Born on a mountaintop in Tennessee...oh, sorry, wrong guy. Bruce Li is by far the most popular and well known of the Bruce Lee imitators. Bruce Li was born Ho Chung Tao in Taiwan in 1950. Growing up, he was an avid fan of the marital arts, both in physical practice and reading. During his formative years he studied Judo, Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Wing Chun, Boxing and Shaolin Bak Hok. In 1970, while enrolled in Physical Education College, Ho entered the Taiwan Movie Association's actor training school. Ho then began his career in the motion picture industry as a stuntman/extra in a number of low budget martial arts films.
It wasn't until Bruce Lee's untimely death that Ho's career as a leading actor began. Noting his resemblance to the recently deceased actor, a friend recommended Ho to a producer. The physical similarity struck a chord with the producers desperate to exploit Bruce Lee likeness and Ho was immediately cast in a leading role for his next film. In Taiwan, Ho starred in several productions as Bruce Lee, usually billed under the name Li Hsiao Lung (Lee Little Dragon).
Hoping to shed the Bruce Lee image, Ho moved to Hong Kong. Alas, that did not work as Jimmy Shaw christened him with the equally exploitive moniker Bruce Li, a name that would bring him fame the world over. Li proved to be very popular and, as his clout grew within the Hong Kong film industry, he started making projects that had nothing to do with Bruce Lee. Ho even directed two of his features, FISTS OF BRUCE LEE and the revered THE CHINESE STUNTMAN.
Ho eventually retired from the movie industry in 1985 following the death of his wife. He currently lives in Singapore, teaching students gymnastics and the ins and outs of film production. That is no lie.
One thing I've always wondered is exactly how do you pronounce "Li"? I've always pronounced it as "lie" which really seems to fit, if you know what I mean. If that's the case then shouldn't it also be pronounced Jet "Lie", but as we all know its Jet "Lee". I guess it's open to interpretation. Asking Bruce Li, the man himself, would probably be a waste of time as he never even wanted the name in the first place. Well, I declare (unofficially) that this gwailo will pronounce it as Bruce "Lie". Deal with it.
Bruce Li Selected Filmography
