i want you to hit me as hard as you can
bruce lee is one of the most iconic figures in pop culture history instantly recognizable through
sight and sound he remains nearly five decades since his death one of the most influential
and recognizable athlete actors to ever grace the martial arts studio and the silver screen
through a legacy solidified by talent artistry personality and controversy we remember bruce lee
bruce lee was born lee jones fan in san francisco in 1940 the year of the dragon this distinction
is an honorable one in chinese culture as it marks a symbol of luck strength and success
soon after his birth his family relocated to hong kong where his chinese-born father
could continue his career in opera lee began appearing in movies early on
with his first lead being alongside his famous father lee hoi chun in 1950's the kid
although he was cast in motion pictures as early as 1941 when he was just a baby
lee attended hong kong's all-boys lasalle college before being transferred to another
catholic school saint francis xavier's college he was introduced to martial arts by his father and
trained in the field as a means of self-defense hey child actors have it rough he was additionally
fascinated by boxing and even dancing winning a competition in the cuban style of cha-cha which
he obviously committed himself to his respect for martial arts led him to the wing chun form
studying under the renowned and legendary ip man but lee wasn't immediately accepted facing racism
and oppression for what was not the first he moved to hong kong during a japanese occupation and
certainly not the last time wang chung its master urged was strictly meant for chinese natives that
lee was born in the u.s and his mother had german heritage slowed down his acceptance from it man
despite an upper-class household lee was entangled with rough neighborhoods and engaged in numerous
fights with some run-ins with the law capping off his trouble to avoid jail time lee was sent back
to the states in 1959 here he began teaching martial arts developing his own brand called
jun fung gongfu eventually opening his own facility in seattle he also began studying
at the university of washington where he majored in drama and took philosophy classes it was here
he met linda who he married in 1964 and had two children with brandon in 1965 and shannon in 1969.
in 1964 bruce lee had one of the most defining and detail-muddled fights in martial arts history
his opponent was the master wong jack man
wong jack man's side of history tells that lee was speaking ill of predecessors and thus was openly
challenged the bruce lee perspective whether true or not speaks more in tune with lee's character
lee wanted to continue teaching non-chinese people the sacred martial arts a controversial decision
similar to his tutelage under it man the condition was that if lee defeated his newfound nemesis
he could continue there are discrepancies on the outcome but lee's own end result was that
he continued teaching anyone who wished to learn no matter their heritage as noted retrospectively
lee insisted that quote distinctions of race and nation must be discarded this event also marked
a turning point in lee's professional career displeased he could not defeat his enemy with
brevity lee founded jeet kune do adapted from his own jun fun gongfu which pushed that student's
cut to the core with special attention given to practicality flexibility speed and efficiency
lee also partook in various martial arts tournaments and championships perfecting the famed
one inch punch one of the most important of his life would be the long beach international karate
championships this event caught the attention of tv producer william dozier best known at the time
for creating the batman series with adam west and burt ward dozier wanted lee to play the son
of famed chinese-american detective charlie chan on a series the show was never produced
but he found a better role that of sidekick cato to van williams's green hornet on the green hornet
these phenomenal physical moves were both useful and problematic for the production lee
was an absolute master but producers insisted he slowed down his moves because they were simply too
fast for the camera to catch although the green hornet only lasted one season
ending in 1967 that was enough to put him in the spotlight of western audiences he had
become the first notable asian american star the exposure further reignited his passion for film
collaborating on an ill-fated project with students james coburn one of the magnificent seven
and sterling siliphon who had won an oscar for writing in the heat of the night his most
important movie role to that point however wasn't on screen but as a karate advisor on the wrecking
crew which also gave friend chuck norris who we met years prior at a martial arts tournament
his debut the movie however is more infamous for being sharon tate's final film before her murder
tate was actually one of lee's many famous students
as was her then husband roman polanski harold stylist j sebring murdered the same night as tate
hollywood legend steve mcqueen marlo co-star james garner and basketball great kareem abdul-jabbar
who lee developed a strong friendship with and would later share the screen with on game on death
lee committed additional fight choreography and made various small appearances in both
film and television throughout the late 60s and early 70s around this time he allegedly
developed a concept for what would become kung fu starring david carradine although this has
been debunked lee may not have had a hand in its creation but he was still interested in the lead
role of kwai chang kane while warner brothers execs weren't sure lee was fit for the role
a more telling reason for league getting passed over was that warner brothers tv head
tom [ __ ] couldn't understand lee's accent in a revealing shameful case of hollywood whitewashing
no more actors of chinese descent were considered and thus carradine landed his breakthrough
partly dejected at what he perceived to be a lack of success in america lee returned to
hong kong where he was pleased to discover that the green hornet had a bit of a cult following
it was here that lee signed a contract with golden harvest a newly formed studio that specialized in
action films it had been a long journey for bruce lee to land a major studio contract and really his
trajectory represents an ironic departure from one of his jeet kune do philosophies
that quote one does not take the winding detours it follows a straight line to the objective
1971's the big boss gave bruce lee his first starring role and put him alongside shaw brothers
favorite james tien the actioner finds lee taking on the head of a drug trafficking ring and let him
show off many of the skills that were too fast for american television his next picture 1972's
fist of fury also known as the chinese connection allowed lee to further express his skills but also
gave him a story that was more personal with his character standing up to force japanese influence
and blatant racism two things he experienced directly due to his chinese ancestry
that same year saw the release of the way of the dragon which was made under lee's
own concord productions inc co-founded with friend and producer raymond chow lee didn't only act but
served as director writer and fight choreographer he even gave friend chuck norris a small role
in 1972 production began on game of death which lee would also write and direct during filming
warner brothers who lee had recently scuffled with over kung fu called about enter the dragon a joint
production between warner brothers concord and golden harvest enter the dragon would
be a monumental opportunity for lee and asian american entertainers serving as hollywood's first
major martial arts film it was also the last film bruce lee would complete in may 1973 lee collapsed
during post-production of enter the dragon he was diagnosed with cerebral edema or excess fluid in
and around the brain in july just one month before the film was to premiere lee traveled to hong kong
to continue working on various projects staying with actress betty ting pay a reported mistress
he again had a bout of headaches something triggered prior to his diagnosis
on july 20th lee went for a nap and never woke up bruce lee was 32.
the untimely demise was not without controversy with everything from an
allergic reaction to a painkiller to a family curse to a murder plot with producer raymond
chow and or the triad being involved circling the death one recent plausible consideration
is the added stress of heat stroke brought on by the fact that lee removed his sweat glands as the
look of sweat was unappealing to his image the official cause of death was death by misadventure
pallbearers included Steve mcqueen james coburn and his brother bruce lee was buried in seattle
as his son brandon would be just two decades later
but the film industry wasn't yet done with bruce lee years after his death robert close
who directed entered the dragon stepped in to complete the unfinished game of death
the regenerated production started with the footage shot with lee
as billy lowe before departing the project around 11 minutes was used in the final film
with doubles lookalikes stock footage and even a cardboard cutout filling in the gaps
Clouse even utilized actual footage from lee's funeral and what may be the most meta example of
brucesloitation in the subgenre's history it wasn't long after lee's death that
brucesploitation a curious breed of movies that's like ordering a bruce lee classic from wish
exploded emerging from asian movie studios trying to capitalize on the shortened fame
with titles that played off his most famous films like exit the dragon enter the tiger
and new fist of fury there was even one called bruce lee fights back from the grave
the silent flute which was script lee had worked on with siliphant and coburn
was adapted into 1978's circle of iron with david carradine the same year game of death premiered
bruce lee's legacy has only been cemented further in the decades that followed his death
partly inspired by game of death was the groundbreaking beat-em-up video game
kung-fu master itself with a direct line to arcade favorites like street fighter and mortal
kombat although there's no evidence lee ever ripped someone's head and spine from their body
he has even been directly featured in numerous video games as a playable character
he too has had statues erected in his honor parks dedicated to him and honored on the
hollywood walk of fame his widow linda's 1975 book was later adapted into 1993's
dragon the bruce lee story which at one point had considered son brandon to star it would end
up being dedicated to him following his accidental death bruce lee's powerful presence also permitted
a wide acceptance of martial arts in the western world with notable contributions to cinema
without him there may not be the careers of chuck norris jackie chan who appeared in his
share of bruce spoitation flicks or like it or not steven seagal that's for bobby
for much of his life bruce lee exemplified his famous be water philosophy it goes
in part quote be water my friend empty your mind be formless shapeless
like water now you put water into a cup it becomes the cup you put water into a bottle it becomes the
bottle you put in a teapot it becomes the teapot now water can flow or it can crash
be water my friend it calls to mind his statement on jeet kune do quote it utilizes all ways
and is bound by none and likewise uses any techniques or means which serve its end
he was his own individual standing up for the rights of the oppressed
and promoting a field in a way that hadn't been considered internationally bruce lee was one of
the eminent icons of film and martial arts like water yes but also a solid constant
of inspiration and admiration throughout his time and well into the 21st century
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