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Remembering Bruce Lee - Photo Essays - TIME
The Little Dragon
Cultural icon, martial arts legend, movie superstar — Bruce Lee was all this and more. His meteoric rise to international fame was met with an equally tragic death at the age of 32. Born on November 27, 1940 at Jackson Street Hospital in San Francisco's Chinatown, Lee would have celebrated his 70th birthday in 2010 were he still alive.
Young Star
The Lees returned to their native Hong Kong when Bruce was only three months old. It was there that Lee spent his formative years learning the Wing Chun Kung Fu that would become the basis for his own brand of martial arts. His fighting skills plus a few acting lessons were the building blocks that would eventually make him a star. Theatrics came naturally to young Lee and by the time he was 18, he had already appeared in 20 Hong Kong films. His first starring role was as Kid Cheung (above) in the 1950 film The Kid.
Son of Lee
Lee's passion for the theater was passed down from his father, Lee Hoi Chuen, left, a renowned Chinese opera singer and Cantonese film actor.
Coming to America
In 1959, Lee would return to America to both claim his citizenship and study philosophy at the University of Washington. During his studies, Lee began to teach Kung Fu, or as he called it Gung Fu, (the Cantonese pronunciation) to support himself. He eventually decided to completely devote himself to martial arts, and opened several branches of his Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute. However, Lee's penchant for showmanship and his natural charisma meant that Hollywood was inevitable.
A Debut
Lee's big break came when he was cast as Kato in the television adaptation of the comic book The Green Hornet. Although Kato played a supporting role to the show's title character, Lee's breathtaking displays of martial arts quickly stole the show. The popularity of his portrayal of Kato was so overwhelming that when the show was brought to Lee's native Hong Kong, the series was marketed as The Kato Show instead of its original title.
Jeet Kune Do
At the core of martial arts skills were a system and a philosophy he developed called Jeet Kune Do, or The Way of the Intercepting Fist. The art could be best described as a "style with no style" where forms and styles practiced in traditional martial arts were eschewed for a more freestyle approach, or in Lee's words, to "be formless and shapeless — like water."
Enter the Chuck
In 1972, Lee invited Chuck Norris, the reigning world karate champion, to fight opposite him as the centerpiece of his film Return of the Dragon. When Norris asked who the victor of the match would be, the answer to Lee was obvious. In a commentary for WorldNetDaily, Norris recalled asking Lee, "Oh you're going to beat up on the current world karate champion?" "No, I'm going to kill the current world karate champion," replied Lee.
Aside from his acting duties, Lee also served as both screenwriter and director for Return of the Dragon.
While he was in the middle of filming another project of his, The Game of Death, Lee received an offer from Warner Bros. to produce and star in the first ever Hong Kong-American film which would become Enter the Dragon.
Enter the Dragon was a critical and commercial success, propelling Lee into international superstardom, however, the success of the film would be bittersweet. Six days prior to the film's release, Lee would die due to complications caused by the prescription painkiller Equagesic.
Lee's last project The Game of Death, would be completed posthumously with footage that he had already been shot and footage subsequently made with stunt doubles. The film was to be a showcase of Lee's martial art Jeet Kune Do by pitting him against "masters" such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (left).
Cultural Icon
By dying at the height of his career, however, Lee became more than a man — he became a phenomenon. After his death, numerous actors and film studios tried to capitalize on his success by producing knock-off films starring "Bruce Le" or "Bruce Li," however, but none could ever come close to the Bruce Lee.
The Little Dragon
Cultural icon, martial arts legend, movie superstar — Bruce Lee was all this and more. His meteoric rise to international fame was met with an equally tragic death at the age of 32. Born on November 27, 1940 at Jackson Street Hospital in San Francisco's Chinatown, Lee would have celebrated his 70th birthday in 2010 were he still alive.
Young Star
The Lees returned to their native Hong Kong when Bruce was only three months old. It was there that Lee spent his formative years learning the Wing Chun Kung Fu that would become the basis for his own brand of martial arts. His fighting skills plus a few acting lessons were the building blocks that would eventually make him a star. Theatrics came naturally to young Lee and by the time he was 18, he had already appeared in 20 Hong Kong films. His first starring role was as Kid Cheung (above) in the 1950 film The Kid.
Son of Lee
Lee's passion for the theater was passed down from his father, Lee Hoi Chuen, left, a renowned Chinese opera singer and Cantonese film actor.
Coming to America
In 1959, Lee would return to America to both claim his citizenship and study philosophy at the University of Washington. During his studies, Lee began to teach Kung Fu, or as he called it Gung Fu, (the Cantonese pronunciation) to support himself. He eventually decided to completely devote himself to martial arts, and opened several branches of his Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute. However, Lee's penchant for showmanship and his natural charisma meant that Hollywood was inevitable.
A Debut
Lee's big break came when he was cast as Kato in the television adaptation of the comic book The Green Hornet. Although Kato played a supporting role to the show's title character, Lee's breathtaking displays of martial arts quickly stole the show. The popularity of his portrayal of Kato was so overwhelming that when the show was brought to Lee's native Hong Kong, the series was marketed as The Kato Show instead of its original title.
Jeet Kune Do
At the core of martial arts skills were a system and a philosophy he developed called Jeet Kune Do, or The Way of the Intercepting Fist. The art could be best described as a "style with no style" where forms and styles practiced in traditional martial arts were eschewed for a more freestyle approach, or in Lee's words, to "be formless and shapeless — like water."
Enter the Chuck
In 1972, Lee invited Chuck Norris, the reigning world karate champion, to fight opposite him as the centerpiece of his film Return of the Dragon. When Norris asked who the victor of the match would be, the answer to Lee was obvious. In a commentary for WorldNetDaily, Norris recalled asking Lee, "Oh you're going to beat up on the current world karate champion?" "No, I'm going to kill the current world karate champion," replied Lee.
Aside from his acting duties, Lee also served as both screenwriter and director for Return of the Dragon.
While he was in the middle of filming another project of his, The Game of Death, Lee received an offer from Warner Bros. to produce and star in the first ever Hong Kong-American film which would become Enter the Dragon.
Enter the Dragon was a critical and commercial success, propelling Lee into international superstardom, however, the success of the film would be bittersweet. Six days prior to the film's release, Lee would die due to complications caused by the prescription painkiller Equagesic.
Lee's last project The Game of Death, would be completed posthumously with footage that he had already been shot and footage subsequently made with stunt doubles. The film was to be a showcase of Lee's martial art Jeet Kune Do by pitting him against "masters" such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (left).
Cultural Icon
By dying at the height of his career, however, Lee became more than a man — he became a phenomenon. After his death, numerous actors and film studios tried to capitalize on his success by producing knock-off films starring "Bruce Le" or "Bruce Li," however, but none could ever come close to the Bruce Lee.
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