Today (Nov. 27) marks the 83rd birth anniversary of the legendary star, Bruce Lee. Lee was a Hong Kong-American martial artist and actor who had a successful career in both Hong Kong and the United States.
He founded Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy that drew from different combat disciplines and is sometimes credited with paving the way for modern mixed martial arts (MMA).
Lee is regarded by some commentators and martial artists as the most influential martial artist of all time and a pop culture icon of the 20th century. He bridged the gap between East and West and is credited with promoting Hong Kong action cinema and helping to change the way Chinese people were presented in American films.
Lee was born in San Francisco and raised in British Hong Kong. As a child actor, he was introduced to the Hong Kong film industry by his father, but these were not martial arts films. His early martial arts experience included Wing Chun (trained under Yip Man), tai chi, boxing (winning a Hong Kong boxing tournament), and frequent street fighting (neighborhood and rooftop fights).
His breakthrough came with The Big Boss (1971), which proved to be an enormous box-office success across Asia. Lee followed up with Fist of Fury (1972), which broke the box office records set previously by The Big Boss.
The legendary star passed away at the age of 32 years in Hong Kong on 20 July 1973, under mysterious circumstances.
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