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Focus: Bruce had the desire to be the best at all
cost. He trained every day for several hours. He pushed
and unfortunately even abused his body to its limits.
Diversity:
Bruce did not dwell in one martial art or in one field of
expertise. He read and tried to gain knowledge about
anything that could make him a better individual and
martial artist. He read about boxing, fencing and several
other techniques and methods used in the martial arts.
Two minutes:
Bruce Lee believed that if a fight lasted more than two
minutes, you were finished. That's why his real life
fights lasted less than that.
Bruce was a human being. That is to say that indeed he
wasn't perfect. He was also known to be a braggart, an
arrogant man with a short temper, an unfaithful husband,
a drug abuser, steroid user,etc.. Weither these
statements are true or not they do not change his
contribution to the world and to the martial arts. In his
life, Bruce tried to be the best individual he could be,
spiritually, physically and intecllectually. He stumbled;
yet, he persisted. I'm not going to go into detail about
the demons which dictated Bruce's life. I simply
understand why Bruce didn't want his son to'follow in his
footsteps'. It's a shame that his demons finally caught
up with him...
1940 -
November 27 - San Francisco- In the The Year
of the Dragon between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. (the hour
of the dragon), Lee Jun Fan, Bruce Lee is born at
the Jackson Street Hospital in San Francisco Chinatown
while his father and mother traveled to the U.S. Lee Hoi
Chuen, Bruce's father, was performing with the Cantonese
Opera Company in America. At three months old, Bruce
debutes in "Golden Gate Girl" in San Francisco,
CA. He plays role of a female baby, carried by his father.
1941 (Age 1):
Hong Kong - Bruce and his parents return to
Kowloon, their family home. They move to into an
apartment at 218 Nathan Road, Kowloon district. The
apartment is located on the second story of a building
which contained a store on the ground level.
1946 (Age 6):
Hong Kong - Bruce makes his first major childhood
movie in The Beginning of a Boy. Later this year,
he performs in The Birth of Mankind, and My Son,
Ah Cheun. (During the later years of his chilhood,
Bruce appears in 20 more films in Asia. In these films,
Bruce's vivid facial expressions begin to devlop, and
they forshadow his future expressions in his famous Kung-Fu
movies. Bruce becomes nearsighted and starts wearing
glasses. (He will later start wearing contacts, suggested
to him by a friend who is an optometrist.)
1952 (Age 12): Hong Kong -
Bruce begins attending La Salle College.
1953 (Age 13):
Hong Kong - After being beaten up by a street gang,
Bruce begins to take Kung-Fu lessons, despite local Hong
Kong laws, outlawing streetfights. This is the first, and
the last time Bruce looses a fight. He begins to train
under Sifu Yip Man, a master of the Wing Chun system of
Kung-Fu
1954 (Age 14):
Hong Kong - Bruce takes up cha-cha dancing.
1958 (Age 18):
Hong Kong - Bruce wins the Crown Colony Cha-Cha
Championship. Bruce has a leading role in the film The
Orphan. This is the last movie Bruce makes as a child
actor. This is the only movie where Bruce does not fight.
1958 (Age 18):
??? - Bruce enters the 1958 Boxing Championships
and defeats the reigning three year champion, Gary Elms.
1959 (Age 19):
Hong Kong - Because of numberous street fighting,
causing police involvement, Bruce's father and mother
decide that Bruce should take a three week voyage to the
United States. The trip is a possible means to get him
back on the right track. He return to his birth-place --
San Francisco Chinatown. Time was also running out for
him to claim his American Citizenship.
1959 (Age 19):
San Francisco - Seattle - With $15 from his father,
and $100 from his mother, Bruce arrives in the United
States, living with an old friend of his father's. He
works odd jobs around the various chinese communities.
Later, he moves to Seattle to work for Ruby Chow, another
friend of his father's. He lives in a room above her
restaurant while working as a waiter downstairs. He
eventually enrolls in Edison Technical School and earns
his high school diploma. Bruce begins to teach his
Martial Art skills in backyards and city parks.
1961 - March
(Age 21): Seattle- Bruce enrolls at the
University of Washington, studying Philosophy. He teachs
Kung-Fu to students at school.
1963 -
Summer (Age 23): Hong Kong - Bruce proposes to
Amy Sanbo but is turned down. Bruce returns to Hong Kong
with friend Doug Palmer for the first time since his
arrival in the U.S. to visit family. He then returns to
Seattle at the end of summer to continue his education.
1963 -
October 25 (Age 23): Seattle - Bruce takes out
Linda Emery (his future wife) for their first date. They
have dinner at the Space Needle. Bruce gives notice to
Ruby Chow and leaves her restaurant. He starts the first
Jun Fan Kung-Fu Institute.
1963 - Fall (Age 23): Seattle - Bruce moves his Jun Fan
Kung-Fu Institute into a building (4750 University Way)
near the university campus. He teaches any person of any
race. (most Asian Martial Arts schools would only teach
people of their own race)At Garfield High School, Bruce
demonstrates the "One-Inch Punch". This is the
punch he would later make famous at the 64' Long Beach
Internationals and which was developed by him and James
DeMile in Seattle. Bruce would hold his arm straight out,
and with a shrug of his shoulder, knock a man straight
across the ground.
1964 (Age 24):
??? Bruce meets Jhoon Rhee at the International
Karate Championships. The tw o would remain good. (Jhoon
Rhee will invite Bruce to Washington, D.C. to appear at
tournaments.)
1964 - June
(Age 24): ??? - Bruce discusses with James
Yimm Lee plans to open a second Jun Fan Kung-Fu Institute
in Oakland, CA.
1964 - Summer - Oakland (Age 24): Plans are
finalized, and Bruce leaves Seattle to start a second Jun
Fan Kung-Fu school in Oakland. His good friend, Taky
Kimura, takes over as head instructor.
1964 -
August 17 (Age 24): Seattle - Bruce returns to
Seattle to marry Linda. They soon move to Oakland.
1964 -
August 2 (Age 24): Long Beach, Ca - Ed Parker,
known as the Father of American Karate (Kenpo), invites
Bruce to give a demonstration. Bruce shows off his "one-inch
punch," and his two-finger push-ups, where he
literally does "two" finger push-ups. At his
first International Karate Championships, Jay Sebring,
the hair stylist for Batman, William dozier, a
producer, who is looking to cast a part in a TV series he
was developing. Sebring then gives a film of Bruce's demo
to Dozier who is impressed at Bruce's super-human
abilities. Bruce later flys down to Los Angeles for a
screen test.
1964 -
August 4 (Age 24): Oakland - Bruce leaves for
Seattle. He will propose to Linda.
1965 (Age 24):
Oakland - Several months after he begins teaching,
he is challenged by, Wong Jack Man, a leading Kung-Fu
practitioner in the Chinatown Community. They agree: If
Bruce looses, he will, either close his school, or stop
teaching Caucasians; and if Jack looses, he will stop
teaching. Jack Man Wong does not belie Bruce would
actually fight, and tries to delay the match. Bruce
becomes angered and insists that they not wait. Wong then
tries to put limitations on techniques. Bruce refuses
"rules"and the two go no holds barred. Bruce
begins to pound his opponent in only a couple of seconds.
As Bruce is winning, Wong attemps to flee, but is caught
by Bruce. Bruce begins to beat him on the ground.
Students of the other teacher attempted to step in and
help their teacher, James Lee, Bruce's good friend
prevent this. Later he is bothered on why the fight took
so long and begins to re-evaluate his style. He is
determined that he is not in his top physical condiiton.
Thus, the early concepts of Jeet Kune Do (JKD), "The
art of the intercepting fist" is created. JKD is
an art including techniques of all types of fighting. (i.e.
American Boxing, Thai Kick Boxing, Japanese Karate, etc.)
His style is no style.
Bruce is signed to a one-year option for The Green
Hornet. He is paid an $1800 retainer.
1965 -
February 1 (Age 25): Oakland, CA - Brandon
Bruce Lee is born.
1965 -
February 8 (Age 25): Hong Kong - Bruce's
father passes away in Hong Kong. Bruce returns to Hong
Kong for his fathers funeral. As tradition dictates, in
order to obtain forgiveness for not being present when
his father died, Bruce crawls on his knees across the
floor of the funeral home towards the casket wailing
loudly and crying.
1965 - May (Age
25): ??? Bruce uses the retainer money from
the Green Hornet and flys himself, Linda, and
Brandon back to Hong Kong in order to settle his father's
estate affairs. While in Hong Kong, Bruce takes Brandon
to see Yip Man to persuade Yip to perform on tape. Bruce
wants to take the footage back to Seattle and show his
students what the man looks like in action. Yip modestly
declines.
1965 -
September (Age 25): Seattle - Bruce, Linda,
Brandon return to Seattle.
1966 (Age 26):
Los Angeles - Bruce and family move to Los Angeles
to an apartment on Wilshire and Gayley in Westwood. This
is where he begins working on a new TV series called The
Green Hornet as Kato. The Green Hornet series starts
filming and Bruce is Paid $400 per episode. Bruce buyse a
1966 blue Chevy Nova. Bruce is later known to have gotten
the part of Kato because he was the only person who could
accurately pronounce the star's name, Britt Reid. He
later opens third branch of the Jun Fan Kung-Fu Institute
in Los Angeles' Chinatown.
1966 -
September 9 (Age 26): Los Angeles - The Green
Hornet series premiers.
1967-1971 (Age
27-31): Hollywood - During this time, Bruce
lands bit parts in various films and T.V. series. He also
gives private lessons for up to $250 an hour to
personalities Steve McQueen, James Coburn, James Garner,
Lee Marvin, Roman Polanski, and Kareem Abdul Jabbar.
Bruce meets Chuck Norris in New York at the All American
Karate Championships in Washington D.C. Chuck fights Joe
Lewis and wins.
1967 (Age 27):
Washington, D.C. - Bruce meets Joe Lewis at The
Mayflower Hotel while both were guests at the 67'
National Karate Championships. Joe is competing in the
tournament and Bruce is making special appearances as
Kato.
1967 -
February (Age 27): Los Angeles - Bruce opens a
3rd school at 628 College Street, Los Angeles, CA. Dan
Inosanto serves as assistant instructor
1967 - July
14 (Age 27): Los Angeles - The last episode of
The Green Hornet Series shows. The movie is later said to
have failed because Bruce, a minor role became more
popular than the main character.
1969 - April
19 (Age 29): Santa Monica, CA Shannon Lee is
born.
1969 (Age 29):
??? - A scriptwriter is hired and paid $12K by
Stirling Silliphant and James Coburn to write a script
for the Silent Flute. The script produced is
unacceptable, and no other scriptwriter could seen to do
the job. They then decide to write it themselves.
1970 (Age 30):
Los Angeles - Bruce injures his sacral nerve and
expreiences severe muscle spasms in his back while
training. Doctors told him that he would never kick again.
During the months of recovery he starts to document his
training methods and his philosophy of Jeet Kune Do.
Later after his death, The Tao of Jeet Kune Do is
published by his wife in memory of Bruce Lee.
1970 (Age 30):
Hong Kong - Bruce and Brandon fly to Hong Kong and
are welcomed by fans of The Green Hornet Show.
Bruce sends Unicorn to talk to Run Run Shaw on his behalf
and inform Shaw that he would be willing to do a movie
for him for $10K. Shaw makes counter-offer of a seven
year contract and $2K per film which Bruce declines.
1971 -
February (Age 31): India - Bruce, James Coburn,
Stirling Silliphant fly to India to scout locations for The
Silent Flute. They spend one month searching but are
forced to call off the search as Coburn backs out of the
project. This trip gives Bruce the idea for Game of
Death, where a fighter, mastering in several
techniques, will go from one level to the next in a
temple: the first level (the level of weaponry), the
second level (the level of the nine degree black belt),
and the third level ( "The level of the unknown.")
1971 (Age 31):
Hong Kong. - Bruce takes a short trip back to Hong
Kong to arrange for his mother to live in the U.S.
Unknowingly to him, he had become a superstar for The
Green Hornet was one of the most popular TV shows in
Hong Kong. Later, he is approached by Raymond Chow, owner
of a new production company, and offered the lead role in
a new film called The Big Boss. Bruce accepts.
Bruce is supplied with small furnished apartment at 2 Man
Wan Road - Kowloon, HK. Wu Ngan, moves in with Bruce and
Linda. Later Wu Ngan marries and his new wife moves in as
well. Brandon attends La Salle College. The same school
Bruce attended only 15 years before.Bruce is inteviewed
by Canadian talk show host, Pierre Berton, for a tv
program being filmed in Hong Kong. This is the only on
film said to be in existance.
1971- July (Age
31): Thailand - Filming begins for The big
Boss (released in the U.S. as Fists of Fury). The
Big Boss opens in Hong Kong to great reviews and mobs
of fans. Proceeds to gross more than $3.5 million in
little than three weeks.
1971 -
December 7 (Age 31): Hong Kong - Bruce
receives telegram, notifying him that he had not been
chosen fo the part in the upcoming series, The Warrior.
This series was later released as Kung-Fu, staring
David Carradine, who doesn't know shit about martial arts.
(The show aired as ABC-TVs Movie of the Week on February
21, 1972.)
1972 (Age 32):
Hong Kong -First of Fury (released in the U.S. as The
Chinese Connection) is released. It grosses more than
The Big Boss and further establishes Bruce as a
Hong Kong superstar. Bruce gets a larger budget, a larger
salary, and more power of directing in this film.Bruce
begins work on Game of Death and films several
fight scenes including Danny Inosanto and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Bruce appears on Hong Kong's TVB channel for a hurricane
disaster relief benefit. In a demo Bruce performs, he
breaks 4 out of 5 boards, one of which is hanging in the
air with a line of string. Brandon even performs and
breaks a board with a sidekick!
Bruce helps Unicorn, a fellow actor, by assisting him for
one day and supervises fight action sequences in Unicorn's
film, The Unicorn Palm - Footage of Bruce on the
set is used in the movie and Bruce's name appears in the
credits to his surprise causing Bruce to become angry and
make a public announcement denying his endorsement of the
film. Unicorn was advised to get Bruce's name in the
credits, so his movie would have a better chance at being
a success.
1972 (Age 32):
Rome, Italy - Location shots are made for Bruce's
third filmThe Way of the Dragon (released in the U.S. as The
Return of the Dragon). This time Bruce gets almost
complete control the the movie, which he writes, directs,
and stars in. Chuck Norris is Bruce's adversary in the
final fight scene. Again, this film surpasses all records
set by his previous two films.
1972 -
December 28 (Age 32): Oakland Bruce's brother,
James, dies of "Black Lung."
1973 -
February (Age 33): Hong Kong - Bruce gets his
chance at American stardom as filming of Enter the Dragon
begins while Game of Death is put on hold. It is
the first-ever production between the U.S. and Hong Kong
film industries.
On February 20, Bruce is guest of honor at St. Francis
Xavier's school for Sports Day ceremonies.
1973 (Age 33):
Los Angeles - Grace Lee, Bruce's sister, sees
Bruce in Los Angeles, CA. Bruce tells her that he does
not expect to live much longer and that she is not to
worry about finances as he will make sure she is provided
for. She rebukes him for talking that way.
1973 - April
(Age 33): Hong Kong - Filming of Enter the
Dragon is completed.
Bruce is at Golden Harvest Studios in Hong Kong dubbing
his voice for "Enter The Dragon". The air
conditioners had been turned off, so the microphones won't
pick them up. The temperature soared. Bruce takes a break
looping lines to go to the bathroom and splash water on
his face. In he bathroom, he passes out on the bathroom
floor. He revives twenty minutes later just as
anassistant sent to find out what was keeping him walks
in and discovers him on the ground. He tries to conceal
his collapse by acting as though he hasdropped his
glasses on the floor and is searching for them and is
helped up bythe assistant. As they are walking back to
the dubbing room, Bruce collapses again and is rushed to
a nearby hospital.
1973 - July
10 (Age 33): Hong Kong - Bruce Lee is walking
through the Golden Harvest Studios and overhears Lo Wei
in a nearby room bad mouthing him. He confronts Lo Wei
who retreats and summons the local police. When the
police arrive Lo Wei falsely accuses Bruce of threatened
him with a knife concealed in his belt buckle. He further
insiststhat Bruce sign a statement that he will not harm
him. Bruce signs thestatement to get Lo Wei off his back
although Lo Wei lied to the police and Bruce never had a
knife nor thretened to kill him.
That same day, Bruce appears on the Hong Kong TV show, Enjoy
Yourself Tonight with host Ho Sho Shin. Bruce alludes
to his problems with director Lo Wei, but does not
mention him by name. Bruce is asked to display his
physical prowess and demonstrates his abilities. Bruce
demonstartes a technique and Shin is hurled across the
stage. The show of power causes the press to indite Bruce
in the paper and accuse him of bullying the talk show
host though this was not the case.
1973 - July
16 (Age 33): Hong Kong - Heavy rains fall
caused by a typhoon off the coast of Hong Kong. Bruce
makes a $200 phone call to speak to Unicorn in his hotel
room, who is filming a movie in Manila. Bruce tells
Unicorn that he is worried about the many headaches he is
experiencing.
1973 - July
18 (Age 33): Hong Kong - A bad Feng Shui
deflector, placed on the roof of Bruce's Cumberland Road
home in Hong Kong is blown off the roof by heavy rain and
winds. The deflector had been placed on the house to
protect Bruce and family from bad Feng Shui; previous
owners had all been plagued by financial disaster and it
was believed that this was because of the incorrect
positioning of the house. The deflector was to ward off
evil spirits.
1973 - July
20 (Age 33): Hong Kong - Early in the morning
Bruce types a letter to his attorney, Adrian Marshall,
detailing business ventures he wants to discuss on his
upcoming trip to Los Angeles. Bruce had tickets already
set to return to the US for a publicity tour and was
scheduled to appear on the Johnny Carson show.
Raymond Chow goes by Bruce's house and the two discuss
plans for their upcoming movie Game of Death.
Linda kisses Bruce goodbye and says she is going out to
run some errands and will see him later that night.
Raymond and Bruce visit Betty Ting Pei at her apartment
to discuss her role in Game of Death. That evening
plans had been made for them all to meet George Lazenby
over dinner and enlist him for a part. Bruce explains
that he has a headache, takes a prescription pain killer
offered by Betty, and lies down on her bed to rest prior
to dinner. Raymond Chow departs and says that he will
meet them later.
Raymond Chow and George Lazenby meet at a restaurant and
await Bruce and Betty's arrival, but the two never show
up. At 9:00 p.m. Chow receives a call from Betty; she
said that she has tried to wake Bruce up but he won't
come to.
Betty summons her personal physician who fails to revive
Bruce and who has Bruce taken to the hospital. Bruce does
not revive and is pronounced dead. The doctor's are
surprised that he had lasted as long as he did that night
but unfortunately Betty did not get him help as soon as
she could have.
Bruce Lee dies in Hong Kong of an apparent cerebral edema
(swelling of the brain). After much confusion and debate,
doctors declared the death of Bruce Lee as "death by
misadventure." Enter the Dragon was delayed
from its inital premieres a four days later because of
the actors death.
1973 - July
25 (Age 33): Hong Kong - A funeral ceremony is
held for friends and fans in Hong Kong consisting of over
25,000 people. Bruce is dressed in the Chinese outfit he
wore in Enter the Dragon.
1973 - July
30 (Age 33): Seattle - After a smaller
second ceremony in Seattle, Washington at Butterworth
Funeral Home on East Pine Street, Bruce Lee is buried at
Lake View Cemetery. His pallbearers included Steve
McQueen, James Coburn, Danny Inosanto, Taky Kimura, Peter
Chin, and his brother, Robert Lee.
1973 -
August 24 Hollywood - Enter The Dragon
premiers at Graumann's Chinese Theater. The movie is a
success, and Bruce Lee achieves world-wide fame.
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