Bruce Lee

1940 – 1973

Bruce Lee was a Hong Kong American martial artist, actor, and filmmaker who founded the hybrid martial arts philosophy of Jeet Kune Do and is widely credited with popularizing martial arts cinema and Asian American representation in Hollywood. His four completed Hong Kong–made films—The Big Boss (1971), Fist of Fury (1972), The Way of the Dragon (1972), and the U.S.-co-produced Enter the Dragon (1973)—broke box-office records across Asia and helped open Western audiences to Asian leading men. He died in Hong Kong of cerebral edema in July 1973 at age 32, weeks before Enter the Dragon's premiere.

Last checked: May 10, 2026, 1:06 PM