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Bruce Lee (November 27, 1940 - July 20, 1973) is widely considered to be the greatest martial arts actor of the 20th century. His films, especially the last one, Enter the Dragon, elevated the by-then traditional Hong Kong martial arts film to a new level, and artists like Jackie Chan and Chuck Norris have been able to work from this platform. His son, Brandon Lee, was also a martial artist and an actor.
- Birth name: Lee Jun-fan (李振藩 Gwohngdongwa pengyam: Ley5 Jan3 Fahn4 Pinyin: Li3 Zhen4 fan2)
- Screen name: Li Xiaolong (李小龍 Gwohngdongwa pengyam: Ley5 Siw2 Long4)
Born in San Francisco, USA, Lee was raised in Hong Kong. His parents were film actors, hence he got the opportunities to appear on several Chinese movies when he was a kid. He also studied the Wing Chun style of Kung Fu.
In 1959, Lee went to Seattle to complete high school. He received his diploma from Edison Technical School and went on to enroll in the University of Washington as a philosophy major. It was at the UW that he would meet his wife, Linda.
He would then go on to star as Kato in the television series The Green Hornet. On his return to Hong Kong, he starred in the movies that would cement his fame.
After studying and becoming dissatisfied with existing schools of martial arts, Lee also created two of his own: Jun Fan, a Kung Fu style; and Jeet Kune Do, which also incorporated elements from martial arts outside of Kung Fu with the intent to create a more streamlined and practical martial art, as well as a comprehensive system of fitness training. He frequently gave demonstrations of his two-finger pushups and his famous "one inch punch".
Bruce Lee died in 1973 and was interred in the Lake View Cemetery, Seattle, Washington. Although there have been a number rumours in circulation concerning the cause of death, the official cause of death was ruled to be an allergic reaction to an analgesic he took.
Although he made only a handful of films and television appearances in his adulthood, Bruce Lee has become an iconic figure in movies as a personification of a small man who became the epitome of physical perfection and invincibility in personal combat. His fame also sparked the first major surge of interest in Chinese martial arts in the West.