Bruce Lee
Known for: Acting
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
Series
Ironside
Leon Soo
1967
Series
Mentiras verdaderas
Self (archive footage)
2011
Series
Batman
Kato
1966
Series
The Green Hornet
Kato
1966
Film
Enter the Dragon
Lee
1973
Series
History's Greatest Mysteries
Self (archive footage)
2020
Film
The Way of the Dragon
Tang Lung
1972
Series
Longstreet
Li Tsung
1971
Film
Game of Death
Billy Lo
1978
Film
Fist of Fury
Chen Zhen
1972
Series
Too Young to Die
Self (archive footage)
2012
Film
The Big Boss
Cheng Chiu On
1971
Series
A Life in Ten Pictures
Self (archive footage)
2021
Film
Crazy Safari
Self (archive footage)
1991
Film
Iron Fists and Kung Fu Kicks
Self (archive footage)
2019
Film
Game of Death II
Lee Chen-chiang (archive footage)
1981
Film
Bruce Lee, the Legend
Self (archival)
1984
Film
How Bruce Lee Changed the World
Self (archival)
2009
Film
I Am Bruce Lee
Self (archival)
2012
Film
The Curse of the Dragon
Self (archive footage)
1993
I Am
Self
2012
Film
Jackie Chan: Building an Icon
Self (archive footage)
2021
Film
Marlowe
Winslow Wong
1969
Film
Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey
Self (archival)
2000
Film
Bruce Lee: The Man and the Legend
Self (archival)
1973
Film
The Best of the Martial Arts Films
Self
1990
Film
The Unbeatable Bruce Lee
2001
Film
The Art of Action: Martial Arts in the Movies
Self - Interviewee (archive footage)
2002
Film
Jay Sebring… Cutting to the Truth
Self(archive footage)
2020
Film
The Path of the Dragon
Self (archive footage)
1998
Series
The Pierre Berton Show
Self
1962
Film
The Green Hornet
Kato
1974
Film
Fist of Fear, Touch of Death
Bruce Lee (archive footage)
1980
Film
Fury of the Dragon
Kato
1976
Film
The GREATEST : Bruce Lee
Self (archival)
1998
Film
Bruce Lee: The Immortal Dragon
Self (archival)
1994
Film
Cinema of Vengeance
Self (archive footage)
1994
Film
Game of Death Redux
Hai Tien
2019
Film
Bruce Lee: The Legend Lives On
Self (archive footage)
1999
Film
Reflections on 'the Little Dragon'
2001
Film
Be Water
Self (archival)
2020
Film
The Final Game of Death
Hai Tien / Self (archive footage)
2023
Film
Bruce Lee in G.O.D.
Self (archive footage)
2000
Film
Exit the Dragon, Enter the Tiger
Self (archive footage)
1976
Film
Death In Hollywood
Self (archive footage)
1990
Film
Blood and Steel: The Making of Enter the Dragon
Self (archival)
2004
Film
Bruce Lee: In His Own Words
self
1998
Film
In the Face of Demolition
1953
Film
The Real Bruce Lee 2
(archive footage)
2002
Film
Golden Gate Girl
Baby (Uncredited)
1941
Film
Broken Rhythm: Bruce Lee's Game of Death
Himself (archive footage)
2026
Film
Amazing Masters of Martial Arts
Self (archive footage)
1985
The Song I'm Singing Tomorrow
Self
2024
Film
Fist of Unicorn
1973
Film
The Kid
Kid Cheung
1950
Film
Location: Hong Kong with Enter the Dragon
Self
1973
Film
Too Late for Divorce
Kai Cheung
1956
Film
An Orphan's Tragedy
Wong Fuk-kwan (child)
1955
Film
The Young Bruce Lee
1976
Film
The Last Days of Bruce Lee
Himself (archive footage)
1973
Film
The Guiding Light
San at 13
1953
The Birth of Mankind
1946
Film
Bruce Lee: Century Hero
Self (archive footage)
1999
Film
The Green Hornet
Kato
2005
Film
Bruce Lee: Martial Arts Superstar
Self (archive footage)
2004
Film
The Lees: Action Speaks Louder
Self (archival)
1999
Film
The Warrior Within
Self
1976
Film
The Wise Guys Who Fool Around
Lee Siu Lung
1956
Film
Bruce Lee: The Lost Interview
Self
1971
Film
Orphan's Song
1955
Film
Darling Girl
1957
Film
Thunderstorm
Chow Chung
1957
Film
The Orphan
Ah Sam
1960
Film
We Owe It to Our Children
Le fils fainéant
1955
Film
La Légende du petit dragon
Self (archive footage)
1975
Film
A Myriad Homes
1953
Film
A Mother's Tears
1953
Film
The Brilliant Life of Bruce Lee
Self (archival)
2009