Bruce Lee and the myths. Facts about Bruce: Was Bruce Too Strong for the Punching Bag?

Despite the fact that 43 years have passed since the death of Bruce Lee, he still remains a very famous and popular personality. Next, you will find 25 little-known facts that will help you learn more about what kind of person the idol of millions of people around the world was.

1. Real Dragon

Bruce Lee was born according to the Chinese calendar in the Year of the Dragon, on Dragon Day and in the Hour of the Dragon. No wonder his nickname was "Little Dragon".

2. Not quite Chinese

Bruce Lee's grandfather was a full-blooded German, meaning Lee was technically part European. It was because of this (that he was not a “pure” Chinese) that he was not accepted into many kung fu schools in the 1950s.

3. Criminal past

In his youth, Lee was a gang leader. He was a member of the Junction Street Tigers.

4. Life is like a movie

It may seem a little strange, but Lee's early life was very similar to what is shown in his films. To put it in a nutshell, the guy got into a fight with the son of a triad boss in Hong Kong, so his father sent him “out of harm’s way” to the USA the very next day.

5. $100 and "cha-cha-cha"

He left for Seattle in 1958 with $100 in his pocket. While aboard a ship sailing to America, he gave cha-cha lessons to first-class passengers to earn money.

6. Phenomenal professional memory

He was able to name every term associated with karate and execute every technique with amazing precision. However, he never officially taught Japanese martial art to everyone.

7. Vision and Wing Chun style

Lee had poor eyesight. This was one of the reasons why he appreciated the contact style of Wing Chun, where he could rely more on tactile sensations than sight.

8. Favorite activity

Bruce Lee's favorite pastime (besides martial arts, of course) was reading. He had an extensive library of more than two thousand books, and he read daily.

9. Bruce Lee - participant in real fights

Contrary to popular belief that Lee never competed in actual combat, he became a boxing champion in Hong Kong, knocking out all his opponents including British boxer Gary Elms. He also defeated famous martial artist and teacher Wong Jack Man in 1965.

10. Bank with your finger

Bruce Lee punched cans with his fingers in the days before they were made of soft aluminum. At the same time, he received many cuts, so the master often walked around with a band-aid on his fingers.

11. Man of the century

Time magazine named Bruce Lee one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century. A few years later, in 2014, the Houston Boxing Hall of Fame recognized Bruce as the greatest fighter to appear on film. Lee was selected by Goldsea Asian American Daily as one of the "100 Most Inspiring Asian Americans of All Time." He finished second, behind Senator Daniel Inouye.

12. Phenomenal abilities

He weighed a maximum of 72 kilograms. At the time of death, his weight was 67 kilograms. He was able to do push-ups with a 115-pound man on his back. He could also do push-ups on just one finger. And UFC President Dana White considers Bruce Lee "the father of mixed martial arts."

13. Lee technique in the Nintendo series of games

In Nintendo's popular Pokemon series, the monster Hitmonlee's fighting moves are based on Lee's real-life technique.

14. "Little Dragon" statue

On the occasion of Bruce Lee's 65th birthday (November 27, 2005), a bronze statue of a shirtless "little dragon" was erected in Hong Kong.

15. Phenomenal abilities

Bruce Lee developed an amazing trick that can be found on YouTube to demonstrate his speed. The man held the coin in his open palm and suddenly clenched his fist. During this time, Lee managed to replace the coin with another.

16. One Inch Punch

17. Favorite music

In his first and only meeting with composer Lalo Schifrin (they worked together on Enter the Dragon), Bruce admitted that he often whistles the main theme to the 1966 Mission: Impossible film.

18. Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris

Despite rumors and reports to the contrary, Lee was never Chuck Norris' teacher. They trained together, they were actually friends, but they were not teacher and student. However, he was the man who gave Norris his first film job, but it wasn't in Way of the Dragon as many people believe. In fact, this happened when Lee was the stunt coordinator for a movie called Wrecking Crew.

19. Phenomenal speed

Cameramen had to film Lee's fight scenes at thirty-two frames per second instead of the usual twenty-four. The answer to this is simple - Bruce was so fast that cameras at normal shooting speed simply did not have time to detect his movements.

At the height of his fame, Lee was constantly challenged by countless people in public places. He even had to carry a .367 Magnum pistol.

21. Bruce Lee Phobia

This is probably the most mythological of all the figures in world cinema and the world of martial arts. Despite the fact that Bruce Lee is admired by many, many consider him the founder of almost mixed martial arts and sports kung fu, yet you will not find a single Bruce Lee fight in any martial arts tournament. And I dare to suggest that his skill was recorded only in films, like the skill of other actors such as Seagal, Van Damme and other action heroes. In this regard, if we talk about truly “combat” actors, then this is, of course, Chuck Norris (though only within the framework of karate, although the actor influenced the creation of kickboxing), Don Dragon Wilson (10 or 11 times world champion in kickboxing, although the films with his participation were boring and naive), some other actors.

What is Bruce Lee - the inspiration for boys of the 70s, 80s and, a little, 90s to practice martial arts? Being a famous actor in Hong Kong, he moved to the States (where, by the way, he was born, being only half Chinese, and even less). Fame quickly turned his head and Lee felt truly invincible, which can be seen in his facial expressions, pathos, and boundless narcissism.

His death made it possible to promote Bruce’s already branded image, since his last film tells the story of an actor who fights the “film mafia”, which is why business tycoons from the world of cinema are trying to kill him.

In the film, Lee fakes his death while continuing to fight his enemies in secret. The film was completed after his death, which was especially reflected in the fights and the plot, which frankly did not shine with its originality.

During my childhood, I heard a variety of versions about the death of the legendary actor. Someone said that he was killed by the Chinese mafia, someone that he fell into the hands of a Shaolin monk using the “vibrating fist” technique for revealing the secrets of kung fu (there is so much mystery and enchanting mysticism in all these words) , someone, filled with special significance, expressed the opinion that Lee was killed by a representative of Thai boxing (about which, at that time, we knew nothing). Even now, ironizing all this and understanding the absurdity of such hypotheses, something awakens in me long gone from childhood, when the words “karate” and “kung fu” evoked sacred awe in my soul. Alas, we began to know and understand more, but it’s somehow sad that that same thrill has long passed.

In fact, Lee died from an allergic reaction to the drug (and there is nothing derogatory in this; unfortunately, such cases are not uncommon). In addition, Lee began to lead a less than athletic lifestyle, and was also addicted to stimulant drugs, which were in use at that time and the world did not yet know doping scandals.

As Chuck Norris recalls, Lee did not know how to relax at all and had no sense of humor. His past is interestingly told in a documentary film that was released relatively recently. In it, Bruce's wife, daughter and producer remember what the famous actor was like.

Many martial arts fans will be surprised to learn that it was exactly half oriental in the Bruce Lee style. We can say that he created, through his films, the image of a certain invincible oriental master and, familiar to us, kung fu. Without his films, the little-known and completely unpopular style of Wing Chun would have remained a martial art in some Chinatowns.

For some reason, it is customary to consider collections of Taoist and Chan Buddhist aphorisms, spoken by Li or attributed to him, as his ideas, but this is excusable, the world was just beginning to beat in a wild fever of widespread fashion for everything oriental. And wushu and karate were just coming into fashion, eclipsing the once most popular jiu-jitsu and judo in Europe and America.

But don’t think that I only want to criticize and debunk the image of Bruce Lee. Yes, I admit, Jackie Chan is closer to me among Asian actors, although some “combatants” consider him to be a “clown”. But Jackie’s main merit is that he showed the vulnerability of the main character, he showed that everyone has inherent fear and anyone can be beaten, and this was important for those who were used to seeing the invincibility of the main characters, their fearlessness, not realizing that all this was just movie.

Still, what kind of style did the great Bruce profess? His family and producer recalled that the actor could watch boxing fights for hours, peering into every frame, scrolling through the film to review the moments that interested him. His idol was the unsurpassed Muhammad Ali, whose signature can be seen in some of the actor’s stage movements. Bruce Lee himself spoke of his style as a synthesis of boxing, Western fencing and only then Chinese Wushu.

But Bruce was famous not only in the world of martial arts, I would even say not so much in the world of martial arts. Bruce Lee was a cha-cha champion. Hence his super mobility, flexibility and speed. In general, many action heroes were either gymnasts or dancers, for example, the main characters of the films “Called the Beast”, “Fan”, “The Man in the Green Kimono”, “Throw Down”, etc.

The famous actor’s filigree foot technique also did not come to him right away, but was introduced into his technique by Chuck Norris, since Lee, initially, following the canons of South Chinese wushu styles, did not possess a wide arsenal of high kicks.

But I wouldn’t want readers to get the impression that I’m biased regarding Bruce Lee’s role in popularizing martial arts, but I still acknowledge his achievements. Firstly, he showed, even through cinema, that the main thing is in the synthesis of various systems, in the ability to listen to experience from any art, be it boxing or karate, and not to isolate yourself in your own style. Secondly, his roles and films inspired many to practice martial arts; by the way, the now popular V. Tsoi adopted facial expressions and movements from Bruce, whose films he madly loved. Thirdly, he cultivated the image, albeit ideal, of a martial artist with a capital M (although the first film with this type was “The Genius of Judo” by A. Kurosawa).

And for many talented stuntmen, filming in Bruce Lee’s films gave them a lucky ticket to a big movie, let’s remember Jackie Chan, who played bit parts for Bruce, Bolo Young and many others.

There are different ways to evaluate the role of Bruce Lee and his qualities as a fighter (which I personally have doubts, with all due respect to the actor), but he played his significant role in the world of martial arts and cinema, and still plays. Sometimes it seems to me that the popularity of this actor is experiencing a kind of renaissance; apparently, his deification has gone so far that from a realistic character, he has turned into a mythical image. Actually, all martial arts live on such myths, because even serious modern masters still believe that the ancient masters were far superior in strength to their frail descendants, breaking bamboo stems with their fingers and killing wild animals with their bare hands.

Bruce Lee is a legend. He burst into the world of cinema, transforming it forever. He defeated the best fighters and showed miracles of body control. Everyone knows him, but Bruce Lee is still a mystery.

American with a female name

Bruce Lee was born on November 27, 1940. Coincidentally, it was the year and hour of the Dragon. It is therefore not surprising that from birth he received the nickname Li Siu Lung, which translates as “little dragon”. This was his so-called "children's name", Bruce Lee's "adult name" - Li Zhenfan.

He had another name. The family preferred to call the boy Sai Fon, which translates as “little miracle.” It was a woman's name; Bruce's parents were sure that by calling the boy that, they would save him, since their first-born boy had previously died in infancy.

The name by which the whole world recognizes Bruce was given to him by a nurse in the maternity hospital. She was sure (and not without reason) that with an English name it would be easier for the boy to get a birth certificate. Bruce Lee thus had American citizenship from childhood. He was not a full-blooded Chinese; his maternal grandfather was half-German.

Dancer fighter

When Bruce was at school, he did not show much zeal for studying. He, as we know, was not a purebred Chinese, and this greatly hindered his ability to establish contact with his peers. Since childhood, Lee had to defend her right to exist. He constantly fought; his parents had to take their son away from police stations more than once.

Bruce had every chance to “rattle”, but he was saved by his Wing Chun classes, which he began to practice under the guidance of the legendary trainer Ip Man. It is characteristic that Ip Man himself was not delighted when Bruce came to study with him. Again, for the reason that Li was not a purebred Chinese. However, Bruce resorted to a trick: at that time he was already quite a professional dancer and made an original proposal to Ip Man: you teach me to fight, I’ll teach you to dance the cha-cha-cha. The teacher accepted the resourceful impudent man, and he soon became his best student.

Bruce mastered kung fu with such speed that one can only envy. A technique that took some years to learn, the talented guy mastered in a few weeks. After some time, Bruce decided to test his skills and immediately won the school boxing championship, knocking out the champion who had held this place for three years.

Actor from birth to death

Bruce Lee, as they say, was destined to link his destiny with an acting career. His father was an actor, Bruce, and was born while his father's troupe was touring in San Francisco. Lee played his first role at an unconscious age, when he was three months old. He played the role of a baby girl in the film "Golden Gate Girl". Then he repeatedly played the role of bully boys in films, which suited him very well. At the age of 6, he played a role in the film "The Origin of Humanity", at the age of 14 - the main role in the film "Orphan".
Bruce Lee played his last role, literally, during his funeral. The actor died when his film “Game of Death” was not yet completed (during Lee’s lifetime, he managed to film only 28 minutes of the running time; the rest of the time he was replaced by a stunt double). The producers managed to squeeze everything out even from Bruce's funeral. The scriptwriters rewrote the script so that the main character, hiding from the mafia, initiates his own death. Footage from Bruce's funeral was inserted into the film, including a close-up of Lee's embalmed face.

Diligence and passion

Bruce was certainly an incredibly gifted martial artist, but without extensive training he would not have been able to achieve such skill. According to the recollections of the actors who worked with Lee, he never stopped training. He trained while watching TV, while walking down the street, while driving a car. Bruce studied all aspects of bodybuilding with great interest and developed training systems for himself.

Over the years of his passion for martial arts, he mastered almost all types of martial arts. After he accepted the challenge of Wong Chek Man at the age of 25 and spent more than 5 minutes on the fight, his approach to the effectiveness of the fight changed. Bruce realized that there was no point in stretching the battle to several minutes if everything could be resolved in a few seconds. There is no point in wasting energy blocking blows if you can prevent them. Then he began to develop his own system - Jeet Kune Do, which translates as “the way of the leading fist.” It must be said that what Lee showed in his films is not at all similar to Jeet Kune Do.
In his training, Bruce Lee, in addition to traditional equipment, also used devices he personally developed. For his school, it was important that the fighter’s movements were honed to the level of a reflex, so Lee’s makiwara often had an anthropomorphic appearance.

Myths and facts

Legends are always invented about personalities of such magnitude as Bruce Lee. What are the versions of his death alone worth? According to one of them, his death was organized by the Chinese Triad. Allegedly, the Chinese mafia took revenge on the actor for teaching Chinese martial arts to Americans. The triad, according to some “experts,” is involved in Li’s departure from China (they say that Li killed a member of this group in a duel). They also say that Lee used drugs, they say that in fact there were several Bruce Lees...

Lee's real achievements are enough to recognize his supernatural abilities. When he started acting in films, the cameras simply couldn’t keep up with him, so Bruce had to film not 24 frames, but 36, and then slow down the film so that the viewer could see the movements. Lee's strike time from a free position was 0.05 seconds, he did push-ups on one finger, held a corner press for half an hour, changed coins in his opponent's hand before he could close his hand, he played tennis with nunchucks and caught grains of rice with chopsticks. .. And this is without any legends.

The birth of the "little dragon"

He was born in San Francisco in 1941, the year of the Dragon according to the eastern calendar, so he was named Li Xiaolong, which means “little dragon.” In 1942, the family returned to their historical homeland - Hong Kong. Bruce Lee endured climate change very hard. As a child, he was generally a rather sickly child.

Being the son of an actor, Bruce Lee made his film debut at the age of three, playing a little girl in the film. Even before reaching adulthood, he starred in more than twenty films.

He got these roles thanks to his special plasticity; he danced the cha-cha-cha perfectly and even then amazed street onlookers with the grace of his movements.

While growing up, thirteen-year-old Bruce often suffers from street punks. His mother enrolls him in the kung fu section, and this finally determines his fate.

Bruce Lee with his family. Photo © Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images

From the age of sixteen he has already been studying with the legendary Ip Man, the patriarch of the Wing Chun style. In the technique of this martial arts, the opponent’s strength is used against him; the fight is fought at a very short distance with the opponent. Bruce Lee's myopia was one of the reasons why he chose Wing Chun.

Having succeeded in martial arts, he becomes a school legend, and then a terror of the streets, gets involved with a criminal gang and soon leads it. One day he beat the son of a boss from a triad - the most influential Chinese group, similar to the Japanese yakuza, and his father, out of harm's way, decided to send Bruce to America.

The path to the American dream

In America he is calmer, but has less room for ambition. The 19-year-old guy first works as a waiter, then enters the Faculty of Philosophy, and practices techniques in the evenings.

He soon realizes that he must devote more time to kung fu, and in general make a living doing what he loves. Having recruited the first students, he trains them right in the park, since there is not enough money to rent the premises. Soon his school becomes popular, and funds become available for expansion.

Bruce trains everyone indiscriminately, which causes discontent among his competitors, who only accepted Asians for classes. One day, kung fu master Won Jack Man comes to him and offers to fight with the following condition: if he wins, Bruce Lee closes his section or stops accepting everyone indiscriminately. However, Bruce wins. But, although he won, he was unhappy because the fight lasted three minutes, which, in his opinion, was too long. This is what prompted him to the idea of ​​​​developing his own style - Jeet Kune Do.

Photo © Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images

In the mid-60s, after starring in several TV series, Bruce gained popularity. Such stars as Roman Polanski, Warren Beatty and Steve McQueen train in its sections. The downside of fame is endless provocations from the press, attacks from the city's crazy people, and pressure from Hollywood bosses who don't give him leading roles or the director's chair.

Return to Hong Kong

Having moved to Hong Kong with his family, Bruce gains creative freedom, since he is a recognized idol in his homeland. After all, it was thanks to him that the Chinese grew from insignificant and curious characters on the screen into real heroes. The films "Fist of Fury" and "Big Boss" are absolute hits, they made Bruce famous and brought money.

He is intensely busy training and writing a new script. However, in the early 70s, by all appearances being a healthy and successful person, Bruce falls into depression. With his wife, Linda Lee, he shares his secret that he has risen to the very top and can go further, but is afraid of falling. He suffers from headaches, from which he finds relief in marijuana.

Bruce Lee with his wife Linda and son Brandon. Photo © Public Domain

Death from overload

Successes and misfortunes in the life of a master alternate with new victories. On the one hand, a contract with Hollywood, filming, the cult of his name, on the other - serious injuries on the set, gossip and scandals. Newspapers wash the actor’s dirty laundry and write about his mistresses. On the set of "Games of Death" he loses consciousness. After a thorough examination, doctors find no pathology and convince the 32-year-old star that he has the body of an 18-year-old boy.

According to relatives, as well as one of his friends, Chuck Norris, Bruce Lee did not know how to relax at all. In the last month of life, several scandals occur. Bruce quarrels with unscrupulous producer Lo Wei, and the press accuses him of using violence.

Photo © Concord Productions Inc. / Golden Harvest Company / Sunset Boulevard / Corbis via Getty Images

Black mark from the Chinese mafia - forbidden strike

According to one version, Bruce Lee was killed by a master hired by the mafia, who had a grudge against the actor. The killer mastered the deadly martial art of dim mak - the so-called delayed strike technique. Those familiar with this technique thoroughly know the location of nerve points on the human body and can control energy flows. The blow is delivered in such a way that after a month, six months or even a year the victim develops cancer or dies of a heart attack.

This version is associated with the fact that a year before the death of Bruce Lee, an incident occurred on the set. A certain person from the crowd kindly offered to help perform one of the stunts. However, when the rehearsal began, he hit Bruce in the head, causing him to briefly lose consciousness. When the actor woke up, there was no trace of the stranger. This version has many adherents - the hero had problems both with the mafia and with other masters. Whatever one may say, it all adds up to a rather dark puzzle.

A spirin or special poison

On July 20, while visiting his friend Betty, Bruce complains of a headache and takes a mixture of aspirin and painkiller called Equagestic that she suggested. Unfortunately, he was not destined to wake up. According to another version, he was poisoned by competitors from the film industry. And there is logic in this: his films took away profits from large film companies and drove small ones out of the market.

Photo © Bruce Lee Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Roger Hutchinson, the author of one of the books about the actor, believes that the family knows something more than is known to the public, but the time has not yet come to reveal the secret. Linda Lee is probably more aware of her husband's health problems.

A year ago, a new version appeared, and it was associated with the removal of Bruce Lee's sweat glands. The actor did not like to sweat, but worked out intensely, and the lack of sweating led to overheating of the body and a colossal load on the heart.

On the day of Bruce Lee's funeral, there was an outbreak of suicides around the world; some fans took a vow of celibacy. Since then, for forty years, new versions of the hero’s death have appeared. No one can believe that the symbol of strength and health died so young.

The curse of the Li family

In 1965, Bruce and Linda Lee had a son, Brandon. The master liked to joke: “This is the only blue-eyed and blond-haired Chinese in Hong Kong.” Brandon followed in his father's footsteps - he became an actor and martial artist. Already at the age of five, he amazed those around him with his excellent physical fitness - he walked on his hands and could reach his father’s shoulders in a jump. Every year the boy became stronger and more technical, following the example of his father even after he was gone.

The film Showdown in Little Tokyo, where Brandon played in a duet with Dolph Lundgren, made him famous in the world of big cinema. All roads were open for him, but 20 years after the death of Bruce Lee, a tragic and absurd accident ends the life of his son.

Still from the film "The Raven" / Kinopoisk

On the set of the film "The Crow", in which Brandon played the main role, in one of the scenes he was supposed to be shot by the antagonist. They forgot to remove the plug from the pistol firing blank cartridges, and when fired, it hit Brandon in the abdominal cavity. A few hours later, the actor died in the hospital from loss of blood. Many associate this event with mysticism, but this does not make it any easier.

If we talk about mystical omens, then two days before the death of Bruce Lee, a glass angel fell from his house, protecting the family nest from the attack of evil spirits. There were rumors that the house Bruce bought in 1972 was cursed. Within a month of moving into this house, all members of the Lee family, including the dog, suffered from colds and other illnesses. Dan Inosanto, a friend of Bruce Lee, said that the master became interested in esotericism, and also entered into a contract with dark forces in order to become a great actor and earn 10 million dollars.

Shortly before his death, Bruce Lee said that even if he were gone now, he was happy with what he managed to do. His achievements are truly amazing: he invented and tested a new martial arts - jeet kune do, starred in 36 films and several TV series, opened several martial arts schools, and achieved phenomenal physical shape for a person.

After Bruce Lee's death, his students remained and opened their own schools. A genre such as Bruceplotation appeared in cinema, where the plots of Bruce Lee’s films were played out and developed, and the doubles who played there took pseudonyms like Lee Bruce. He is a hero of two worlds - Eastern and Western, because no one before him managed to popularize Chinese martial culture and make it part of the Western mainstream. The talent and performance of the 32-year-old fighter is truly unique. Almost half a century has passed, but so far no one has managed to repeat Bruce’s results and achieve such fame.