"Black Belt Jones" Japanese Theatrical Poster
Martial arts actor Jim Kelly, who was best known for his iconic roles in Enter the Dragon and Black Belt Jones, has died of cancer at the age of 67.
The Kentucky native began training in Okinawa-te karate during his late teens. After winning the middleweight title at the 1971 Long Beach International Karate Championships, he opened his own karate school.
In 1972, Kelly landed a small role as a martial artist in the blaxploitation flick Melinda, but his breakthrough performance came in 1973, when he co-starred alongside Bruce Lee and John Saxon in Enter the Dragon.
His charismatic presence in Enter led to a three-film contract with Warner where he starred in 1974’s Black Belt Jones, 1974’s Three the Hard Way and 1976’s Hot Potato. Following his Warner deal, his career leaned towards lower budget movies, such as 1977’s Black Samurai, 1978’s Death Dimension and even a 1978 Hong Kong movie called Tattoo Connection. He last appeared in 2009’s Afro Ninja, which spoofed both martial arts and blaxploitation movies.
Contrary to the roles he played, Kelly was humble and soft spoken. He often stayed in touch with fans by appearing in many conventions, including the San Diego Comic-Con International. Our condolences go out to Kelly’s family and friends.
To cityonfire.com, Jim Kelly will always be “too busy lookin’ good.”
