was Ho Kom Tong. Grace Lee said her mother
was English and her father was Chinese. Fredda Dudley Balling said Grace Lee
was three-quarters Chinese and one-quarter British.
In the 2018 biography Bruce Lee: A Life, Matthew Polly
identifies Lee's maternal grandfather as Ho Kom-tong, who had often been
reported as his adoptive grandfather. Ho Kom-tong's father, Charles Maurice
Bosman, was a Dutch Jewish businessman from Rotterdam. He moved to Hong Kong
with the Dutch East India Company and served as the Dutch consul to Hong Kong
at one time. He had a Chinese concubine named Sze Tai with whom he had six
children, including Ho Kom Tong. Bosman subsequently abandoned his family and
immigrated to California. Ho Kom Tong became a wealthy businessman with a wife,
13 concubines, and a British mistress who gave birth to Grace Ho.
His younger brother Robert Lee Jun-fai is a musician and
singer; his group The Thunderbirds was famous in Hong Kong. A few singles were
sung mostly or all in English. Also released was Lee singing a duet with Irene
Ryder Lee Jun-fai lived with Lee in Los Angeles in the United States and
stayed. After Lee's death, Lee Jun-fai released an album and the single by the
same name dedicated to Lee called "The
Ballad of Bruce Lee".
While studying at the University of Washington he met his
future wife Linda Emery, a fellow student studying to become a teacher. As relations
between people of different races were still banned in many US states, they
married in secret in August 1964. Lee had two children with Linda: Brandon
(1965–1993) and Shannon Lee (born 1969). Upon's Lee passing in 1973, she
continued to promote Bruce Lee's martial art Jeet Kune Do. She wrote the 1975
book Bruce Lee: The Man Only I Knew, on which the 1993 feature film Dragon: The
Bruce Lee Story was based. In 1989, she wrote the book The Bruce Lee Story. She
retired in 2001 from the family estate.
Lee died when his son Brandon was eight years old. While
alive, Lee taught Brandon martial arts and would invite him to visit sets. This
gave Brandon the desire to act and went on to study the craft. As a young
adult, Brandon Lee found some success acting in action-oriented pictures such
as Legacy of Rage (1986), Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991), and Rapid Fire
(1992). In 1993, at the age of 28, Brandon Lee died after being accidentally
shot by a prop gun on the set of The Crow.
Lee died when his daughter Shannon was four. In her youth
she studied Jeet Kune Do under Richard Bustillo, one of her father's students;
however, her serious studies did not begin until the late 1990s. To train for
parts in action movies, she studied Jeet Kune Do with Ted Wong.
Friends, students,
and contemporaries
Lee's brother Robert with his friends Taky Kimura, Dan
Inosanto, Steve McQueen, James Coburn, and Peter Chin were his pallbearers.
Coburn was a martial arts student and a friend of Lee. Coburn worked with Lee
and Stirling Silliphant on developing The Silent Flute. Upon Lee's early death,
at his funeral Coburn gave a eulogy. Regarding McQueen, Lee made no secret that
he wanted everything McQueen had and would stop at nothing to get it. Inosanto
and Kimura were friends and disciple of Lee. Inosanto who would go on to train
Lee's son Brandon. Kimura continued to teach Lee's craft in Seattle. According
to Lee's wife, Chin was a lifelong family friend and a student of Lee.
James Yimm Lee (no relation) was one of Lee's three
personally certified 3rd rank instructors and co-founded the Jun Fan Gung Fu
Institute in Oakland where he taught Jun Fan Gung Fu in Lee's absence. James
was responsible for introducing Lee to Ed Parker, the organizer of the Long
Beach International Karate Championships, where Lee was first introduced to the
martial arts community. Hollywood couple Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate studied
martial arts with Lee. Polanski flew Lee to Switzerland to train him. Tate
studied with Lee in preparation for her role in The Wrecking Crew. After Tate
was murdered by the Manson Family, Polanski initially suspected Lee.
Screenwriter Stirling Silliphant was a martial arts student
and a friend of Lee. Silliphant worked with Lee and James Coburn on developing
The Silent Flute. Lee acted and provided his martial arts expertise in several
projects penned by Silliphant, the first in Marlowe (1969) where Lee plays
Winslow Wong a hoodlum well versed in martial arts. Lee also did fight
choreographies for the film A Walk in the Spring Rain (1970), and played Li
Tsung, a Jeet Kune Do instructor who teaches the main character in the
television show Longstreet (1971). Elements of his martial arts philosophy were
included in the script for the latter.
Basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar studied martial arts
and developed a friendship with Lee.
Actor and karate champion Chuck Norris was a friend and
training partner of Lee's. After Lee's death, Norris said he kept in touch with
Lee's family.
Judoka and professional wrestler Gene LeBell became a friend
of Lee on the set of The Green Hornet. They trained together and exchanged
their knowledge of martial arts.
Death
On May 10, 1973, Lee collapsed during an automated dialogue
replacement session for Enter the Dragon at Golden Harvest film studio in Hong
Kong. Because he was having seizures and headaches, he was immediately rushed
to Hong Kong Baptist Hospital, where doctors diagnosed cerebral edema. They
were able to reduce the swelling through the administration of mannitol. The
headache and cerebral edema that occurred in his first collapse were later
repeated on the day of his death.
On Friday, July 20, 1973, Lee was in Hong Kong to have
dinner with actor 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 film 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 Ting's home, and then Chow left to
attend a dinner meeting.
Later, Lee complained of a headache, and Ting gave him the
painkiller Equagesic, which contained both aspirin and the tranquilizer
meprobamate. Around 7:30 p.m., he went to lie down for a nap. When Lee did not
come for dinner, Chow came to the apartment, but he was unable to wake Lee up.
A doctor was summoned, and spent ten minutes attempting to revive Lee before
sending him by ambulance to Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Lee was declared dead on
arrival at the age of 32.
There was no visible external injury; however, according to
autopsy reports, Lee's brain had swollen considerably, from 1,400 to 1,575
grams (a 13% increase). The autopsy found Equagesic in his system. On October
15, 2005, Chow stated in an interview that Lee died from an allergic reaction
to the tranquilizer meprobamate, the main ingredient in Equagesic, which Chow
described as an ingredient commonly used in painkillers. When the doctors
announced Lee's death, it was officially ruled a "death by misadventure".
Lee's wife Linda returned to her hometown of Seattle, and
had Lee's body buried in Lake View Cemetery in Seattle. Pallbearers at Lee's
funeral on July 25, 1973, included Taky Kimura, Steve McQueen, James Coburn,
Dan Inosanto, Peter Chin, and Lee's brother Robert. Around the time of Lee's
death, numerous rumours appeared in the media. Lee's iconic status and untimely
death fed many wild rumours and theories. These included murder involving the
triads and a supposed curse on him and his family.
Donald Teare, a forensic scientist, recommended by Scotland
Yard, who had overseen over 1,000 autopsies, was assigned to the Lee case. His
conclusion was "death by
misadventure" caused by cerebral edema due to a reaction to compounds
present in the combination medication Equagesic. Although there was initial
speculation that cannabis found in Lee's stomach may have contributed to his
death, Teare said it would "be both
'irresponsible and irrational' to say that [cannabis] might have triggered
either the events of Bruce's collapse on May 10 or his death on July 20".
Dr. R. R. Lycette, the clinical pathologist at Queen Elizabeth Hospital,
reported at the coroner hearing that the death could not have been caused by
cannabis.
In a 2018 biography, author Matthew Polly consulted with
medical experts and theorized that the cerebral edema that killed Lee had been
caused by over-exertion and heat stroke; heat stroke was not considered at the
time because it was then a poorly understood condition. Furthermore, Lee had
his underarm sweat glands removed in late 1972, in the apparent belief that
underarm sweat was unphotogenic on film. Polly further theorized that this
caused Lee's body to overheat while practising in hot temperatures on May 10
and July 20, 1973, resulting in heat stroke that in turn exacerbated the
cerebral edema that led to his death.
In an article in the December 2022 issue of Clinical Kidney
Journal, a team of researchers examined the various theories regarding Lee's
cause of death, and concluded that his fatal cerebal edema was brought on by hyponatremia,
an insufficient concentration of sodium in the blood. The authors noted that
there were several risk factors which predisposed Lee to hyponatremia,
including excessive water intake, insufficient solute intake, alcohol
consumption, and use or overuse of multiple drugs which impair the ability of
the kidneys to excrete excess fluids. Lee's symptoms prior to his death were
also found to closely match known cases of fatal hyponatremia.
Legacy and cultural
impact
Lee is considered by commentators, critics, media, and other
martial artists to be the most influential martial artist of all time, and a
pop culture icon of the 20th century, who bridged the gap between East and
West. Time named Lee one of the 100 most important people of the 20th century.
A number of biography books have been written about Lee. A
biography had sold more than 4 million copies by 1988.
Action films
Lee was largely responsible for launching the "kung fu craze" of the 1970s.
He initially introduced kung fu to the West with American television shows such
as The Green Hornet and Kung Fu, before the "kung
fu craze" began with the dominance of Hong Kong martial arts films in
1973. Lee's success inspired a wave of Western martial arts films and
television shows throughout the 1970s–1990s (launching the careers of Western
martial arts stars such as Jean-Claude Van Damme, Steven Seagal and Chuck
Norris), as well as the more general integration of Asian martial arts into
Western action films and television shows during the 1980s–1990s.
Enter the Dragon has been cited as one of the most
influential action films of all time. Sascha Matuszak of Vice said Enter the
Dragon "is referenced in all manner
of media, the plot line and characters continue to influence storytellers
today, and the impact was particularly felt in the revolutionizing way the film
portrayed African-Americans, Asians and traditional martial arts." Kuan-Hsing
Chen and Beng Huat Chua cited fight scenes in Lee's films such as Enter the
Dragon as being influential for the way they pitched "an elemental story of good against evil in such a
spectacle-saturated way".
A number of action filmmakers around the world have cited
Bruce Lee as a formative influence on their careers, including Hong Kong action
film directors such as Jackie Chan and John Woo, and Hollywood filmmakers such
as Quentin Tarantino and Brett Ratner.
Martial arts and
combat sports
Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from
different combat disciplines that was founded by Lee, is often credited with
paving the way for modern mixed martial arts (MMA). The concept of mixed
martial arts was popularized in the West by Bruce Lee via his system of Jeet
Kune Do. Lee believed that "the best
fighter is not a Boxer, Karate or Judo man. The best fighter is someone who can
adapt to any style, to be formless, to adopt an individual's own style and not
following the system of styles."
In 2004, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) founder Dana
White called Lee the "father of
mixed martial arts" and stated: "If
you look at the way Bruce Lee trained, the way he fought, and many of the
things he wrote, he said the perfect style was no style. You take a little
something from everything. You take the good things from every different
discipline, use what works, and you throw the rest away".
Lee was largely responsible for many people taking up
martial arts. These include numerous fighters in combat sports who were
inspired by Lee; boxing champion Sugar Ray Leonard said he perfected his jab by
watching Lee, boxing champion Manny Pacquiao compared his fighting style to
Lee, and UFC champion Conor McGregor has compared himself to Lee and said that
he believes Lee would have been a champion in the UFC if he were to compete in
the present day.
Lee inspired the foundation of American full-contact
kickboxing tournaments by Joe Lewis and Benny Urquidez in the 1970s. American
taekwondo pioneer Jhoon Goo Rhee learned from Lee what he calls the "accupunch", which he
incorporated into American taekwondo. Rhee later coached heavyweight boxing
champion Muhammad Ali and taught him the "accupunch",
which Ali used to knockout Richard Dunn in 1975. According to heavyweight
boxing champion Mike Tyson, "everyone
wanted to be Bruce Lee" in the 1970s.
UFC pound-for-pound champion Jon Jones cited Lee as
inspiration, with Jones known for frequently using the oblique kick to the
knee, a technique that was popularized by Lee. UFC champions Uriah Hall and
Anderson Silva cited Lee as an inspiration. Numerous other UFC fighters have
cited Lee as their inspiration, with several referring to him as a "godfather" or "grandfather" of MMA.
Racial barriers and
stereotypes
Lee is credited with helping to change the way Asians were
presented in American films. He defied Asian stereotypes, such as the emasculated
Asian male stereotype. In contrast to earlier stereotypes which depicted Asian
men as emasculated, childlike, coolies, or domestic servants, Lee demonstrated
that Asian men could be "tough,
strong and sexy" according to University of Michigan lecturer Hye Seung
Chung. In turn, Lee's popularity inspired a new Asian stereotype, the martial
artist.
In North America, his films initially played largely to
black, Asian and Hispanic audiences. Within black communities, Lee's popularity
was second only to heavyweight boxer Muhammad Ali in the 1970s. As Lee broke
through to the mainstream, he became a rare non-white movie star in a Hollywood
industry dominated by white actors at the time. According to rapper LL Cool J,
Lee's films were the first time many non-white American children such as
himself had seen a non-white action hero on the big screen in the 1970s.
Popular culture
Numerous entertainment and sports figures around the world
have cited Lee as a major influence on their work, including martial arts
actors such as Jackie Chan[204] and Donnie Yen, actor-bodybuilder Arnold
Schwarzenegger, actor-comedians such as Eddie Murphy and Eddie Griffin,
actresses such as Olivia Munn and Dianne Doan, musicians such as Steve Aoki and
Rohan Marley, rappers such as LL Cool J and Wu-Tang Clan leader RZA, bands such
as Gorillaz, comedians such as W. Kamau Bell and Margaret Cho, basketball
players Stephen Curry and Jamal Murray, skaters Tony Hawk and Christian Hosoi,
and American footballer Kyler Murray, among others.
Bruce Lee influenced several comic book writers, notably
Marvel Comics founder Stan Lee, who considered Bruce Lee to be a superhero
without a costume. Shortly after his death, Lee inspired the Marvel characters
Shang-Chi (debuted 1973) and Iron Fist (debuted 1974) as well as the comic book
series The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu (debuted 1974). According to Stan Lee, any
character that is a martial artist since then owes their origin to Bruce Lee in
some form.
Bruce Lee was a formative influence on the development of
breakdancing in the 1970s. Early breakdancing pioneers such as the Rock Steady
Crew drew inspiration from kung fu moves, as performed by Lee, inspiring dance
moves such as the windmill among other breaking moves.
In India, Lee films had an influence on Hindi masala films.
After the success of Lee films such as Enter the Dragon in India, Deewaar
(1975) and later Hindi films incorporated fight scenes inspired by 1970s Hong
Kong martial arts films up until the 1990s. According to Indian film star Aamir
Khan, when he was a child, "almost
every house had a poster of Bruce Lee" in 1970s Bombay.
In Japan, the manga and anime franchises Fist of the North
Star (1983–1988) and Dragon Ball (1984–1995) were inspired by Lee films such as
Enter the Dragon. In turn, Fist of the North Star and especially Dragon Ball
are credited with setting the trends for popular shōnen manga and anime from
the 1980s onwards. Spike Spiegel, the protagonist from the 1998 anime Cowboy
Bebop, is seen practising Jeet Kune Do and quotes Lee.
Bruce Lee films such as Game of Death and Enter the Dragon
were the foundation for video game genres such as beat 'em up action games and
fighting games. The first beat 'em up game, Kung-Fu Master (1984), was based on
Lee's Game of Death. The Street Fighter video game franchise (1987 debut) was
inspired by Enter the Dragon, with the gameplay centered on an international
fighting tournament, and each character having a unique combination of
ethnicity, nationality and fighting style; Street Fighter went on to set the template
for all fighting games that followed. Since then, nearly every major fighting
game franchise has had a character based on Bruce Lee. In April 2014, Lee was
named a featured character in the combat sports video game EA Sports UFC, and
is playable in multiple weight classes.
In France, the Yamakasi cited the martial arts philosophy of
Bruce Lee as an influence on their development of the parkour discipline in the
1990s, along with the acrobatics of Jackie Chan. The Yamakasi considered Lee to
be the "unofficial president"
of their group.
The Legend of Bruce Lee (2008), a Chinese television drama
series based on the life of Bruce Lee, has been watched by over 400 million
viewers in China, making it the most-watched Chinese television drama series of
all time, as of 2017.
In November 2022, it was announced that Taiwanese filmmaker
Ang Lee was directing a biopic on Bruce Lee. Ang Lee's son Mason Lee was cast
to star in the movie, while Bruce Lee's daughter, Shannon Lee, is set to
produce the film.
Commercials
Though Bruce Lee did not appear in commercials during his
lifetime, his likeness and image has since appeared in hundreds of commercials
around the world. Nokia launched an Internet-based campaign in 2008 with staged
"documentary-looking"
footage of Bruce Lee playing ping-pong with his nunchaku and also igniting
matches as they are thrown toward him. The videos went viral on YouTube,
creating confusion as some people believed them to be authentic footage.
Awards
1972: Golden Horse Awards Best Mandarin Film
1972: Fist of Fury Special Jury Award
1994: Hong Kong Film Award for Lifetime Achievement
1999: Named by Time as one of the 100 most influential
people of the 20th century
2004: Star of the Century Award
2013: The Asian Awards Founders Award
Statues
Statue of Bruce Lee (Los Angeles): unveiled June 15, 2013,
Chinatown Central Plaza, Los Angeles, California
Statue of Bruce Lee (Hong Kong): 2.5 m (8.2 ft) bronze
statue of Lee was unveiled on November 27, 2005, on what would have been his
65th birthday.
Statue of Bruce Lee (Mostar): The day before the Hong Kong
statue was dedicated, the city of Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina unveiled its
own 1.68 m (5.5 ft) bronze statue; supporters of the statue cited Lee as a
unifying symbol against the ethnic divisions in the country, which had
culminated in the 1992–95 Bosnian War.
Places
A theme park dedicated to Lee was built in Jun'an,
Guangdong. Mainland Chinese only started watching Bruce Lee films in the 1980s,
when videos of classic movies like Fist of Fury became available.
On January 6, 2009, it was announced that Lee's Hong Kong
home (41 Cumberland Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong) would be preserved and
transformed into a tourist site by Yu Pang-lin. Yu died in 2015 and this plan
did not materialize. In 2018, Yu's grandson, Pang Chi-ping, said: "We will convert the mansion into a
centre for Chinese studies next year, which provides courses like Mandarin and
Chinese music for children."
Books
Chinese Gung-Fu: The Philosophical Art of Self Defense
(Bruce Lee's first book) – 1963
Tao of Jeet Kune Do (Published posthumously) – 1973
Bruce Lee's Fighting Method (Published posthumously) – 1978
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