The life of Bruce Lee: the Little Dragon

On November 27, 1940 was born in the Jackson Street Hospital in San Francisco, a baby named Lee Jun Fan, but American passport as Bruce Lee, later known by the nickname of "little dragon" and would become the greatest artists of the martial arts. Her parents were traveling in the United States and therefore decided to put an American name.

When Bruce turned 1 year, he and his parents moved to Hong Kong where they lived.

At age 6 he began to wear glasses, which eventually changed contacto.bruce5.jpg lenses (36956 bytes)

Seven years after Bruce became interested in martial arts when he was robbed on the street. She started to learn Wing Chun, a system of Kung-Fu. The teacher who instructed him was Sifu Yip Man

Due to the large number of street fights in which Bruce was almost always involved, their parents decided they should go to America, building that had American passport. He had been a dream of Bruce, go to America. The money was not a problem for travelers, since their parents had saved enough for a time like this. First was in San Francisco Chinatown, but soon moved to Seattle. He lived with his father's friends and started teaching Kung-Fu selflessly in various parks.

At 21 he entered college to study philosophy. This continued to teach martial arts, and in summer, when school ended, went to Hong Kong to visit his family, who received him very well because of the long time they had not seen him. In fact, this was the first time I came to this country since he decided to go to America.

When he met Linda Emery (whom he later married), mounted the first designed to teach local "professionally", to be called Jun Fan Kung-Fu Institute, which was short in that place, and he was transferred to a site near a university. Maybe Linda was definitely that prompted Bruce to take this important step in your life. One of the most controversial things he did was teach to any person, that is, not matter or color or sex. I say "controversial" because teachers who worked in eastern United States immediately rejected a person of a different race. The theories with which they defended these teachers was that they wanted to teach his art to people in the past had been invading theirs. According to them, only Asians had the right to learn his art. Bruce did not agree and therefore ignored these rules. All this meant more than a serious confrontation against them. For example, when Jack Wong fought in a match that decided what Bruce Lee would have to do: If he won would continue to teach freely to all sorts of people, but if he lost should stop teaching. And won.

The place where he taught soon began to fill with students interested in learning martial arts, so that Bruce was raised to build another school, which finally opened in the summer of 1964. That same summer, specifically on August 17, Bruce was married to Linda, and they moved to Oakland.

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The vision that Bruce Lee had on the martial arts was very different from what most teachers have. He thought everything was based on fixed positions. He said he had to get rid of the routine, that we should move with the combat and not just the only positions that we know. The fight is still alive and constantly changing. This is why we decided to define a new art, Jeet Kune Do, combining the most effective techniques from a multitude of forms of combat and self defense: Thai boxing, Wing Chun, Jiu Jitsu, English boxing, karate, etc.. Thus, we conclude that the Jeet Kune Do is not a fixed style, but a guide that will help us evolve to combat.

Its entry to the big screen came from the hand of William Doze, who was impressed by the skills demonstrated in some championships Bruce and exhibitions. Alone was enough to see a video with their techniques do not doubt for one moment to call it. That was when he was selected to perform in a TV series called The Green Hornet (The Green Hornet), playing the role of Kato. I want to say that Bruce was very young actor. Already as a baby (with only 3 months) gave a newborn girl role. When I was an older child was appearing in many Asian films.

This brings us to 1965. On February 1 of that year had her first child. Brandon Lee be called and also to become an actor. His father, Bruce, taught him the art of Jeet Kune Do since very small.

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But the joy of having a child was cut short when, seven days after the birth of Brandon Lee's father died.

Together with his wife and son, Bruce moved to Los Angeles with the intention to start work on The Green Hornet, charging $ 400 per episode. Building on this salary, the third school built Jun Fan.

The series was very successful, being known by people as the number of Kato (the character played by Bruce), not as The Green Hornet, which was the original name.

When Bruce had 29 years had a daughter named Shannon.

At this time, Bruce is appearing in several films and series made shorter or longer papers. His consecration was yet to come.

Unfortunately, Bruce had a severe injury to his spine that seemed impossible to heal. Even the doctors said would never walk again, much less to fight ... But his effort and dedication were recovered surpassing, practically, the limits of reality and of human beings.

During this time he was inactive, began to translate their thoughts and their methodology on the martial arts in various writings that would eventually join together to form a book called The Tao of Jeet Kune Do, which appeared after his death.

A year later he had an offer in Hong Kong to make a film called The Big Boss (in USA known as Fists of Fury Karate and Spain as to Death in Bangkok), which would make the leading man: Chen Chao Han film was a huge success. People were amazed with the skills of Bruce.

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The second movie was filmed Lee Fist of Fury (also called Chinesse Conection). It seemed that the online promotion of Bruce Lee was acting more and more, as this film grossed more than the previous one, it already is. Thanks to this movie, Bruce became a film star in Hong Kong martial arts.

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Bruce begins to act in Game of Death (death match), leaving only recorded the final scenes, and who never finished recording. Taking advantage of the script and shots already done, several players made double of Bruce and filming continued until finally appeared in 79, well after Bruce died. In this film worth only 15 / 20 minutes in which Lee appears.

The next film in which Bruce worked (this time also as director) was return1.jpg The Way (15640 bytes) of the Dragon (The Fury of the Dragon), which had an incredible acceptance, even more than the previous two. In this film, which certainly takes place in Rome, starring Chuck Norris appeared the final fight in my opinion one of the best that has ever been filmed.

Shortly after the filming of this movie, Bruce's brother, James Lee, died.

Bruce was already famous in Hong Kong. Indeed it was considered a hero, a superstar. But its true global boom would expect.

The Warner Bros. decided to partner with him to make Enter the Dragon (the Dragon), the film would give him international fame and to become a myth and legend. In April 1973 he finished shooting the film entirely, and when it first happened to be a super success, never surpassed in the martial arts film.

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Unfortunately Bruce died in bizarre circumstances on 10 July of that year due to a cerebral edema. His funeral was attended by 25,000 people in Hong Kong, who included friends, family and especially fans, his followers, followers of the martial arts legend, fans of the epoch-person, followers of that spared martial arts positions fixed by Jeet Kune Do, and ultimately, the man who was considered a person and a martial artist rather than an actor who made his knowledge a science, an art and a way of life.

What is clear is that anyone who likes movies and above all his art and his theories, you never forget.