Bruce Lee

Showing Bruce Lee perform (facebook)

When people hear the name Bruce Lee, half of the people know who he is. Only 10 percent know his background and history. Bruce Lee was born November 27, 1940 in San Francisco in the year of the dragon. Lee’s mother called him “Bruce” which means “strong one” in Gaelic. He was the greatest martial artist of all time and also a quite talented actor. His parents were associated with show business which created a glamorous opportunity to become an actor. Bruce Lee spent most of his childhood in Hong Kong and started college at the age of 12. By the time he was 21 he attended the University of Washington and taught many students Kung Fu. By the time he was 23, he began teaching in a different area to avoid prejudice. Bruce Lee majored in philosophy, but that didn’t stop him from teaching martial arts and starring in movies.

Training

Bruce Lee began his martial arts career when he was 13, after consecutive weeks of being beat up by street gangs. His parents sent him back to the U.S. and he began studying martial arts. Bruce faced racial prejudice from Kung Fu teachers because he wasn’t a full blood Chinese. Nevertheless, when he turned 18 he received his black belt and won a boxing championship. He later opened his own schools, and taught various styles. Combining and using moves from other styles helped him develop his own style called Jeet Kune Do “The Way of Intercepting Fist.” Some of Bruce’s most impressive abilities were the “One Inch Punch” and push-ups with two fingers on one hand. This punch could be very deadly at a very close range. Only with a small shrug of his shoulder Bruce could send his opponent a couple yards across the room.

The Game of Death (google)

Bruce Lee starred in many movies and TV shows. When he was 3 months old he played his first part of a play. The most popular movie made by him was called “The Green Hornet.” Producers of this movie asked Bruce to slow down, due to his incredible speed. Bruce Lee made about 13 movies in his career. While he was performing a stunt in a movie he suffered a serious back injury. His Doctors said that this was permanent damage and that he must put an end to martial arts. Over the period of 6 six months, he partially recovered from his back injury, but he would suffer from back pains for the rest of his life. His last movie called The Game of Death was never really finished but was released after he died. He married and had a son “Brandon” who also chose to become an actor.

Bruce Lee died in 1973, at the age of 32. July 20, 1973 he visited his friend Betty to finish a movie called “The Game of Death.” He asked her to give him a painkiller for his back injury, and lied down. 3 hours later Betty tried to wake him up, but there was no success. He was declared dead of a cerebral edema (swelling of brain) which came from a hypersensitivity to a painkiller. Cerebral edema is not always lethal if caught in time, but Bruce’s wasn’t caught in time. Some say that he died on stage; others say that he was killed by “a touch of death.” The touch of death seems to be the “One Inch Punch” Bruce developed. Bruce Lee’s funeral was held in both China and the U.S., but he was buried in Lake View Cemetery in Seattle. Even though Bruce died, he will be remembered by his fans and the future generations.

Tomb of Bruce Lee( Lake View Cemetery,Seattle) (google)

The reason why I believe that Bruce Lee is a hero to me and others is because he inspired many of us with his commitment to achieve his goals, and impressed us with his astounding talents. From an average kid, Bruce became talented in many different fields. He was a role model to many teens and adults, and taught many valuable lessons from his own experiences. His goals to become the best at martial arts were reached and I would hope to do the same.