Bruce Lee is without a doubt one of the most influential figures in pop culture, and his posters have decorated (and continue to decorate) millions of bedroom walls around the world. If anyone could properly represent the term “global icon,” that would definitely be Bruce Lee. But who was he really, and why is he so famous and beloved to this day?
Bruce Lee was an exceptional martial artist, actor, and filmmaker known for classic action flicks like Fists of Fury, The Big Boss, and Enter the Dragon. For that matter, it wouldn’t be much of a stretch to claim he was the one who gave birth to the action movie genre and was the prototype of what we call today an action movie hero. As a martial arts master he created his own technique known as Jeet Kune Do. If, however, you already happen to know the above information about the legendary martial artist and actor, here follow 10 Lethal Facts About Bruce Lee that will enlighten you about the man who caused hundreds of millions of people around the world to embrace martial arts and combat sports more than anyone else in contemporary history.
10
Bruce Lee was born in the Year of the Dragon, on the Day of the Dragon, on the hour of the Dragon. Unsurprisingly, his nickname was Little Dragon.
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9
Bruce Lee’s grandfather was one hundred percent German, which technically made Lee Eurasian. This “non-pure” Chinese status prevented him from being accepted into many kung fu schools in the 1950’s due to discrimination and racism.
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8
During his adolescence, he was a gang leader. The name of his group was The Tigers of Junction Street.
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7
It might sound a little strange, but Lee’s early life was quite similar to the one portrayed in his movies. To make a long story short, he got into a fight with the son of a triad boss in Hong Kong when he was young, and his father shipped him off to the States the next day.
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6
He left for Seattle in 1958 with $100. While aboard the ship traveling to America, he gave cha cha lessons to first-class passengers to earn extra money.
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5
He was able to name every karate term and perform each technique with deadly accuracy even though he was never officially taught the Japanese art of self-defense.
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4
Lee had bad eyesight, which was one of the reasons he appreciated Wing Chun’s contact style of movement as he could rely more on touch than sight.
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3
Bruce Lee’s favorite habit (other than martial arts, of course) was reading. He had an extensive library of more than two thousand books and read daily.
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2
Contrary to the popular belief that Lee never participated in real combat competitions, he became the Hong Kong boxing champion, knocking out all his opponents including British boxer Gary Elms. He also defeated famous martial artist and teacher Wong Jack Man in a fight in 1965.
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1
Bruce Lee used to puncture cans with his fingers back in the days when cans weren’t soft aluminum. He cut himself performing this on the set of The Big Boss though, so keep an eye out for the Band-Aids on his fingers next time you watch the film.
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