Bruce Lee (27 November 1940 – 20 July 1973) was an American-born
martial artist,
philosopher,
instructor,
martial arts actor and the founder of the
Jeet Kune Do combat form. He was widely regarded as the most influential
martial artist of the twentieth century and a
cultural icon.
[1] He was also the father of actor
Brandon Lee and of actress
Shannon Lee.
Lee was born in
San Francisco,
California, and raised in Hong Kong. His Hong Kong and
Hollywood-produced
films elevated the traditional
Hong Kong martial arts film to a new level of popularity and acclaim, and sparked the first major surge of interest in
Chinese martial arts in the
West. The direction and tone of his films changed and influenced
martial arts and
martial arts films in Hong Kong and the rest of the world as well. Lee became an iconic figure particularly to the
Chinese, as he portrayed Chinese national pride and
Chinese nationalism in his movies.
[2] He primarily practiced
Chinese martial arts (Kung Fu).
