Bruce Lee ( The Only Dragon )

If any one person can be said to symbolize martial arts, it would be Bruce Lee. Although raised in Hong Kong, Lee was born at San Francisco's Chinese Hospital on Nov 27, 1940 to be exact. Bruce began studying martial arts with Sifu Yip Man, at around the age of 13 years old. Not only did he have martial arts training, but also showed acting ability. He later moved to Seattle Washington were he met a girl by the name of Linda. Soon they were married, and welcomed their first child Brandon on Feb 1, 1965. With much encouragement from his wife, he opened up a martial arts studio. This studio was his main source of income, to support his family. Students quickly grew, and soon he began teaching some of Hollywood's major film stars. The couple welcomed their second child, Shannon on April 19, 1969! Having well known students, has it's perks. This allowed him total access to film industry professionals. His film career started on the television series The Green Hornet along with Long Street. He did only one Hollywood film around this time, called Marlowe. Without major success in the United States, he decided to relocate where a greater opportunity could exist.

After performing a martial arts demonstration, a producer by the name of Raymond Chow signed him as the lead in a major motion picture. Mr. Chow had just formed a production company " Golden Harvest " and was looking for upcoming talent. This film production was known as Fist Of Fury, which took place in Thailand.The fighting scenes were INTENSE! It was released on October 3, 1971 in Hong Kong. People had instantly fell in love, with his on screen character! A new era had started, and it wasn't stopping there. Massive crowds flooded the building, with total chaos after the premier!!!

With success of his first film, Bruce signed on for two others. Next for production was a film titled The Chinese Connection, then later Return Of The Dragon. With three films to his name, Bruce had become the most powerful actor around! Box office records, continued to break as they were released. The style of fighting he used was Jeet Kune Do, in which he developed himself. It's a combination of several other techniques, which showcase power and speed. Even though he was only 120 lbs, Bruce could punch harder than most heavyweights. After watching Muhammad Ali, he wanted to fight him. This never took place, but it would have been the fight of the century! Many of his students, were flown in to take part in his later films. For instance Chuck Norris & Kareem Abdual Jabbar. Both of these students, got the opportunity to fight their master on screen!

Soon Hollywood came knocking on his door! Bruce read the script and agreed to sign a major deal with Warner Bros, for a movie titled Enter The Dragon. This was the first time, a studio from the united states filmed in Hong Kong. After production was completed, he returned with Golden Harvest for a new project named Game Of Death. Sadly at the age of 32, Bruce Lee died of a brain edema supposedly caused by a pill. Many believe he was murdered, but only GOD knows what really happened. It's sad seeing someone in such incredible physical shape, leave us suddenly. Six years later, his final film was released with continued success. If you'd like to study his fighting style, please check out his book Tao Of Jeet Kune Do!