Bruce Lee (Lee Jun Fan) was born on November 27, 1940 (the Year of the Dragon) , in San Francisco, California. The fourth child of a Chinese father named Lee Hoi-Chuen and a mother of Chinese and German ancestry named Grace. He was a child actor in Hong Kong who later returned to the U.S. and taught martial arts. When Lee was 12 years old, he enrolled in La Salle College (a high school) and later took up at St. Francis Xavier’s College (another high school). Lee’s father, Lee Hoi-Cheun, was his first martial arts instructor, teaching the Wu style of Tai Chi Chuan to him early on. After taking up with a Hong Kong street gang 1954, Lee began to feel the need to improve his fighting. Thus, he began studying Wing Chun Gung Fu under Sifu Yip Man by the age of 13.His mixed ancestry led him to learn the art of Wing Chun privately from Yip Man and Wong Shun Leung. Lee also trained in western boxing where he won the 1958 boxing championship against Gary Elms by knockout in the third round. Lee also learned fencing techniques from his brother, Peter Lee (a champion in the sport). This varied background led to personal modifications to Wing Chun Gung Fu, calling his newer version of the style, Jun Fan Gung Fu. In fact, Lee opened his first martial arts school in Seattle under the moniker, Lee Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute. Bruce Lee appeared his first film at three months of age, acting as a stand in for an American baby in Golden Gate Girl. All told, he made about 20 appearances in films as a child actor. As a teenager Lee was both a dancer, winning a cha-cha championship, and a gang member, risking death on the Hong Kong streets. To improve his fighting skills, he studied the Chinese martial arts of kung fu. Lee developed a new fighting style called jeet kune do and opened three schools on the West Coast to teach it. He also landed a part in the television series The Green Hornet as Kato, the Hornets assistant. After putting up in San Francisco for a few months, he moved to Seattle where he enrolled at the Edison Technical School to complete his further education. Meanwhile, he worked as a live-in waiter for Ruby Chow’s restaurant. In 1964, he dropped out of college to join James Lee, a famous martial arts instructor on Oakland. Together, the two opened a second institute, Jun Fan Martial Art Studio in the city. He participated in the 1964 Long Beach International Karate Championships, which popularized him for his ‘two-finger push-ups’ and ‘one inch punch’. It was there that he met Taekwondo master Jhoon Goo Rhee, a friendship that formed instantly and benefitted both artists. He performed in the 1967 event as well. From 1967 until 1969, he made guest appearance in few more television series including ‘Ironside’, ‘Here Comes the Brides’ and ‘Blondie’. In 1969, he made a guest appeared in the film, ‘Marlowe’. However, biasness and dearth of key roles resulted in him leaving Los Angeles for Hong Kong in the summer of 1971. In between acting, he found time and started concentrating on martial arts. He realized that traditional martial arts technique were too rigid and that a new system that had traits of practicality, flexibility, speed, and efficiency needed to be devised. This was when Jeet Kune Do or the Way of the Intercepting Fist was formulated. In Hong Kong, kung fu was a secret Chinese weapon and was never taught to any non-Chinese person, but Bruce welcomed ANYONE who was interested in learning what he had to teach. In his opinion the Chinese people were not the only worthy persons to learn this great art, and so he broke the racial barriers that had been forged over time!! In 1963, Bruce wrote a book called Chinese Kung Fu. It was incredibly detailed with precise drawings. Upon arriving at Hong Kong, he signed a two film contract. First to release was ‘The Big Boss’, which had him in the lead role. The film was a major hit but was soon surpassed by his next film, ‘Fists of Fury’, which went onto become a grand success. With the 1972 film, ‘Way of the Dragon’, he turned from being merely an actor to the writer, director, star, and choreographer of the fight scenes. Same year, he was offered ‘Enter the Dragon’, which was the first joint venture of Golden Harvest and Warner Bros. ‘Enter the Dragons’ was slated for a July 26, 1973 release. On May 10, 1973, he collapsed suddenly, while dubbing for ‘Enter the Dragon’ after suffering from seizures and headaches. Immediately, he was rushed to Hong Kong Baptist Hospital, where he was diagnosed with cerebral edema. He recovered from the first collapse. On July 20, 1973, scheduled to meet James Bond star, George Lazenby, he got ready and arranged a meeting with Raymond Chow and Betty Ting Pei at the latter’s residence to discuss the script of ‘Games of Death’ which he intended to make with Lazenby. He complained of headache and therefore had analgesic. He lay down to take a nap little knowing that it would be his last nap. He was taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital where he was declared dead. An autopsy confirmed that the death was due to an allergic reaction caused by the ingredient meprobamate which aides in muscle relaxation that caused a 13% increase in his brain size, from 1,400 to 1,575 grams. The coroner ruled that Bruce Lee died of a brain edema (accumulation of fluid and swelling) caused by an abnormal reaction to painkillers he had been prescribed for back pain. † 20. Juli 1973 in Hongkong.
Posted on: Fri, 03 Oct 2014 10:56:52 +0000
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