The legend of Bruce Lee is one of the more unique tales of Hollywood success. What makes Bruce Lee’s accomplishments such a success is the proven fact that he really did overcome all types of adversities and hurdles to attain mega stardom that was reputedly elusive to him. As a fighting skills instructor to the stars, one of Lee’s most renowned clients was Steve McQueen. McQueen was a major international star coming off the successfulness of ‘Bullitt ‘ and during a training programme with Bruce Lee, Lee asked McQueen if he would help open a door in Hollywood. McQueen arrogantly expounded no and did so in a dismissive manner. Basically, McQueen recounted “Why should I let you ride my coattails?”
The majority of folks would have been broken down and dejected over the obvious dismissive betrayal but Lee let it be known he would not be discouraged. He discussed to others he would be a much bigger star than McQueen ever was.
Today, both men have passed on and the legend of Bruce Lee has far surpassed the slightly forgotten career of Steve McQueen.
The life and career of Bruce Lee actually took off when the film ‘Enter The Dragon ‘ earned over $10 million in one month – a stupefying sum in 1973. The film made Lee a massive worldwide star and, along with Clint Eastwood and Sean Connery, he was considered to be one of the founding fathers of the modern action film category.
Sadly , this success was posthumous. Lee had passed just prior to the release of ‘Enter The Dragon’. Films he had made in HK in 1971 and 1972 would be released after the US premiere of ‘Enter The Dragon’. The double feature of ‘Fists Of Fury ‘ and ‘The Chinese Connection ‘ would earn over $50 million in North America and Europe.
Yes, Bruce Lee was a huge box office draw as there simply wasn't any one else in the movie industry like him. He was a superhero come to life which helped ‘Enter the Dragon ‘ draw in massive audiences of children on matinee showings. This was ironic considering the film carried an R Rating at the time.
Through the lens of history, lots of people will have a tough time believing that Bruce Lee ever had a tough time in becoming such a star considering all his talents. The truth of the affair is Hollywood was leery of putting an Asian actor in a lead role. This is why he was turned down for the David Carradine role in the TV series ‘Kung Fu’. Warner Bros. TV didn’t think an Asian star would be accepted in a lead role in American television.
Bruce Lee proved his critics wrong and did so ever since his youth.
Lee was a notoriously hyperactive child who was considered “incorrigibly bad” and subject to fighting. His father felt that enrolling him in self-defense skills lessons would be good for him. Lee dunked himself in the study of Wing Chun southern kung fu at Yip Man’s kwoon (school) in Hong Kong. Reputedly this calmed him down rather that he was disciplined enough to work as a kid actor in HK films. Actually, this is where the seeds of being a film star blossomed.
Highly inquisitive , Bruce Lee studied as much as he could about various sorts of Chinese fighting skills till coming to America in 1959.
Lee moved to Seattle where he started to teach kung fu to non-Chinese students…something that didn’t sit well with many experts. Eventually, Lee moved to Oakland where the legend of Bruce Lee took another turn. He was challenged by a fellow kung fu specialist due to Lee’s teaching non-Chinese kung fu. Lee won the fight but felt it took too much time and he was too winded in the result. This led straight to him developing a new martial arts approach dubbed Jeet Kune Do, The Way of the Intercepting Fist. This new method eschewed the traditional concept of learning a selfdefense skills style and, as an alternative combined kung fu, boxing, and fencing to establish a way more organic and liquid type of personal combat. Such a liquid nature not only made for a top-notch self-defense system; it also helped form the foundation for a uniquely appealing dramatic style that was developed for demonstrations and films.
Bruce Lee eventually got bit by the acting bug once more and that led to his landing the role of ‘Kato’ in the ‘Green Hornet’ series. The success of the ‘Green Hornet’ in syndication in Hong Kong eventually led to a movie deal overseas which eventually led straight to the green light for Enter the Dragon in the States.
Sadly , Bruce Lee would die at the age of 33 after a serious allergenic reaction to a prescription led straight to cerebral swelling. As he passed on from this world, he would enter the annals of pop culture history because of his dazzling accomplishment in life.
Today, the legend of Bruce Lee is still as powerful as ever as he has risen to worldwide celebrity as a selfdefense skills icon and all-time great action superstar.
Today, the legend of Bruce Lee lives on. He is an inspiration to many worldwide through his
way of life, character, philosophy and his impact on martial arts and the film
industry. For more information, visit Bruce Lee Fan Club and LIKE us on Facebook!
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Tags: Bruce, bruce lee, Clint Eastwood, Enter The Dragon, Entertainment, Fists Of Fury, Lee, McQueen, Sean Connery, Steve McQueen