Bruce Lee
Acting • Born 1940-11-27 – Died 1973-07-20
Biography
Bruce Jun Fan Lee (Lee Siu Lung) was born on November 27, 1940 in San Francisco, CA while his parents were on tour with the Chinese Opera. Ultimately raised in Hong Kong, Bruce Lee was a child actor appearing in more than 20 films. At the age of 13, Bruce took up the study of wing chun gung fu under renowned wing chun master, Yip Man. Bruce left Hong Kong at the age of 18, came to the United States and made his way to Seattle, Washington where he worked in the restaurant of a family friend. He soon enrolled in the University of Washington where he pursued a degree in philosophy. Bruce began to teach gung fu in Seattle and soon opened his first school, the Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute. Two more schools followed in Oakland and Los Angeles. Concurrently Bruce married his wife, Linda and had his two children, Brandon and Shannon. In the mid sixties, Bruce was discovered while doing an exhibition at the Long Beach Internationals and a role as Kato in the tv series The Green Hornet soon followed. During this time, Bruce was also developing his own martial art, which he ultimately named Jeet Kune Do (translated: the way of the intercepting fist). Bruce's art was steeped in a philosophical foundation and did not follow long held martial traditions. Instead it had at its core the ideas of simplicity, directness and personal freedom. After The Green Hornet series was canceled, Bruce encountered resistance while working in Hollywood and so headed to Hong Kong to pursue a film career. In Hong Kong he made 3 films, which consecutively broke all box office records and showcased martial arts in an entirely new way. Hollywood took notice and soon Bruce was making the first Hollywood / Hong Kong coproduction with a film called Enter the Dragon. Unfortunately, Bruce Lee died in 1973 before this film was released. This film catapulted him to international fame. Today Bruce Lee’s legacy of self expression, equality, and pioneering innovation continues to inspire people all around the world.
Filmography
70 credits
Marlowe
Movie • 1969
Winslow Wong
Fist of Fury
Movie • 1972
Chen Zhen
Enter the Dragon
Movie • 1973
Lee
The Way of the Dragon
Movie • 1972
Tang Lung
The Big Boss
Movie • 1971
Cheng Chiu On
Game of Death
Movie • 1978
Billy Lo
Fury of the Dragon
Movie • 1976
Kato
Bruce Lee: The Lost Interview
Movie • 1971
Self
Dragon Rising: The Green Hornet Screentest
Movie • 1965
Kato
In the Face of Demolition
Movie • 1953
The Orphan
Movie • 1960
Ah Sam
The Green Hornet
Movie • 1974
Kato
Amazing Masters of Martial Arts
Movie • 1985
Self (archive footage)
The Kid
Movie • 1950
Kid Cheung
Exit the Dragon, Enter the Tiger
Movie • 1976
Self (archive footage)
An Orphan's Tragedy
Movie • 1955
Wong Fuk-kwan (child)
The Guiding Light
Movie • 1953
San at 13
The Art of Action: Martial Arts in the Movies
Movie • 2002
Self - Interviewee (archive footage)
Golden Gate Girl
Movie • 1941
Baby (Uncredited)
La Légende du petit dragon
Movie • 1975
Self (archive footage)
We Owe It to Our Children
Movie • 1955
Le fils fainéant
Thunderstorm
Movie • 1957
Chow Chung
The Birth of Mankind
Movie • 1946
The Warrior Within
Movie • 1976
Self
Iron Fists and Kung Fu Kicks
Movie • 2019
Self (archive footage)
The Green Hornet
Movie • 2005
Kato
A Myriad Homes
Movie • 1953
The Wise Guys Who Fool Around
Movie • 1956
Lee Siu Lung
Darling Girl
Movie • 1957
Too Late for Divorce
Movie • 1956
Kai Cheung
The Real Bruce Lee 2
Movie • 2002
(archive footage)
Location: Hong Kong with Enter the Dragon
Movie • 1973
Self
Game of Death II
Movie • 1981
Lee Chen-chiang (archive footage)
A Mother's Tears
Movie • 1953
Orphan's Song
Movie • 1955
The Young Bruce Lee
Movie • 1976
Fist of Unicorn
Movie • 1973
The Gods Must Be Crazy: Crazy Safari
Movie • 1991
Self (archive footage)
Bruce Lee: In His Own Words
Movie • 1998
self
Blood and Steel: The Making of Enter the Dragon
Movie • 2004
Self (archival)
Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey
Movie • 2000
Self (archival)
Bruce Lee: The Legend
Movie • 1984
Self (archival)
Bruce Lee: The Immortal Dragon
Movie • 1994
Self (archival)
The GREATEST : Bruce Lee
Movie • 1998
Self (archival)
The Lees: Action Speaks Louder
Movie • 1999
Self (archival)
The Brilliant Life of Bruce Lee
Movie • 2009
Self (archival)
How Bruce Lee Changed the World
Movie • 2009
Self (archival)
I Am Bruce Lee
Movie • 2012
Self (archival)
Be Water
Movie • 2020
Self (archival)
Jackie Chan: Building an Icon
Movie • 2021
Self (archive footage)
Bruce Lee: Martial Arts Superstar
Movie • 2004
Self (archive footage)
Fist of Fear, Touch of Death
Movie • 1980
Bruce Lee (archive footage)
Game of Death Redux
Movie • 2019
Hai Tien
The Curse of the Dragon
Movie • 1993
Self (archive footage)
Bruce Lee in G.O.D.
Movie • 2000
Self (archive footage)
Bruce Lee: Century Hero
Movie • 1999
Self (archive footage)
Cinema of Vengeance
Movie • 1994
Self (archive footage)
The Final Game of Death
Movie • 2023
Self (archive footage)
Bruce Lee: The Legend Lives On
Movie • 1999
Self (archive footage)
The Path of the Dragon
Movie • 1998
Self (archive footage)
Reflections on 'the Little Dragon'
Movie • 2001
Batman
TV • 1966
Kato
Mentiras verdaderas
TV • 2011
Self (archive footage)
Longstreet
TV • 1971
Li Tsung
History's Greatest Mysteries
TV • 2020
Self (archive footage)
The Green Hornet
TV • 1966
Kato
Too Young to Die
TV • 2012
Self (archive footage)
Ironside
TV • 1967
Leon Soo
The Pierre Berton Show
TV • 1962
Self
I Am
TV • 2012
Self