Li Yun Fang - namely, this was the name given to the future movie star by his parents at birth - was born on November 27, 1940 in San Francisco in the year of the Dragon according to the Chinese calendar, which is why he was often called Li Xiao Lun as a child, then is "Little Dragon". He became Bruce largely by accident: it is believed that the nurse-midwife nicknamed him so that decades later the boy under this name would go down in history.
Lee's family was quite wealthy - his father Lee Hoi Chen made good money acting in Chinese opera, while his mother Grace Lee, half German, was the adopted daughter of Ho Kamthong, a prominent Hong Kong rich man and philanthropist.
The first experience in the cinema happened with Bruce, when the baby was not even six months old: he played the role of a newborn girl in the film "Golden Gate Girl".
And at the age of six, the boy made his debut on the big screen and for real: already in Hong Kong, where his family moved almost immediately after the birth of a child, Lee played in the film “The Descent of Humanity”.
It is curious that Bruce's first serious hobby was not martial arts and not even cinema, but dancing - at 14, the young man began taking cha-cha-cha lessons and even achieved some success in this craft, becoming, for example, the winner of one of the dance competitions in Hong Kong.
It is believed that disagreements with peers led to the martial arts of Li: being a non-purebred Chinese, the young man often had to defend his honor in street fights, and they did not always end in his favor. The choice, of course, fell on kung fu, and Bruce learned the intricacies of this type of martial art from the best masters (fortunately, his parents did not spare money for their son), among whom were such "lumps" as Ip Man. However, they were only a joy to train Bruce - the young man turned out to be very capable in this regard, and his titanic zeal only strengthened the already huge result from training.
It got to the point that soon after the first arrival in the section, Lee began to develop his own sub-style of fighting, called "jitkundo".
At the age of 19, Bruce had to return to the United States to confirm American citizenship - and he stayed in America for a long time. At first, the young man - naturally, not forgetting to hone his kung fu skills - worked as a waiter in one of the cafes, while studying at local educational institutions, including the University of Washington. By the way, it was there that Lee met his future wife Linda Emery, who at the time of their meeting was only 17 years old.
Realizing that his main “asset” is mostly idle, Bruce soon began to earn money through kung fu, in which his former experience in cinema helped him a lot - Lee began to be invited to appear in various TV shows, where he immediately managed to impress the audience his own talent, earning himself an excellent reputation in Hollywood.
Seeing his own demand, a native of Hong Kong also opened a martial arts school, whose students were many stars of that time - including the legend of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
However, the man did not find peace in decent earnings and universal recognition: Lee was drawn to big cinema, but for some reason no one gave him the main roles. And in the end, Bruce, driven by his own dreams and ambitions, made an unobvious decision - to return to Hong Kong in the hope of fulfilling his aspirations even there.
As the future showed, there was probably no better impetus for his career: several leading roles in Hong Kong box-office films (Big Boss, Fist of Fury), which were a resounding success, finally secured Lee's status as the best master in world cinema kung Fu. The spectacular fights that Bruce set for his films with his own hands were then a real standard - if one of the directors managed to even get close to Lee's level, this was already considered a huge achievement.
One of the admirers of the actor’s talent was the famous one, with whom Bruce starred together in The Way of the Dragon, and in his biography the American notes that he managed to bring something new to his partner’s style, conveying the importance of kicks on the big screen.
Unfortunately, Lee's glorious career ended long before its logical decline - the actor died suddenly on the set of the film "Game of Death" at the age of 32.
The cause of Bruce's death, according to the official version, was cerebral edema caused by a rare allergy to aspirin. Admirers of the star's talent, however, were not entirely satisfied with such results of the investigation, which is why many conspiracy theories became popular - for example, that the actor was "ordered" by a certain Hong Kong tycoon, whom Lee crossed the road.
Bruce's children - daughter Shannon and son Brandon - followed in their father's footsteps and also became actors. The fate of the latter was especially tragic: the son of the cult hero of the cinema of the 20th century died on the set two months after his 28th birthday. Brandon's death was caused by negligence: the servicemen did not check that a plug was stuck in the gun from which Lee was supposed to be shot on the set, which, moments later, actually played the role of a bullet.
The circumstances of the death of the legendary Bruce Lee are still controversial, because they contain a lot of incomprehensible.
When Bruce Lee woke up on the morning of July 20, 1973, he was an active, healthy 32-year-old man. He and his wife spent the day
in negotiations with producers about a new film, and in the evening Bruce Lee was dead.
A few months before his death, Bruce Lee was diagnosed with cerebral edema. He fell unconscious during the dubbing of his film
"Kill the Dragon" and was taken to the hospital with a severe headache and convulsions.
After a short stay in the hospital, Lee resumed his usual fitness and diet regimen of a strict combination of vegetables, rice, fish, and milk, avoiding all baked foods, refined flours, and the most refined sugars.
Until July 20, he seemed to be doing very well and, other than complaining of an occasional headache, gave no reason to worry anyone.
On the day of his death, Bruce Lee worked hard. He and his wife visited Hong Kong, where many of Lee's films were filmed, and spent most of the day meeting with producer Raymond Chow to discuss his upcoming film. After the meeting, Bruce went to his girlfriend's house.
Around 7:30 pm, Lee complained of a headache. A friend, Taiwanese actress Betty Ting Pei, gave Li a pain reliever containing aspirin and a tranquilizer known as meprobamate. After that, he decided to lie down.
A few hours later, when Li didn't come down for dinner, Ting went to check on him and found him unconscious. An ambulance took Bruce Lee, he died on the way to the hospital.
Bruce Lee and his son Brandon Lee.
Due to the fact that there was no external physical injury, an autopsy was done, which showed swelling of the brain by about 13 percent. Initially, it was thought that death was due to an allergic reaction to a painkiller Lee had taken. But the official autopsy report gave a different cause of death - an accident.
The forensic pathologist believed that the pain medication caused the second cerebral edema.
This wording was not enough for the public, death came very suddenly.
Lee's friend Chuck Norris claimed that Bruce Lee used stimulants and herbal supplements throughout his life, and it was they, in combination with painkillers, that contributed to brain swelling.
Some fans of Lee suspected that Betty Ting Pei poisoned him on purpose. Just wondering why she did it?
Graves of Bruce and Brandon Lee.
Other people blamed the mafia (Italian, Chinese and American) for the death.
The version about the curse of the Lee family had many supporters, especially this was remembered 20 years later, when Bruce Lee's son, Brens Brandon, died.
When he was 28 years old, twenty years after the death of his father, Brens Brandon died in an accident. While working as an actor in The Crow, Lee was shot with a gun that was not supposed to be loaded. A shot to the stomach proved fatal.
The investigation showed that it was an accident, but the version that the curse of the Lee clan worked is still popular among fans.
The question of whether the death of Bruce Lee was accidental still has no clear answer.
No other death in the world has given rise to so many speculations and rumors as the death of Bruce Lee, which happened 40 years ago, on July 20, 1973. And we will never know the whole truth about the causes of death of a person whose cult exists all over the world even now.
« If I die tomorrow, I won't be hurt. I did everything I set out to do. You can't expect more from life than this.». Bruce Lee.
For those who have not caught the VCRs, this name may not say anything, but believe me, it once thundered even among those who are very far from martial arts.
In July 1973, Bruce Lee was in Hong Kong, where he worked on the film The Game of Death. On the evening of July 20, he met Taiwanese actress Betty Ting Pei at the apartment, who was about to be offered a role in his film. At 7:30 p.m., Bruce complained of a headache, Betty gave him one of her Equagesic (a home remedy for headaches), and Lee lay down to take a nap on her bed. And at 23:00, shocking news was announced to the press - the famous film actor and director, popularizer and reformer of Chinese martial arts, the most trained man in the world, Bruce Lee, suddenly died at the age of 32.
The official version was that while walking with his wife Linda in the garden near his house, Bruce Lee suddenly lost consciousness and was taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital already dead. There, doctors stated that death was caused by cerebral edema, but they could not determine what caused this edema.
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Hong Kong's farewell to Bruce Lee turned into an all-Asian mourning - on July 25, more than 25 thousand people took part in it. After that, the body of Bruce Lee was transported to Seattle, where he was buried six days later. The modest funeral ceremony at Lake View Cemetery was attended by about 150 family and friends of Bruce Lee, and about a hundred outsiders.
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But before the plane with the coffin left Hong Kong airport, Bruce Lee's wife, Linda Lee, was forced to make the following statement: Although the investigation into my husband's death has not yet been completed, I ask the press and the people of Hong Kong to stop speculating about this. I have no doubt that Bruce died of natural causes and I don't blame myself or anyone else for it.».
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The fact is that in Hong Kong at that time there were 101 daily newspapers in Chinese and four newspapers in English, and all of them fought among themselves for attracting readers. Here are the main versions of Bruce Lee, which were first published in these newspapers, after which they spread around the world:
Bruce Lee took various drugs, from such mild ones as marijuana to such potent ones as LSD, from which he died in his mistress's apartment during intercourse;
Bruce Lee was poisoned with an unknown poison by competitors from the film industry. His films took a lot of profit from established film companies, and small film studios were generally forced out of the market. And on their order, Bruce Lee was beaten to death in the street by 15 people;
Bruce Lee was killed by a friend jealous of fame;
Bruce Lee paid tribute all his life to the Chinese Triad mafia, which gave money for his first films. When he refused to pay, the Triad found a way to deal with him;
- Bruce Lee revealed the secrets of the sacred Chinese martial art of kung fu to Europeans who were not supposed to know him. For this, the Shaolin monks sentenced him to death.
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But the main version was that either on the order of the Triad, or on the order of the Shaolin monks, or on his own initiative, Bruce Lee was killed by a martial artist who owns the technique of “delayed death”. After its application, a person can die after a few months or even years from the moment of impact.
Like, two months before his death, Bruce Lee practiced one blow on the set, which he did not succeed in any way. A stranger suddenly stepped out of the crowd and offered his own version of this technique. After his blow, Bruce lost consciousness for a moment, and when he came to, the stranger was gone.
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But most likely, a completely different version is true, more prosaic - the death of Bruce Lee was caused by a combination of a number of reasons.
An autopsy showed that Bruce smoked marijuana on his last evening in actress Betty's apartment, but she was not the only one who caused death - Linda admitted in court that Lee often used it before. And the experts said that from that insignificant dose of it, which was found at the autopsy, Lee's death could not have occurred.
On May 10, 1973, Bruce Lee had a seizure with convulsions and complete loss of consciousness. Doctors concluded that, for unknown reasons, Li had experienced a "convulsive seizure," a common form of epilepsy. They prescribed Li the drug Dilantin, a drug commonly prescribed for epileptics.
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And according to people who knew him, although Bruce did not drink, did not smoke, he liked the relaxing effect of hashish. And if a bottle of alcohol and a pack of cigarettes always have a sticker with the name of the manufacturer, then it is impossible to determine the source and quality of hashish. And what kind of hashish entered into interaction in the body of Bruce Lee with "Dilantin" on the eve of his death, and what kind of reaction followed from this to the mixture of marijuana with "Equajesic" - we will never know.
In any case, Linda will never tell about it, for sure. The fact is that the insurance contract concluded by Bruce Lee on 01/19/1973. (according to press estimates, its amount ranged from $ 500 thousand to $ 2 million), included a clause exempting the company from insurance payments if death due to drug use is proven.
On July 20, 1973, Bruce Lee died suddenly, at only 32 years old, but he was one of the most revered martial artists in the world, an advanced student of philosophy and a charismatic actor, whose long-awaited film "War with the Dragon" was released a month after his death. After an autopsy and investigation, the cause of death was officially announced: cerebral edema. However, there have been many rumors and speculations.
Lee Jun-Fan (Bruce Lee) was born in San Francisco, his parents, born and raised in Hong Kong, toured the US with the Cantonese Opera. The family returned to Hong Kong, and Bruce Lee said that his first memories of life were under Japanese occupation. He began his martial arts training as a teenager and moved to the US at 18. He studied philosophy at school, teaching martial arts, and also pursued an acting career.
Bruce Lee in 1973
Lee became famous for his private martial arts lessons. He has taught Steve McQueen, James Coburn, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, and has collaborated and fought with Chuck Norris. Initially, he was not invited to act in Hollywood, and the films he made in Hong Kong were very successful, and America finally noticed it.
Despite an exercise regimen and a meticulous diet based on vegetables and fish, Lee had health problems in 1973. On May 10, he collapsed while voicing "War with the Dragon" and experienced severe headaches and convulsions. He was diagnosed with cerebral edema, was treated and recovered.
Bruce Lee with son Brandon Lee, 1966
On July 20, Bruce Lee planned to have dinner in Hong Kong with actor George Lazenby - the planned co-star in the film. First, his friend, film producer Raymond Chow, came to the house where Lee lived with his wife, Linda, to discuss working on Death, a film that had begun filming before War with the Dragon. Li was very animated, then Li and Chow left for the apartment of actress Betty Ting Pei, who was Li's mistress.
Bruce Lee statue in Hong Kong
Li complained of a headache in Pei's apartment, and she gave him a common pain medication called Equagesic around 7 p.m. He decided to rest in her bed in another room. Chow went to a restaurant where they were having dinner with George Lazenby. Chow called Pei after a while and asked when Li would join them because it was already quite late. But when she entered the bedroom, Bruce Lee was dead.
Bruce Lee statue in Los Angeles
Neither Chow nor the doctor called by Pei were able to revive Li, he was finally taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead around 11 pm. Chou called Li's wife to come to the hospital.
An autopsy was performed, which showed recurrent cerebral edema. Traces of Equasigic and marijuana were found in the blood, any of these components could cause swelling. In addition, it was a very hot day and there is a possibility of heat stroke, which may have been exacerbated by Lee's surgical removal of the sweat glands in his armpits. Another cause of concern was the use of steroids.
There are many other versions, for example, that Lee was destroyed by organized crime - the Triad. It was rumored that Betty Pei later married a member of the Triad (her husband was actually a film producer whose family was connected to the Triad). The crime syndicate's grudge against Lee was never explained. Perhaps the wildest theory was that the Japanese assassins got to Li because he had no respect for Japanese forms of martial arts.
In the end, cerebral edema is seen as the most likely cause, but fans still don't want to believe Lee was so young and seemingly fit. The sudden death of Lee's son, Brandon, on set in an accident in 1993 intensified talk of The Lee Curse.
More than 45 years later, Bruce Lee is still popular, remembered, idolized.
Biography bruce lee, history and episodes of life, obituary about death. When born and died Bruce Lee, memorable places and dates of important events in his life. Actor quotes, photos and videos.
Bruce Lee years of life:
born November 27, 1940, died July 20, 1973
Epitaph
You left your life instantly
And the pain remained forever.
Biography of Bruce Lee
When was Bruce Lee born, parents pierced the boy's ears and called him a female name so that neighbors and relatives, and most importantly, evil spirits thought that a girl was born in the family. The “girl” became such a bully that soon the entire Hong Kong quarter where Bruce Lee lived knew that a boy was growing up in the family. The boy who is destined to become the national pride of China.
Biography of Bruce Lee could have been long and successful, but, alas, Bruce's death came at the very peak of his fame. He born in San Francisco, while on tour with his parents, went to school in Hong Kong and practiced cha-cha-cha dancing. Behind ugly appearance Bruce was often teased by his peers, and then he decided to master the martial arts. The physical form of Bruce Lee later always delighted his rivals, students and fans. So, Schwarzenegger considered Lee's body to be the standard for the absence of fat. There was a lot of controversy about the growth of Bruce Lee, the actor was short, various sources indicated that his height was 168 cm, in others - 171.
At the age of 19, an important event took place in Lee's biography - he decided to return to the US. There he met his wife Linda who gave birth to him son Brandon and daughter Shannon, opened a martial arts school, starred in several films and TV shows. He could quite comfortably exist on earnings from school, but this did not suit Bruce, he dreamed of a real acting career. Frustrated, Bruce returned home to Hong Kong, and then the unthinkable happened.
Bruce Lee's life has changed dramatically when he signed a contract with the Hong Kong film studio Golden Harvest, persuading him to give him the lead role in the movie Big Boss. This film, and then the subsequent films Fist of Fury and Return of the Dragon, made Bruce Lee a world-famous superstar.
The story of Bruce Lee is a success story Chinese young man, purposeful and hard-working, talented and loving his work. But, alas, he failed to realize all his dreams and plans. Bruce Lee's death came when he was only 32 years old, his death was sudden and unexpected. Cause of death Lee, according to doctors, became cerebral edema, caused by the headache pill taken by the actor.
It was very difficult for the Chinese people to believe in such a sudden death of their hero, so after Li's death, many rumors appeared that what did bruce lee die of. One of the versions is the murder of an actor by another master. These rumors have not been confirmed. Lee's funeral in Hong Kong became a citywide day of mourning, and thousands of fans came to say goodbye to their favorite actor. Then his body was sent to Seattle, where Bruce Lee's grave is located. Lee's funeral in the United States took place on July 31. Among the relatives carrying out the coffin were actors Steve McQueen, Chuck Norris, Bruce Lee's brother Robert.
Many autobiographical films and programs have been dedicated to Lee's memory. In 2008, the TV series The Legend of Bruce Lee about Lee's life was released, produced by the actor's daughter, Shannon.
Bruce Lee with wife Linda and son Brandon
life line
November 27, 1940 Bruce Lee's date of birth.
1959 Moving to the USA.
August 17, 1964 Marriage to Linda Lee Cadwell.
February 1, 1965 Birth of Brandon's son.
April 19, 1969 Birth of daughter Shannon.
1971 Return to Hong Kong, the release of the film "Big Boss", where Bruce Lee played the first major role.
July 20, 1973 Date of death of Bruce Lee.
July 31, 1973 Bruce Lee funeral.
Memorable places
1. San Francisco, the city where Bruce Lee was born.
2. Golden Harvest Film Studio in Hong Kong, whose films made Lee a famous actor.
3. House of Bruce Lee in Hong Kong.
4. Avenue of Stars in Hong Kong, where there is a monument to Bruce Lee.
5. Lake View Cemetery in the US, where Bruce Lee and his son Brandon are buried.
Episodes of life
Bruce Lee was highly motivated, he constantly trained, improving his skills, developed his own style and nutrition system, published exercise and training methods that became very popular. Lee was just as diligent on the set, trying to perfect his every move.
Bruce Lee did not look like his screen image, his friends and relatives spoke of him as very courteous person, educated respectful towards others.
After Lee's death his colleagues said that during the shooting of the last film, a stranger from the crowd approached the actor and offered a spectacular performance of the trick, but then he suddenly struck Bruce with a short and strong blow to the head, after which he lost consciousness. The stranger immediately left the site, taking advantage of the pandemonium. After Bruce's death, they went rumors that the man was a hitman"Triads" and mastered the technique of a delayed death strike, after which the person who received the blow can die after a while.
The last years of Bruce Lee's life, his career was on the rise
Testaments
“Don't pray for an easy life. Pray for the strength to deal with the difficult."
"If you love life, don't waste time."
Film "Bruce Lee: The Way of the Warrior"
condolences
“I didn’t feel that life treated me unfairly, I didn’t think that life was cruel to me, if it was cruel to someone, it was, first of all, to Bruce.”
Linda Lee Cadwell, wife of Bruce Lee
"Lee was the strongest man in all weight classes and, of course, the fastest."
Chuck Norris, actor, student, friend of Bruce Lee