“Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.” – (Bruce Lee, 1940 – 1973)
Bruce Lee is one of those rare actors who transcended the movies he appeared in to become an almost mythical figure. He is the embodiment of the martial artist, an accomplished actor and a positive role-model for Asian Americans. Lee was single-handedly responsible for a surge of interest in Asian martial arts in the late 60s and 70s, his fame extending far beyond the reach of the four movies that made his name. Today he is more icon than man, a representation of martial arts, of Asian masculinity and of what was a very new type of action hero in the America of the 1970s.
Born in San Francisco, the young Lee Jun-Fan was raised in Hong Kong until he was a teenager. His father was an actor and his mother came from a wealthy family, meaning that the young Lee grew up in relatively affluent surroundings. Despite that, his neighbourhood became a more dangerous place in later years, with various gangs operating in the area, and Lee was beaten up on a number of occasions. This prompted his father to send 16-year-old Lee to take martial art lessons, and it was not long before the young teen started to display startling quickness and agility. He also took up boxing in his new high school, and aged 17 won the Hong Kong schools boxing tournament. It was clear that this was a very special talent, and that he would soon become famous beyond the confines of Hong Kong.
As Lee continued to become embroiled in street violence, his parents decided that moving back to the States was the best way to protect their son. Lee continued his martial arts training in America, studying under a variety of different teachers. Feeling that many martial artists neglected the physical conditioning aspect of their sport, Lee devoted himself to maintaining peak physical condition. A martial arts exhibition at Long Beach in 1964 brought Lee to the attention of Hollywood. With his father being an actor, the young Lee had appeared in a number of Hong Kong films as a child actor, but had given up on the idea of making movies after moving to the US. However, with Lee gaining fame as a high-profile martial artist, he was selected to play the role of Kato for the TV show The Green Hornet which aired from 1966 to 1967. He also made guest appearances in the iconic Batman show as the same character at this time. While the TV show only lasted for one season, Lee had made enough of an impression to ensure that he was at the front of Hollywood casting agents’ minds when it came to looking for Asian martial artists.
Lee’s first Hollywood role came in the 1969 movie ‘Marlowe’, where he briefly made an appearance as a henchman hired to try and rough up the titular private eye character. This would be the type of role offered to the young Lee, but he was not destined to be a bit-part player in life. Dissatisfied with being type-cast as a supporting player, Lee moved back to Hong Kong to take on some leading roles: roles which would define him as the greatest martial arts actor of all time. Unbeknownst to Lee, The Green Hornet had been shown in Hong Kong, except that over there it was known as ‘The Kato Show’. This meant that Lee was a star by the time he set foot back in the place where he grew up, and as a result he had little difficulty in obtaining a contract to appear as the star of two movies. Due to the success of the early releases, two would become four, and these four movies which Lee starred in between the years of 1971 to 1973 would cement his reputation forever. These were, in chronological order, ‘The Big Boss’, ‘Fist of Fury’, ‘Way of the Dragon’ and ‘Enter the Dragon’; names that will be instantly familiar to anyone with even a slight knowledge of martial arts in cinema.
Upon the release of ‘Big Boss’, it quickly went on to smash box office records all across Asia, making Lee a star in the region in the process. Fresh from the success of ‘The Big Boss’, ‘Fist of Fury’ was released in 1972, and this movie would go on to smash the records set by the first one. The success of the two movies left Bruce in a very strong position to negotiate a deal for two more Hong Kong pictures, and for movie number three he was given control of choreography, writing, producing, and directing, as well as being the star. ‘Way of the Dragon’ was a critical and commercial success, and introduced the world to karate champion Chuck Norris, whom Lee had met year earlier in the Long Beach martial arts exhibition. The final movie that Bruce Lee would make was ‘Enter the Dragon’, in most people’s eyes the best of his collection. This movie became one of the year’s biggest box office successes, and to date it has earned more than $200 million; a staggering return for the $4 million (adjusted for inflation) that it cost to make in 1973. Unfortunately, Bruce Lee would not have the opportunity to make any more films, although the work he had done on the unfinished movie ‘Game of Death’ was used to release the movie, with a stand-in doubling for Lee in some scenes.
Over the years, Bruce Lee has become more than simply a man, and has instead morphed into an iconic brand. In fact, from our perspective in time it can be quite difficult to separate one from the other. Bruce Lee has adorned the bedroom walls of so many college student dorms that his image has become iconic: close your eyes and you can probably conjure up the picture of Lee standing in fight pose. Similarly, you can find countless Bruce Lee branded t-shirts, shoes, headphones, Lego models, playing cards, pens, jewellery, stamps and action figures. There are even Bruce Lee branded online slot games featuring the martial artist in various threatening poses, as well as video games with the Hong Kong master as the hero. Think of a collectable item, and you can be sure that there is a version of it featuring the king of martial arts. Even to this day, ask anybody to name a famous martial arts expert and chances are that Bruce Lee’s name will be one of the first to be mentioned. For that reason, the man and the brand have become intertwined, and the iconic figure of Bruce Lee – a man who came to global fame in the early 1970s – is still proving to be a hit well into the 21st century.
Sadly, Lee would die before his final ‘full’ movie, ‘Enter the Dragon’, could be released. The actor passed away due to complications from some medication he had taken, dying at the tender age of 32. However, his all-to-brief life spawned the legend of Bruce Lee, a legend which endures to this day. Bruce Lee passed away while still at the height of his powers, leaving behind the impression of a young man frozen in time, still invincible and powerful. As with any unexpected celebrity death, rumours and conspiracy theories have done the rounds regarding Lee’s untimely passing. These ranged from the mundane to the outlandish, such as claiming that there was a curse on the family, or that Chinese mafia had poisoned the action star. Despite these claims, medical and forensic experts determined that the cause of death was simply an unfortunate accident, and that no foul play was involved.
Bruce Lee has left an impressive legacy behind him, remaining an iconic figure to this day. Time Magazine named him as one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century, which places him in very exalted company. June 8 was named ‘Bruce Lee Day’ in Los Angeles, and in the Chinatown of that city a seven-foot statue of 5 foot 8-inch Lee has stood since 2013. There are more statues of Lee in Hong Kong, China, and even Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as a star on the Hollywood walk of fame. It seems that we will never grow tired of this martial arts superstar, and indeed he has inspired generations of martial artists who have followed in his wake. Indeed, even Dana White, the outspoken president of the incredibly popular UFC, has credited Bruce Lee as being the ‘father of mixed martial arts’. It is a rare person indeed who transcends their sport, not to mention the movies in which he or she appears, to become a global superstar and an inspirational figure to millions of people around the world. That is the true legacy of Bruce Lee.
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