132 Facts About Bruce Lee

In 1959, Bruce Lee moved to Seattle, where he enrolled at the University of Washington in 1961.

Bruce Lee opened his first martial arts school, operated out of his home in Seattle.

Bruce Lee subsequently moved to Los Angeles to teach, where his students included Chuck Norris, Sharon Tate, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Bruce Lee went on to star in the US-Hong Kong co-production Enter the Dragon and The Game of Death.

Bruce Lee's career was cut short by his sudden death at age 32 from a brain edema, the causes of which remain a matter of dispute.

Bruce Lee became an iconic figure known throughout the world, particularly among the Chinese, based upon his portrayal of Cantonese culture in his films, and among Asian Americans for defying Asian stereotypes in the United States.

Bruce Lee's father, Lee Hoi-chuen, was a Cantonese opera singer based in Hong Kong.

Bruce Lee's mother Grace Ho was born in Shanghai, and was of Eurasian ancestry.

When he was four months old, the Bruce Lee family returned to Hong Kong.

Bruce Lee's maternal grandfather was Cantonese, his maternal grandmother was English, and his maternal great-uncle, Robert Hotung, was a Hong Kong businessman of Dutch Jewish and Cantonese descent.

Bruce Lee had his first role as a baby who was carried onto the stage in the film Golden Gate Girl.

At age seven, Bruce Lee began practicing tai chi together with his father.

In 1956, due to poor academic performance, Bruce Lee was transferred to St Francis Xavier's College.

Cheung spoke on his behalf and Bruce Lee was accepted into the school and began training in Wing Chun with Ip Man.

Bruce Lee's sparring partner, Hawkins Cheung, states, "Probably fewer than six people in the whole Wing Chun clan were personally taught, or even partly taught, by Ip Man".

However, Bruce Lee showed a keen interest in Wing Chun and continued to train privately with Ip Man, William Cheung, and Wong Shun-leung.

In 1958, Bruce Lee won the Hong Kong schools boxing tournament, knocking out the previous champion, Gary Elms, in the final.

That year, Bruce Lee was a cha-cha dancer, winning Hong Kong's Crown Colony Cha-Cha Championship.

Bruce Lee's mother had to go to a police station and sign a document saying that she would take full responsibility for his actions if they released him into her custody.

Bruce Lee's father agreed as Bruce Lee's college prospects were not very promising if he remained in Hong Kong.

Bruce Lee taught friends he met in Seattle, starting with Judo practitioner Jesse Glover, who continued to teach some of Bruce Lee's early techniques.

Bruce Lee became interested in boxing and the techniques of Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Robinson.

Bruce Lee completed his high school education and received his diploma from Edison Technical School on Capitol Hill in Seattle.

In March 1961, Bruce Lee enrolled at the University of Washington.

Bruce Lee socialized with wealthy young people, but lived in relative poverty and worked as a dishwasher in a Chinese restaurant.

Bruce Lee dropped out of university in early 1964 and moved to Oakland to live with James Yimm Bruce Lee.

James Bruce Lee was twenty years senior to Bruce Lee and a well-known Chinese martial artist in the area.

James Bruce Lee was responsible for introducing Bruce Lee to Ed Parker, an American martial artist.

At the invitation of Parker, Bruce Lee appeared in the 1964 Long Beach International Karate Championships.

Bruce Lee performed repetitions of two-finger push-ups, using the thumb and the index finger of one hand, with feet at approximately shoulder-width apart.

Bruce Lee stood upright, his right foot forward with knees bent slightly, in front of a standing, stationary partner.

In 1964, Bruce Lee had a controversial private match with Wong Jack-man.

The arrangement was that if Bruce Lee lost, he would have to shut down his school, while if he won, he would be free to teach white people, or anyone else.

Bruce Lee commented, "That paper had all the names of the sifu from Chinatown, but they don't scare me".

Wong claims that although he had originally expected a serious but polite bout, Bruce Lee aggressively attacked him with the intent to kill.

When Wong presented the traditional handshake, Bruce Lee appeared to accept the greeting, but instead, Bruce Lee allegedly thrust his hand as a spear aimed at Wong's eyes.

Bruce Lee did not respond to the invitation despite his reputation for violently responding to every provocation.

Bruce Lee was unhappy with the outcome of the fight, and the experience led him to pursue further innovations in his personal style of martial arts.

Bruce Lee had abandoned thoughts of a film career in favor of pursuing martial arts.

From 1966 to 1967, Bruce Lee played the role of Kato alongside the title character played by Van Williams in the TV series produced and narrated by William Dozier titled The Green Hornet, based on the radio show by the same name.

At first, Bruce Lee moved so fast that his movements could not be caught on film, so he had to slow them down.

Bruce Lee concluded that the fight had lasted too long and that he had failed to live up to his potential using his Wing Chun techniques.

Bruce Lee took the view that traditional martial arts techniques were too rigid and formalized to be practical in scenarios of chaotic street fighting.

Bruce Lee decided to develop a system with an emphasis on "practicality, flexibility, speed, and efficiency".

Bruce Lee started to use different methods of training such as weight training for strength, running for endurance, stretching for flexibility, and many others which he constantly adapted, including fencing and basic boxing techniques.

Bruce Lee emphasized what he called "the style of no style".

In 1969, Bruce Lee made a brief appearance in the Silliphant-penned film Marlowe, where he played a hoodlum hired to intimidate private detective Philip Marlowe, played by James Garner, who uses his martial arts abilities to commit acts of vandalization to intimidate Marlowe.

Also that year, Bruce Lee acted in one episode of Here Come the Brides and Blondie.

In 1970, Bruce Lee was responsible for producing the fight choreography of A Walk in the Spring Rain, starring Ingrid Bergman and Anthony Quinn, again written by Silliphant.

In 1971, Bruce Lee appeared in four episodes of the television series Longstreet, written by Silliphant.

Bruce Lee played Li Tsung, the martial arts instructor of the title character Mike Longstreet, played by James Franciscus, and important aspects of his martial arts philosophy were written into the script.

Not happy with his supporting roles in the US, Bruce Lee returned to Hong Kong.

Bruce Lee played his first leading role in The Big Boss, which proved to be an enormous box-office success across Asia and catapulted him to instant stardom in Hong Kong.

In 1964, at a demonstration in Long Beach, California, Bruce Lee met karate champion Chuck Norris.

From August to October 1972, Bruce Lee began work on his fourth Golden Harvest film, Game of Death.

Bruce Lee planned to sue the production company but retained his friendship with Chan.

Bruce Lee had shot over 100 minutes of footage, including outtakes, for Game of Death before shooting was stopped to allow him to work on Enter the Dragon.

However, at the time, Bruce Lee decided to direct and produce his script for Way of the Dragon instead.

Bruce Lee's films are known for popularising the side kick, roundhouse kick, grappling, spinning heel kick, armbar, weapons such as the nunchaku, and his distinctive kiai.

Bruce Lee was known for popularising the one-inch punch and the two-finger push-up.

Bruce Lee was 16 years old under the Wing Chun teacher Ip Man, between late 1956 and 1957, after losing to rival gang members.

Bruce Lee was trained in boxing, between 1956 and 1958, by Brother Edward, coach of the St Francis Xavier's College boxing team.

Bruce Lee went on to win the Hong Kong Schools boxing tournament in 1958 while scoring knockdowns against the previous champion Gary Elms in the final.

Bruce Lee demonstrated his Jeet Kune Do martial arts at the Long Beach International Karate Championships in 1964 and 1968, with the latter having higher-quality video footage available.

Bruce Lee is seen demonstrating quick eye strikes before his opponent can block and demonstrating the one-inch punch on several volunteers.

Bruce Lee then participates in a full-contact sparring bout against an opponent, with both wearing leather headgear.

Bruce Lee is seen implementing his Jeet Kune Do concept of economical motion, using Ali-inspired footwork to keep out of range while counter-attacking with backfists and straight punches.

Bruce Lee halts attacks with stop-hit side kicks and quickly executes several sweeps and head kicks.

The opponent repeatedly attempts to attack Bruce Lee but is never able to connect with a clean hit.

Bruce Lee once managed to come close with a spin kick, but Lee counters it.

Rhee learned what he calls the "accupunch" from Bruce Lee and incorporated it into American taekwondo.

Bruce Lee commonly used the oblique kick, made popular much later in mixed martial arts.

Bruce Lee favored cross-training between different fighting styles, and had a particular interest in grappling.

Bruce Lee trained with several judo practitioners in Seattle and California, among them Fred Sato, Jesse Glover, Taky Kimura, Hayward Nishioka, and Wally Jay, as well as Gene LeBell.

Bruce Lee learned grappling moves from hapkido master Ji Han-jae.

Bruce Lee incorporated the osoto gari into Jeet Kune Do, among other throws, armlocks and chokeholds from judo.

Bruce Lee combined different techniques from different martial arts schools into his own hybrid martial arts style.

When Bruce Lee returned to Hong Kong in the early 1970s, his reputation as "the fastest fist in the east" routinely led to locals challenging him to street fights.

Bruce Lee sometimes accepted these challenges and engaged in street fights, which led to some criticism from the press portraying him as violent at the time.

Bruce Lee felt that many martial artists of his time did not spend enough time on physical conditioning.

Bruce Lee used traditional bodybuilding techniques to build some muscle mass, though not overdone, as that could decrease speed or flexibility.

Bruce Lee later concluded that achieving a high-performance body was akin to maintaining the engine of a high-performance automobile.

Bruce Lee avoided baked goods and refined flour, describing them as providing empty calories that did nothing for his body.

Bruce Lee was known for being a fan of Asian cuisine for its variety and often ate meals with a combination of vegetables, rice, and fish.

Bruce Lee had a dislike for dairy products and as a result, used powdered milk in his diet.

Dan Inosanto recalls Bruce Lee practiced meditation as the first action on his schedule.

Bruce Lee was well-read and had an extensive library dominated by martial arts subjects and philosophical texts.

Bruce Lee believed that any knowledge ultimately led to self-knowledge.

Bruce Lee said that his chosen method of self-expression was martial arts.

Bruce Lee's philosophy was very much in opposition to the conservative worldview advocated by Confucianism.

Bruce Lee was particularly interested in the Indian mystic Jiddu Krishnamurti.

Linda Lee Cadwell shared her husband's notes, poems, and experiences with followers.

The English name "Bruce Lee" is thought to have been given by the hospital's attending physician, Dr Mary Glover.

Bruce Lee Hoi-chuen had been touring the United States for many years and performing in numerous Chinese communities there.

Bruce Lee was the half-niece of Sir Robert Ho-tung, the Eurasian patriarch of the clan.

Linda Lee, in her 1989 biography The Bruce Lee Story, suggests that Grace had a German father and was a Catholic.

Bruce Thomas, in his 1994 biography Bruce Lee: Fighting Spirit, suggests that Grace had a Chinese mother and a German father.

Bruce Lee's relative Eric Peter Ho, in his 2010 book Tracing My Children's Lineage, suggests that Grace was born in Shanghai to a Eurasian woman named Cheung King-sin.

Eric Peter Ho said that Grace Bruce Lee was the daughter of a mixed-race Shanghainese woman and her father was Ho Kom Tong.

Grace Bruce Lee herself reported that her mother was English and her father was Chinese.

Fredda Dudley Balling said Grace Bruce Lee was three-quarters Chinese and one-quarter British.

Bruce Lee moved to Hong Kong with the Dutch East India Company and served as the Dutch consul to Hong Kong at one time.

Bruce Lee had a Chinese concubine named Sze Tai with whom he had six children, including Ho Kom Tong.

Bruce Lee's younger brother Robert Lee Jun-fai is a musician and singer; he performed in the Hong Kong group The Thunderbirds.

Also released was Bruce Lee singing a duet with Irene Ryder.

Bruce Lee Jun-fai lived with Bruce Lee in Los Angeles in the United States and stayed.

In 1993, at the age of 28, Brandon Bruce Lee died after being accidentally shot by a prop gun on the set of The Crow.

Bruce Lee acted and provided his martial arts expertise in several projects penned by Silliphant, the first in Marlowe where Bruce Lee plays Winslow Wong a hoodlum well-versed in martial arts.

Bruce Lee did fight choreographies for the film A Walk in the Spring Rain and played Li Tsung, a Jeet Kune Do instructor who teaches the main character in the television show Longstreet.

In July 2021 a private collection of over 40 handwritten letters Bruce Lee made to fellow Fist of Fury actor Robert "Bob" Baker was sold for $462,500 at Heritage Auctions.

On May 10,1973, Bruce Lee collapsed during an automated dialogue replacement session for Enter the Dragon at Orange Sky Golden Harvest Film Studio in Hong Kong.

On July 20,1973, Bruce Lee was in Hong Kong to have dinner with actor George Lazenby, with whom he intended to make a film.

Bruce Lee took a nap and, when he did not arrive at the dinner, Chow came to the apartment, but he was unable to wake Bruce Lee up.

Bruce Lee's conclusion was "death by misadventure" caused by cerebral edema due to a reaction to compounds present in the combination medication Equagesic.

Bruce Lee had taken Equagesic on the day of his death, which contained both aspirin and the tranquilizer meprobamate, although he had taken it many times before.

Furthermore, Bruce Lee had his underarm sweat glands removed in late 1972, in the apparent belief that underarm sweat was unphotogenic on film.

Bruce Lee is considered by some commentators and martial artists to be the most influential martial artist of all time, and a pop culture icon of the 20th century, who bridged the gap between East and West.

Bruce Lee was largely responsible for launching the "kung fu craze" of the 1970s.

Bruce Lee initially introduced kung fu to the West with American television shows such as The Green Hornet and Kung Fu, before the "kung fu craze" began with the dominance of Hong Kong martial arts films in 1973.

Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines that was founded by Bruce Lee, is sometimes credited with paving the way for the combat sport mixed martial arts.

Bruce Lee was largely responsible for many people taking up martial arts.

Bruce Lee inspired the foundation of American full-contact kickboxing tournaments by Joe Lewis and Benny Urquidez in the 1970s.

Bruce Lee is credited with helping to change the way Asians were presented in American films.

Bruce Lee defied Asian stereotypes, such as the emasculated Asian male stereotype.

In turn, Bruce Lee's popularity inspired a new Asian stereotype, the martial artist.

Bruce Lee influenced several comic book writers, notably Marvel Comics founder Stan Lee, who considered Bruce Lee to be a superhero without a costume.

Shortly after his death, Bruce Lee inspired the Marvel characters Shang-Chi and Iron Fist as well as the comic book series The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu.

Bruce Lee was a formative influence on the development of breakdancing in the 1970s.

Early breakdancing pioneers such as the Rock Steady Crew drew inspiration from kung fu moves, as performed by Bruce Lee, inspiring dance moves such as the windmill among other breaking moves.

In India, Bruce Lee films had an influence on Hindi masala films.

The Yamakasi considered Bruce Lee to be the "unofficial president" of their group.

Nokia launched an Internet-based campaign in 2008 with staged "documentary-looking" footage of Bruce Lee playing ping-pong with his nunchaku and igniting matches as they are thrown toward him.