Fans of legendary martial arts superstar Bruce Lee come together this weekend to commemorate the 35th anniversary of his death with an exhibit of movie posters, magazine covers, and books about him. Among the displays are letters written by Lee that chronicles his life in America, where he went to college and taught kung fu before moving his family back to Hong Kong, where he was raised.
Lee got his big break starring as Kato on The Green Hornet on ABC in 1966. Though the show lasted one season, it became a cult favorite among the Chinese overseas due to Lee. Over there, The Green Hornet was called The Kato Show.
Lee had a recurring role on ABC’s Longstreet (1971-72), in which he played an instructor to a blind insurance investigator. Like his character, he also taught martial arts to actors like Steve McQueen and Chuck Norris, who later on starred with him as the antagonist in Return of the Dragon (1972).
It was confirmed that Lee was set on starring Kung Fu (1972-75), but the role of as a Shaolin priest in the 19th-century American West eventually went to David Carradine.
Danny Chan, who will be playing Lee in a new Chinese series, went to the opening exhibit today, which was organized by the Hong-Kong based Bruce Lee Club. He believes that this will give people a better understanding of Lee.
“A lot of people like Bruce Lee”, Chan said, “but know very little about him.”
Sadly, Bruce Lee died at the age of 32 from the swelling of his brain. Still, there have been discussions since then on how he died. One of the theories stated there’s a curse on him and his family. His son, Brandon, died with strange results in 1993 while filming The Crow, which was released a year later. Like Bruce, Brandon gain a cult following after his death, as father and son are buried right beside to one another in Seattle.
There have been ongoing talks of a philanthropist who owns Lee’s former two-story Hong Kong home petitioning to the government in turning it into a museum.
On film, Lee has portrayed Chinese characters that are champions of the working people and the oppressed — fighting for honor and justice. Movies like Fists of Fury (1971), Enter The Dragon (1973) and The Chinese Connection (1972) certified his status as both an martial artist and an action hero.
Bruce Lee has paved the way of the martial-arts genre for Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and many more.
Source: Yahoo! News
