Bruce Lee was nicknamed as Little Dragon because he was born in the Chinese year of the dragon, on the day of the dragon and the hour of the dragon.
He is not just a martial artist
but has also become a cultural icon. Sadly, he left the world at the age of 32,
but his legacy continues to date. From a child actor to one of the most respected
movie icons, Bruce Lee was a man of multiple talents.
Here are the top 10 facts about
Bruce Lee.
1- He
was one of the first individuals to wear contact lenses.
Bruce Lee was near sighted, and
this near sightedness helped him in his fights. He favored Wing Chun's
contact-centered movement, as it allowed him to rely more on touch than sight. For
this reason, he was also one of the first people to warn contact lenses. He
later stopped wearing them, as he found them very uncomfortable.
2- He
wanted to fight Mohammed Ali.
Great pitted against the
greatest would have been up there on the marquee, only if it had happened. Bruce
was in total aura-valleys in ring exploits, his speed, and the diabolic blows
he administered when he was on top of his game. He often used to watch video
footage of Ali's matches, trying to adopt some of his moves.
3- He
helped kickstart the career of Chuck Norris and Jackie Chan.
When Bruce was growing up, he
trained alongside Chuck Norris. Lee directed a movie called, Way of Dragon and
Got Chuck Norris to help him in one of the scenes.
This particular scene has
become very famous. People called the Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee scene, where
they fight as one of the most epic scenes. Jackie Chan also did a lot of stunts
in Bruce Lee's films like Fist of Fury and Enter the Dragon. Jackie also did a
cameo in one of the movies.
4- Child
Star Bruce Lee started young.
Not only did he begin martial
arts at age 13, but he was also a child actor, and appeared in over 20 films in
Hong Kong before moving to the United States at age 18.
His first screen time came at
the very young, and very adorable, age of three months.
5- Was
a Cha Cha Champion.
Bruce Lee is known for his impressive moves, his
high kicks, devastating punches, and quick leg work. But what about his dance
moves? In 1958, Bruce Lee became the Crown Colony Cha Cha Dancing Champion of
Hong Kong. Yes, Cha Cha, perhaps we have this early training in Latin dance to
thank for the grace and poise of his martial arts style.
6- A
Rebel with a Cause.
Martial arts is steeped in
tradition, etiquette, and protocol, so it's no surprise that Bruce Lee ruffled
some feathers in the martial arts community with his unorthodox practices. He
often called out what was, in his opinion, the inefficient methods of the
classical arts during his demonstrations. Added to this, Bruce Lee actively
fought to take martial arts out of the rarefied, secretive
schools and bring it to
everyone. He was one of the pioneers of inclusivity in martial arts, and openly
taught all walks of life, no matter their race, age, or gender.
7- He
was too fast for the camera
Bruce Lee is easily one of the
single most physically fit human beings to have ever lived. His punches and
kicks were by far the best and fastest. It was hard for the directors to work
with Bruce Lee because his punches and his kicks were way too fast for the
camera.
He had slowed down the punching
and kicking, to make the scene look more realistic. Back then a movie was made
with 24 frames per second, but the makers had to make it in 32 frames per
second for Bruce.
8- Going
head to head with the Pope and Gandhi
In 2005, a statue of Bruce Lee
was unveiled in the small town of Mostar, in Bosnia Herzegovina.
Bruce was chosen over other
nominees, including the Pope and Gandhi after a residence poll
revealed that Bruce Lee was the
only name respected by both sides as a symbol of solidarity.
9- A
Good Hair Day
Bruce Lee got his big break in
Hollywood in 1964 when he was discovered by celebrity
hairstylist, Jay Sebring, at
the Long Beach Karate Championships. Sebring told one of his celebrity clients,
the producer, and actor William Dozier, about the young, talented martial
artist, and Dozier immediately contacted Lee. The rest is history.
10- Humble
Beginnings
Bruce Lee never intended to
become an actor, and dreamed instead of opening up martial
arts schools across the US. The
first location of what could loosely be called Bruce's School, the Junfeng Kung
Fu Institute, was located in a parking garage in Seattle's First Hill area.
From there it moved to a basement
in Chinatown. But from these humble beginnings came a new philosophy of martial
arts, Jeet Kune Do, and Lee's school still operates in Seattle today.
No comments: