This page is dedicated to The greatest man in existence,Bruce Lee. He was born in San Francisco Memorial Hospital as Lee Jun Fan, but it was a nurse who would give him his American name, Bruce. His father, Lee Hoi Chuen, was a prominent stage and screen actor, and was touring with the Canton Opera Co. when Bruce was born. His mother Grace, was a traditional Chinese woman, and feared for her son's life, because she had lost a son in childbirth prior to Bruce, and she saw that as a bad omen. For that reason, she dressed him up in girl's clothing as an infant, and called him 'saiphong' which means 'little phoenix' which is a feminine term. She believed that the spirits would look him over as a girl, and spare him. At one year old, they went back home to the province of Kowloon in Hong Kong.At the age of six, he makes his screen debut, in The Beginning Of A Boy. Eventually, he appears in 20 films in Hong Kong, the last one being The Orphan at age 18. Bruce Lee loved To fight, and one day as he was walking out of a classroom in school, several students jumped him, and beat the crap out of him. Since Bruce was eager to learn martial arts, after seeing his father practice Tai Chi Chuan, he was enrolled in wing chun gung fu, under Yip Man.At age 14, he enters La Salle College, a high school, under the wingt of Brother Henry. His favorite activity was beating up British boys. He got in more and more fights. In 1959,Bruce got in a fight with a feared Triad gang member's son, and his father worried, so he and his wife decided to send Bruce to America, to live with an old friend of his father's. All he had was $100 in his pocket and the title of 1958 Crown Colony Cha-Cha Campion. After living in San Francisco for awhile, he moves to Seattle to work for Ruby Chow, another friend of his father's. He lived in a room above Ruby's restaurant while working downstairs as a waiter. He eventually enrolls in Edison Technical School and earns his high school diploma. He started teaching gung fu in backyards and city parks. In the spring of '61, he enrolls at the University Of Washington. He majored in Philosophy. He teaches gung fu to some students at a school. In 1963, he returned to Hong Kong for the first time in 4 years. He returned to Seattle at the end of the summer to continue school. On October 25, 1963, Bruce Lee Takes out Linda Emery (one of his gung fu students) out on their first date, dinner at the Space Needle. In the Fall of October, he moves the Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute into a building, at 4750 University Way. In the summer of '64, he left Seattle to open a new school in Oakland, CA. His close friend, Taky Kimura, takes over as head instructor. On August 17, 1964, Bruce returned to Seattle and marries Linda Emery. Afterwards, they move back to Oakland. Several months after he begins teaching there, he is challenged by Wong Jak Man, a leading gung fu practitioner in the Chinatown community. If he lost, he would have to close his school or stop teaching non-Asians. At that time, Chinese were reluctant to teach the martial arts to non-Asians. Bruce accepts and defeats Man in a couple of minutes. Later he is bothered why the fight took so long, and begins to re-evaluate his style. Thus, the early concepts of Jeet Kune Do , Bruce's own style, are born. On August 2, 1964 in Long Beach, CA, Ed Parker, known as the father of American Karate (Kenpo), invites Bruce to give a demonstration at the first Internatl. Karate Championship. Among the crowd is Jay Sebring, the hair stylist for 'Batman' producer William Dozier, who is looking to cast a part in a TV series. He presented a tape of Bruce's demo to Dozier, who was impresed with what he saw. Bruce later on flys down to L.A. for a screen test. On Febuary 1, 1965, in Oakland CA, Brandon Bruce Lee is born. Just a week later, Bruce's father, Lee Hoi Chuen, passed away. In '66, Bruce and his family move to Los Angeles, where Bruce begins work on a new TV series, The Green Hornet as Kato. Later he opens his third branch of Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute in L.A.'s Chinatown. Less than one season into The Green Hornet, the show is cancelled. From 1967 to '71, Bruce lands bit parts in various films and TV shows. He also gives private lessons for up to $250 per hour to the likes of Steve McQueen, James Coburn, Lee Marvin, James Garner, Roman Polanski, and Kareem Abdul Jabbar. On April 19, 1969 Shannon Lee is Born. In early 1970, Bruce injures his back while working out with weights. During that period of inactivity, he starts to document his training methods and philosophy of Jeet Kune Do. Later, after his death, The Tao Of Jeet Kune Do, is published by his wife Linda. After rehabilitation, he goes to Hong Kong to arrange for his mother to live in the US. Unbeknownst to him, he had become a huge star there, The Green Hornet being one of the most popular shows in Hong Kong, being called The Kato Show there. Later, he is approached by Raymond Chow, owner of Golden Harvest Productions, and offered a starring role in a new film, The Big Boss. He accepts. In July of '71, filming of Big Boss(released as Fists Of Fury in US) starts. Opens in Hong Kong to rave reviews and mobs of fans. Proceeds to gross more than $3.5 million in little than 3 weeks. In '72, Fists Of Fury(Chines Connection in US) debuts in Hong Kong. More to come!
