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Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee in 1971
Background information
Chinese name (traditional)
Chinese name (simplified)
PinyinLǐ Xiǎolóng (Mandarin)
JyutpingLei Siu Long (Cantonese)
Birth nameLee Jun-fan
(Traditional)
(Simplified)
Lǐ Zhènfān (Mandarin)
Lei Zan Faan (Cantonese)
OriginHong Kong
BornNovember 27, 1940
Chinatown, San Francisco, California, U.S.
DiedJuly 20, 1973 (aged 32)
Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong
Resting placeLakeview Cemetery
Occupation
  • Martial artist
  • philosopher
  • actor
  • director
  • screenwriter
  • producer
Years active1950–1973
Spouse(s)Linda Emery
(m. 1964; his death 1973)
ChildrenBrandon Lee (1965–93)
Shannon Lee (born 1969)
ParentsLee Hoi-chuen (1901–65)
Grace Ho (1907–96)
AncestryShunde, Guangdong, China
Alma materUniversity of Washington
WebsiteBruce Lee Foundation
Bruce Lee official website
Awards[hide]

However, the cobbled-together film contained only fifteen minutes of actual footage of Lee (he had printed many unsuccessful takes)[67] while the rest had a Lee look-alike, Kim Tai Chung, and Yuen Biao as stunt double. The unused footage Lee had filmed was recovered 22 years later and included in the documentary Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey.[68]

Bruce Lee's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Apart from Game of Death, other future film projects were planned to feature Lee at the time. In 1972, after the success of The Big Boss and Fist of Fury, a third film was planned by Raymond Chow at Golden Harvest to be directed by Lo Wei, titled Yellow-Faced Tiger. However, at the time, Lee decided to direct and produce his own script for Way of the Dragon instead. Although Lee had formed a production company with Raymond Chow, a period film was also planned from September–November 1973 with the competing Shaw Brothers Studio, to be directed by either Chor Yuen or Cheng Kang, and written by Yi Kang and Chang Cheh, titled The Seven Sons of the Jade Dragon.[69] Lee had also worked on several scripts himself. A tape containing a recording of Lee narrating the basic storyline to a film tentatively titled Southern Fist/Northern Leg exists, showing some similarities with the canned script for The Silent Flute (Circle of Iron).[70] Another script had the title Green Bamboo Warrior, set in San Francisco, planned to co-star Bolo Yeung and to be produced by Andrew Vajna who later went on to produce First Blood.[61] Photo shoot costume tests were also organized for some of these planned film projects.

Artistry

In 1971, Lee appeared in four episodes of the television series Longstreet, written by Silliphant. Lee played the martial arts instructor of the title character Mike Longstreet (played by James Franciscus), and important aspects of his martial arts philosophy were written into the script.

Publicity photo of Williams and Lee for The Green Hornet.

According to statements made by Lee, and also by Linda Lee Cadwell after Lee's death, in 1971 Lee pitched a television series of his own tentatively titled The Warrior, discussions which were also confirmed by Warner Bros. In a December 9, 1971 television interview on The Pierre Berton Show, Lee stated that both Paramount and Warner Brothers wanted him "to be in a modernized type of a thing, and that they think the Western idea is out, whereas I want to do the Western". According to Cadwell, however, Lee's concept was retooled and renamed Kung Fu, but Warner Bros. gave Lee no credit. Warner Brothers states that they had for some time been developing an identical concept, created by two writers and producers, Ed Spielman and Howard Friedlander. According to these sources, the reason Lee was not cast was in part because of his ethnicity, but more so because he had a thick accent. The role of the Shaolin monk in the Wild West, was eventually awarded to then-non-martial-artist David Carradine. In The Pierre Berton Show interview, Lee stated he understood Warner Brothers' attitudes towards casting in the series: "They think that business wise it is a risk. I don't blame them. If the situation were reversed, and an American star were to come to Hong Kong, and I was the man with the money, I would have my own concerns as to whether the acceptance would be there".