Lee, Bruce, 1940-1973

Bruce Lee (b. November 27, 1940, San Francisco, California – d. July 20, 1973) was a Hong Kong and American martial artist, actor, philosopher, and filmmaker. He is widely considered to be one of the most influential martial artists of all time, and a pop culture icon of the 20th century. Lee was born in Chinatown, San Francisco and raised in Kowloon, Hong Kong with his family until his late teens. Lee returned to the United States at 18 to attend the University of Washington at Seattle. His Hong Kong and Hollywood-produced films elevated the traditional Hong Kong martial arts film to a new level of popularity and acclaim, sparking a surge of interest in Chinese martial arts in the West in the 1970s. He is noted for his roles in five feature-length films: The Big Boss (1971), Fist of Fury (1972), Way of the Dragon (1972), Enter the Dragon (1973), and The Game of Death (1978). Lee became an iconic figure known throughout the world, particularly among the Chinese, as he portrayed Chinese nationalism in his films. He trained in the art of Wing Chun and later combined his other influences from various sources, in the spirit of his personal martial arts philosophy, which he dubbed Jeet Kune Do (The Way of the Intercepting Fist). Lee held dual nationality of Hong Kong and the US. He died in Hong Kong on July 20, 1973 at the age of 32.