2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25
The name of Bruce Lee is known all over the world, and even those viewers who do not consider themselves among his fans have undoubtedly heard of him. This talented Hong Kong guy was famous not only as a martial artist, but also as an actor, director and screenwriter. How did he manage to become a real legend of cinema and sports in his short life? Of course, even a brief biography of Bruce Lee will show any reader how rich his creative path was, but from this article you will learn a lot of interesting details about the life of this talented master of his craft.
Family
The future actor was born in San Francisco (USA) in the family of Grace Lee and Lee Hoi Chen. Bruce Lee's birthday is November 27, 1940. The head of the family was an actor in Chinese drama and often toured. When Grace realized that due to close childbirth she could no longer travel with her husband and his theater around the cities, she stayed in San Francisco, where regular tours took place in those days. A nurse caring for a young mother suggested that she name her son Americannamed Bruce. Grace did just that, but for many years later, this was hardly remembered in the family. When Bruce Lee was born, according to the Eastern calendar, it was the year of the Dragon, so his parents and those around him called him by his name, which translates as Little Dragon.
Childhood
According to Chinese beliefs, children should have several names - this allows them to protect themselves from evil spirits. And yet, the actor was known to the general public precisely as Bruce, even though at home for relatives and friends he was Li Xiaolong, and later his mother gave him another name - Li Zhenfan, which means "come back."
The future actor grew up in Hong Kong, and in his childhood he was not particularly active. In elementary school, he attended a martial arts school, but was not seriously interested in them. However, it could not be said that he was immersed in his studies - in this field he did not shine with special success either. When young Lee was 12 years old, his parents enrolled him in the La Salle Comprehensive Development College. After a couple of years, he became interested in dancing, and at the age of eighteen he managed to take first place in the cha-cha championship in Hong Kong.
Moving to America
In 1959, confirming his birthright citizenship, the guy moved to the United States. During the period when Bruce Lee was born, and for a short time after that, his mother was far from her homeland - in San Francisco. It was there that he went first thing, but he did not stay in this city for a long time.
The young man moved to Seattle, where he was accepted as a waiter in one oflocal restaurants. In parallel, Lee studied at the Edison Technical School, after which he became a student in the philosophy department of the University of Washington.
Passion for sports
Even as a teenager, Lee decided to practice kung fu. His parents approved of his son's aspirations, and shortly thereafter Master Ip Man began teaching him the art of wing chun. Passion for dancing helped the young man in mastering a new skill - he had a wonderful coordination of movements. Bruce quickly adopted the basics of taijiquan techniques and has not left training since then. The style that the athlete began to learn in his school years involves wrestling without weapons, although he later mastered them too - Lee was especially skillful with the nunchaku.
Martial arts practiced by Bruce Lee
Over time, Lee began to learn boxing, jiu-jitsu and judo, and even made his own contribution to the world of sports, developing Jeet Kune Do, a new style of kung fu, which he taught at his martial arts school, opened by him two years after arrival in the USA. Education in this institution cost a lot - $ 275 per hour, and there was an explanation for this. Even before the time when Bruce Lee was born, and for many years after that, martial arts masters preferred to transfer their skills exclusively to Asians, but his school had a significant difference from those like it - everyone was taught there, not paying attention to their nationality.
Even as a teacher, Bruce never ceased to improve his skills in kung fu, devoting a lot of time to training.
Workouts
Having developed his training system, Bruce Lee became a role model for many of his followers who tried to learn from his skills. The athlete placed considerable emphasis on the abdominal muscles, believing that they directly affect the speed of the battle. One of the exercises that occupied a significant place in his studies was the "Dragon Flag", which the audience could later see in many films, including "Rocky" with Sylvester Stallone. Lee also paid attention to training with his own weight, averaging 59 kg with a height of 171 cm.
Over time, he learned to pull himself up using only his little finger to grab the bar, and also push up on two fingers of one hand! The athlete filled out the diary in detail, from which it became known that, for example, in January 1968, Bruce had 19 workouts for leg muscles, 15 workouts for stretching and working out strikes, 12 workouts for developing speed, 10 hours of running. The plans for the month did not end there, from which we can conclude that the famous master of martial arts devoted a lot of time to his improvement.
Cinema in the USA
This charismatic guy from Hong Kong is known to many viewers not only as a martial artist, but also as a talented actor. Bruce Lee first appeared in the frame already at the age of three months - it was the picture "Golden Gate Girl". Lee's father was directly related to the world of theater and cinema, so the boy was often offered to take part in the filming. At the age of six, the future celebrity hadfull-fledged debut in the film "Born of Man". Until the age of 16, the young actor managed to star in two dozen projects, and, despite the fact that they did not bring the guy popularity and big money, he managed to gain considerable work experience. After moving to the USA, he began acting in American films and TV series. In 1966, the young artist played the role of Kato in the Green Hornet serial, and in 1968 he appeared in several scenes in Marlow.
To his dismay, Bruce Lee did not receive lead roles in the films mentioned, and this fact contributed to his return to Hong Kong, where he bet on cooperation with the newly opened Golden Harvest studio.
Moving to Hong Kong
The ambitious actor managed to agree with the director of the company about a key role in the film, as well as the opportunity to independently stage all the battle scenes in it. In 1971, the action movie "Big Boss" was presented on the screens of Hong Kong, which turned the whole idea of \u200b\u200boriental martial arts into the world of cinema. Over the next two years, two more projects were presented, starring Bruce Lee. Films with an extraordinary actor quickly became famous, and the young kung fu teacher himself gained great popularity in China and far beyond its borders.
In 1972, he began filming the action movie Enter the Dragon, but its premiere took place only a week after the death of a celebrity, becoming the last completed picture with Lee. He also managed to star in somescenes of The Game of Death, but the release of this film took place already in 1978 with the participation of Bruce's stunt doubles.
Private life
1964 was marked for the actor by marriage to Linda Emery. He met his future wife in his own classes - the girl was fond of kung fu. During the marriage, two children were born in the family. Bruce Lee first became a father in 1965, when his son Brandon was born. Four years later, Linda gave birth to a daughter, Shannon. Bruce Lee's children subsequently followed in his footsteps and connected their lives with cinema.
Brandon became not only an actor, but also a martial artist, but, unfortunately, like his father, he died at a young age under tragic circumstances. Shannon became an actress and producer, as well as the head of the Bruce Lee Foundation.
Shortly before death
When Bruce Lee was born, what sports he did, how much time he devoted to training, how his personal life developed - all this arouses interest among the audience. And yet, perhaps, most often, fans of the famous master of martial arts are interested in the reasons why his life ended so early. The athlete's first apparent he alth problems began on May 10, 1973, when he took on the long process of scoring the film almost immediately after working on the set. Li suffered a severe headache, after which he lost consciousness and was admitted to the Hong Kong Baptist Hospital. Doctors diagnosed the celebrity with cerebral edema, but the situation soon returned to normal. July 20, 1973, atthe day Bruce Lee died, history repeated itself. That evening, the actor was supposed to have a business meeting with George Lazenby, but a few hours before that he decided to work on the Game of Death project, after which he, along with producer Raymond Chow, went to actress Betty Tin Pei. In the house of a colleague, Lee felt unwell, and she suggested that he take a pill for the headache "Equajestic". With the permission of the mistress of the house, the actor went to the next room to rest, but when Raymond Chow went there a short time later, Bruce was already unconscious.
Death
According to doctors, the medicine taken by the actor is indeed quite effective as a quick, but short-term way to eliminate a headache, but it is not suitable for everyone. Finding Lee unconscious, his colleagues immediately called the doctor, who lost some more time trying to resuscitate the celebrity. After that, the Hong Kong star was taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, but there the doctors only had to state death. After the autopsy, it became known that the doctors could not find any injuries. In their conclusion, the experts noted that the actor died as a result of an accident. The authoritative pathologist Donald Teare subsequently stated that the famous martial artist had died due to an individual intolerance to the components of the drug "Equajestic".
Funeral
Bruce Lee was the idol of millions of people, and his death was a real shock for them. The tragic event was discussed not only inHong Kong, but all over the world. The audience for a long time refused to believe in the version of the doctors, suggesting that Bruce died for some other reason. The media put forward various versions related to mysticism, crime, secret love affairs, but none of them found confirmation. On July 25, 1973, a symbolic funeral of a celebrity was held in Hong Kong, which was attended by more than 25 thousand people - this mournful event became a day of citywide mourning. Subsequently, the body of a popular actor and athlete was sent to Seattle, where he was interred on July 31 at Lake View Cemetery. Actors Chuck Norris and Steve McQueen were seen among the close people who carried the coffin. After the death of the actor, his wife and children moved back to the United States.
Despite the fact that the actor died at a fairly young age, Bruce Lee will certainly remain in history as a popularizer of oriental martial arts in the second half of the 20th century in Western countries, who still has many imitators.
Interesting facts
Bruce Lee's son died on the set of The Crow and was buried next to his father.
The action movie "Game of Death" used footage from the real funeral of Bruce Lee.
As a child, Lee was a member of the Junction Street Tigers gang.
Bruce Lee's favorite flowers were chrysanthemums.
The movements of the actor during the fight were so fast that sometimes they could not be fixed by the usual “24 frames per second” technology in those years, so some episodes with himfilmed in 32 frames.
20 years after Bruce Lee's death, his personal star appeared on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
George Lazenby was one of Bruce Lee's students.
Shortly before his death, Bruce Lee was invited to Hollywood.
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