Bruce Lee was a Chinese American and Hong Kong actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts style. He is considered one of the most influential martial artists of the 20th century and a cultural icon. Bruce Lee portrayed Kato in the 1960s TV series The Green Hornet. Much the popularity of the show, particularly abroad, stemmed from Bruce Lee's portrayal of Kato and, as a result, it was known as "The Kato Show" in some countries.
Early Life[]
Lee was born in San Francisco, California to parents of Hong Kong descent, but raised in Hong Kong until his late teens. Upon reaching the age of 18, Lee emigrated to the United States to claim his U.S. citizenship and receive his higher education. It was during this time that he began teaching martial arts, which soon led to film and television roles.
Career[]
While in the United States from 1959–1964, Lee abandoned thoughts of a film career in favor of pursuing martial arts. However, a 1964 martial arts exhibition in Long Beach, California eventually led to an invitation by William Dozier to audition for a part in the pilot for Number One Son. The pilot failed to get picked up as a TV series, but Lee was invited to play Kato, alongside Van Williams as the title character, in The Green Hornet. The show ran on ABC for a single 26 episode season, from 1966 to 1967. Lee also played Kato in three crossover episodes of Batman. This was followed by guest appearances in three television series: Ironside (1967), Here Come the Brides (1969), and Blondie (1969) as well as leading roles in feature films. His role in Enter the Dragon established him as a box office draw and cultural icon in the United States.
Lee died from a cerebral edema on July 20, 1973, at age of thirty-two.
His son Brandon Lee (born February 1, 1965) also died tragically young, on March 31, 1993, aged twenty-eight. An accident on the set of the movie The Crow (1994), involving a prop revolver loaded with a defective blank cartridge, resulted in his being actually shot and mortally wounded. Brandon Lee's death occurred just four months shy of the twentieth anniversary of his father's passing.