Bruce Lee
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Bruce Lee

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Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee was a Chinese American martial arts expert and movie star best known for films including Enter The Dragon and Game Of Death. Born on November 27, 1940 in San Francisco, he was the son of Cantonese opera singer Lee Hoi-Chuen. Lee returned to Hong Kong at three months old and was raised in Kowloon, where as a child he appeared in several films. In his late teens he moved to the United States where he began teaching martial arts, eventually moving into films. Lee is widely credited with changing the perceptions of Asians in Hollywood movies, as well as founding the martial art of Jeet Kune Do. Lee died in Kowloon Tong on July 20, 1973 aged 32 from acute cerebral edema.
Born
27 Nov 1940
Industry
Entertainment, Film, Sport
Job Title
Actor, Athlete
last updated:
7 October, 2024
“Game of Death” film. Photo: Courtesy of Heiman Ng @ Art Prince Advisory
SCMP Highlights

Recap | Rare Bruce Lee photo gallery from ‘Game of Death’ movie a sensational tribute to legend

Discover rare, unseen photographs from martial arts legend’s unfinished film ‘Game of Death’ that featured in an exhibition in Hong Kong.

Profile

Profile | This Hong Kong martial arts movie expert’s journey to Hollywood

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Was remaking classics like Police Story, A Better Tomorrow a good idea?

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American cinema

Why Circle of Iron, based on a Bruce Lee idea, turned out badly

Based on a script Lee abandoned, the 1978 film ended up a bizarre mix of poor martial arts and mysticism. An expert dissects what went wrong.

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David Carradine (left) and Jeff Cooper in a still from Circle of Iron. The 1978 movie was based on a script Bruce Lee abandoned before his death, but ended up a bizarre mix of inadequate kung fu scenes and faux Eastern mysticism.
Blockchain

Chainlink makes a case for blockchain-driven finance at SmartCon in Hong Kong

As Chainlink touts its technology that has brought blockchain transfers to the Swift network, geopolitical scrutiny is growing in the space.

John Lee policy address 2024

Opinion | Hong Kong must own its martial arts and action film cultural heritage

The cultural heritage of Hong Kong related to Chinese martial arts has not been fully tapped to attract tourists and action film buffs.

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Why Brandon Lee’s only Hong Kong film, Legacy of Rage, is underrated

The Crow was Lee’s best movie but he was great in dubbed crime film, despite refusing to do kung fu for fear of comparisons with his dad.

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Brandon Lee in a still from Legacy of Rage. Photo: D & B Films Co.
Zhang Weili

Profile | Asia’s first female UFC champion Zhang Weili relives her rise in Unstoppable

Chinese MMA fighter Zhang Weili has been credited with inspiring a generation of young women after claiming her country’s first UFC title, a story told in this gripping new documentary

Podcasts

Is this the best sports podcast ever?

From Bruce Lee to the rise and fall of Bikram Choudhury’s yoga school, ESPN’s 30 for 30 makes the deepest of dives into all things sport

From our archives

Why did Bruce Lee’s widow auction off his private possessions?

When Linda Lee put 150 personal items belonging to the late Hong Kong icon up for auction, for ‘people who might find great value in it’

Twenty years after his death, Bruce Lee’s widow Linda Lee Cadwell hosted an auction of 150 of the late kung fu star’s personal possessions. Photo: Handout
Fame and celebrity

7 times things went horribly wrong on film sets, from Harry Potter to Star Wars

From broken bones to the tragic deaths of performers and directors on set, these film set disasters prove just how wrong things can go in the quest for cinematic greatness

It’s not just Alec Baldwin – Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford have also seen disasters on film sets. Photos: @elclubdelosgeek, @dc.jamesbond, @cinemaslab/Instagram
Profile

Before The Crow: Brandon Lee’s journey from Hong Kong to Hollywood

Alec Baldwin is currently on trial for an accidental on-set shooting – a tragedy that sadly echoes the death of Bruce Lee’s only son

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

9 reasons the world loves Hong Kong films – not just for Bruce Lee

We look beyond the dangerous stunts and innovative action sequences, and martial arts stars like Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, to discover why Hong Kong films have often travelled so well.

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Photos, clips from Bruce Lee film Game of Death on show in Hong Kong

Lee had put Game of Death on hold before his untimely death, and the version of the film shown in cinemas featured little of his footage. An exhibition features scenes and stills from the footage he shot.

Visitors to a pop-up exhibition in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, about Bruce Lee’s unfinished film Game of Death watch footage shot for the film. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Chinese culture

Explainer | Chinese martial arts 101: 4 of the major schools, and their origins

With the Bruce Lee movie Enter the Dragon, Chinese martial arts, or wushu, became a global cultural phenomenon. We examine some of the main types, from tai chi to Wing Chun, and their differences.

Bruce Lee in Fist of Fury (1972). The movie star popularised Chinese martial arts in the 1970s, but many people still aren’t aware of what defines the different types. We look at four, from Wing Chun to Wudang. Photo: Golden Harvest
Hong Kong society

Closing of President Theatre in Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay ‘marks end of an era’

Film lovers flock to cinema for final showings after nearly 60 years of operation.

Profile

Hong Kong martial arts film icon Sammo Hung on his stellar career

Martial arts film icon and the 2024 Hong Kong Film Awards’ Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Sammo Hung talks about his movies, stars like Donnie Yen, Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan – and eating.

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

How the first two Ip Man films made Donnie Yen a superstar

The first two Ip Man movies, directed by Wilson Yip, use old-school kung fu, nationalism and fabrications to make the eponymous martial artist, and the actor who plays him, Donnie Yen, household names.

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Donnie Yen in a still from Ip Man. This and the second film in the Ip Man series used a mixture of old-school kung fu, patriotism and embellishments to make the film’s eponymous marital arts a hero and Yen a superstar. Photo: Mandarin Films
Fame and celebrity

Why is The Crow remake starring Bill Skarsgård so controversial?

The 1994 cult classic was marked by the tragic death of Bruce Lee’s son, Brandon Lee – and fans aren’t happy with new lead Skarsgård’s Joker-esque look

Asian cinema

10 iconic looks in Asian cinema, including that Bruce Lee jumpsuit

From Bruce Lee’s golden get-up in Game of Death to the nightmarish long hair and white nightdress worn by antagonist Sadako in Japanese horror Ring, we look at 10 iconic looks from Asian cinema.

Hong Kong society

Typhoon Milktea? Drink surges to top of Hongkongers’ list for storm names

Milktea garners 15,750 votes followed by Tsing-ma, name of suspended bridge connecting Tsing Yi and Ma Wan, and Fo-lung, or fire dragon.

Hong Kong milk tea is sold throughout the city. The name ‘milktea’ topped a poll of typhoon titles chosen by residents. Photo: Edmond So
Hong Kong celebrities and icons

Recalling Anita Mui’s achievements and activism, 20 years after her death

On the 20th anniversary of Anita Mui’s death, we look back at the singer’s rise to fame, move into acting, and her legacy of philanthropy in support of hospitals and Hong Kong’s young and old.

Hong Kong singer Anita Mui smiles at a fund-raising campaign for Sars victims in Hong Kong in May, 2003. Photo: AP
Hong Kong culture

Editorial | Mishandling project for new museum may defeat good intention

Concerns that existing museums may have to make way for a new museum showcasing the nation’s triumphs risk escalating it into a political controversy.

Hong Kong society

Opinion | Hong Kong ingenuity needed to save West Kowloon Cultural District

With all due respect to chairman Henry Tang, land is not the only funding resource here and relying on it is not thinking out of the box.

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Hong Kong

Editorial | More should be done to honour Bruce Lee

The martial arts legend remains one of the best-known Chinese celebrities, yet the city where Lee lived, worked and died has long held his memory at something of a distance.

A visitor imitates Bruce Lee in front of a statue of the kung fu legend at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum in Hong Kong. Photo: Kyodo
Hong Kong celebrities and icons

50 years after his death, Bruce Lee remains a star, a role model, an enigma

As a ‘symbol of universality’ and a ‘fantasy object’, the martial arts icon serves as a muse for people holding many beliefs.

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Hong Kong has embraced Bruce Lee as a native son. Pictured is a statue of the martial arts star and actor near the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront in the city. Photo: Shutterstock
American cinema

What killed Bruce Lee? 4 leading theories advanced after his death 50 years ago

Bruce Lee’s death in 1973 was put down to brain swelling, but there was always doubt as to what exactly killed the martial arts actor. We recall four leading theories advanced in the years since he died.

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

The actors who’ve played Bruce Lee: Jason Scott Lee, Bruce Li and more

In the 50 years since his death, the martial arts actor has been portrayed by a variety of actors in biopics fake and real, ‘Bruceploitation’ rip-offs, and fantasies. Will Mason Lee at last do Lee justice in Ang Lee’s biopic?

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