November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973
Perhaps the most famous martial artist of all-time, Bruce Lee transcended the physical art that made him famous and became a pop-culture phenomenon. The son of a Cantonese opera singer, Lee was born in San Francisco, spent most of his childhood in Hong Kong, and moved back to America with his father as a young man. He studied martial arts from the age of 13 and began teaching it in Seattle at 18. He quickly gained a lot of attention within the tournament circles and drew significant criticism for teaching Chinese martial arts to non-Chinese people. Lee’s rise as a competitor caught the eye of television producers and he was cast as Kato in a short-lived Green Hornet series. This opened doors for Lee to eventually take on more roles. Though, he was frustrated with his limited success in the States, so he returned to Hong Kong where he received a very unexpected hero’s welcome. Continue reading
Celebrity Graveland 