One of the most influential martial artists of the 20th century...

Bruce J. (Junfan) Lee (November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973), was a Chinese American martial artist and actor, and is considered to be among the most influential martial artists of the 20th century. His movies, especially his performance in the Hollywood-produced Enter the Dragon, elevated the traditional Hong Kong martial arts film to a new level of popularity, paving the way for future martial artists and martial arts actors such as Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Chow Yun Fat and Chuck Norris.

Fist of Fear (1972)

His family included his wife (and former martial arts student), Linda Emery, with whom he had a daughter, Shannon, and a son, Brandon. Brandon would eventually follow in his father's footsteps, becoming a martial artist and actor. Both Bruce Lee and Brandon Lee had untimely deaths. Bruce Lee's family also include his brother and sisters who are still alive.

Bruce Lee was born at the Chinese Hospital1 in San Francisco to a Chinese father, Lee Hoi-Chuen and Chinese-German mother Grace Lee. Bruce Lee was an ABC (American-born Chinese) although he had recieved his early education and Kung Fu training in Hong Kong. Because of his father's fame as a Chinese opera actor, Lee had the opportunity to appear in several Chinese movies as a child. He studied the Wing Chun style of Kung Fu and, at a young age, picked up the dialects/languages of English, Cantonese, and Mandarin.

In 1959, Lee went to Seattle, to complete his high school education. He thereafter received his diploma from Edison Technical School and enrolled at the University of Washington as a Philosophy major. It was at University of Washington that he met his wife, Linda Emery, whom he would marry in 1964 after graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Washington.

Due to his father's entertainment industry connections, Lee was a child actor in several 1950s Hong Kong movies.

After graduating from the University of Washington, Lee went on to star as Kato in the TV series The Green Hornet, which ran from 1966 to 1967 and afterward opened up his own Jeet Kune Do school.

The Game of Death (1973)

In 1971, unable to find acting roles and faced with stereotypes regarding Asian actors, Lee returned to Hong Kong with his family. There, he starred in martial arts movies, earning $30,000 for his first two feature films and cementing his fame.

Yuen Wah, a member of the Seven Little Fortunes, and later to become a well known actor in his own right (notably starring in 2005's Kung Fu Hustle), was Lee's stunt double in Lee's last few films.

The martial artist, Karate black belt, and actor Chuck Norris was introduced to the entertainment industry by Bruce Lee, portraying one of Lee's nemesis in Way of the Dragon.

Bruce Lee's death was officially attributed to cerebral edema.