Early Life:

Bruce Jun Fan Lee was born in the year of the Dragon, on November 27, 1940. He started out as a child actor in the East, following the footsteps of his father. A loner and active brawler during his school days, Bruce turned his attention to Kung Fu, and was taught by Yip Man in the arts of Wing Chun.

In high school Lee got into a fight with a son of a Triad gang member, that forced him to move to the United States. In America he lived lived in San Francisco, and moved to Seattle to work with a friend of his father's. It was there where he was able to graduate from high school.

From high school, Bruce got his degree in philosophy in Washington University, also meeting his future wife in the process. Lee also volunteered to teach his skills to those willing to pay, and was spotted by a Hollywood producer during an exibition. He agreed to sign to play the part of Kato in the TV series the "Green Hornet"

 

Bruce Lee's Hollywood debut was the movie "Enter the Dragon". Distributed by Warner Bros., it made Lee into an international superstar, also kicking off the kung-fu movie genre in the US. This movie was also known for having one of the most inspirational martial arts scequence in cinema history - the nunchaku scene.

Jeet Kune Do

Bruce Lee also created Jeet Kune Do, which in Chinese translated to "the way of the intercepting fist". Lee gave his style the name "Jeet Kune Do", but only as a label that he could tell people when they asked him about it.

The origin of Lee's creation was started before he reached stardom. He began to research a type of style that fitted his needs based on the situation, since all other martial arts had it's flaws. So he developed Jeet Kune Do as a nearly impossible style that no one can really defeat, especially if you're name was Bruce Lee.

The style itself means just like its Chinese translation: it's a style where any form of martial arts can be intercepted. For say if one uses Judo, Lee would be able to counter his opponent. If one used Tae Kwon Do against Bruce, it too would be countered.

Bruce Lee helped break the stereotype of the timid, Chinese character in movies. He also helped pave the way of future martial arts actors, such as Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Sammo Hung, and even Chuck Norris.

Lee was also well known for his lethal punches and kicks. A very powerful man for his stature, Bruce could kick a 100 lbs. punching bag and send it to the point where it actually touched the ceiling. A man who suffered a mighty kick from the master said "it was like getting struck by a pick-up truck".

Here is some of his feats, as seen on wikipedia:

• Bruce Lee's striking speed from 60cm away was five hundredths of a second.
• Bruce did one-hand push ups using only 2 fingers.
• Bruce was able to break a 70 kg bag with a sidekick.
• Bruce would ride for 45 minutes (16 Kilometres) on a stationary bike , sweating profusely afterwards.
• Bruce's last movie Enter the Dragon was made for US$ 850,000 in 1973 ($3.74 million in 2005 currency. BLS [10] ). To date, Enter the Dragon has grossed over $100,000,000.
• Bruce was able to hold a 57 kg barbell at arms length in front of him (with elbows locked) for several seconds.

A man among men, Bruce Lee will continue to inspire those with his movies for years to come.