You will witness Lee at his most creative, as he begins to unveil plans to develop his own unique and revolutionary martial art system, sowing the seeds of what would become his martial masterpiece of human freedom and personal expression, jeet kune do.
You will also be by his side as success begins to beckon, when, in the mid-1960s, he is given the role of Kato in the short-lived “Green Hornet” TV series. You will also learn of his dignity and grace under pressure, when this TV series was canceled and Hollywood virtually turned its back on this passionate young man of destiny. You will not see him wallowing in self-pity, but instead keeping busy trying to cheer up his friends, such as tae kwon do master Jhoon Rhee, and students such as Larry Hartsell.
You will also be privy to highly personal correspondence between Bruce and his wife, Linda, throughout the most challenging periods in his life. You will witness the pain of his separation from his family, his love for and soul-deep pride in his children, his delight in finally being able to provide for his family’s future, his disillusionment with the “jet set” of the late 1960s, and his feelings, friendships, and experiences with celebrities such as Roman Polanski, James Coburn, and Steve McQueen.
Perhaps above all, you will see firsthand how his dedication to quality and self-improvement resulted in his first appearance in a leading role, instantly establishing him as the most exciting film actor of his era, and how the heads of Western studios, who only months before had condemned him as “unbankable” in North America, were now flying across the Pacific Ocean to persuade him to star in their North American feature films.
You will also experience Bruce Lee in his pensive, quiet, and reflective moments. Writing letters to friends and business associates, he soulfully expresses his wish that humans act humanely, that they be “real,” “honest,” and “genuine” in their dealings with other human beings.
And, sadly, you will share his last thoughts and hopes, written in what would prove to be his final letter—a letter that is both tragic in its unfulfillment and ironic in its promise—which he wrote to his friend and attorney, Adrian Marshall, only hours before his death.
These are the letters of a great man who accomplished many great things and made a difference in this world. They prove that Bruce Lee made full use of the thirty-two years of life that destiny granted him. They are presented in chronological order in hope that they may both move and enlighten you in a manner befitting the way he moved and enlightened all who were fortunate enough to know him.
These letters reveal that his life epitomized the noble ethos of refusing to accept anything less than his personal best. His life embodied a personal philosophy of daily improvement, of cultivated greatness, of decency, of the recognition of the value of interpersonal relationships, of overcoming adversity, and of the glorious triumph of the human spirit. Finally, Bruce Lee’s letters reflect a life dedicated to the ideals of “love, peace, and brotherhood,” which—fittingly—happens to be the heartfelt phrase with which he so often concluded his letters.
—John Little
A CHRONOLOGY OF BRUCE LEE’S LIFE
| November 27, 1940 | Bruce “Jun Fan” Lee born in the “hour of the dragon” (between 6:00 AM and 8:00 AM) in the “year of the dragon.” |
| February 1941 | Appears in his first film. He is three months old. |
| 1946 | In Hong Kong, Bruce Lee begins to film the first of what will total twenty Cantonese-language films before the age of eighteen. |
| 1952 | Enters Hong Kong’s La Salle College, a Catholic boys’ school. |
| 1953 | Begins to study gung fu under Yip Man, the venerated grandmaster of the Wing Chun system. |
| 1958 | Wins Hong Kong’s Crown Colony Cha-Cha Championship. |
| March 29, 1958 | Enters St. Francis Xavier High School. |
| April 29, 1959 | Departs Hong Kong for America. |
| May 17, 1959 | Arrives in San Francisco. |
| September 3, 1959 | Arrives in Seattle, Washington. Enters Edison Technical School, beginning in fall quarter. |
| December 2, 1960 | Graduates from Edison Technical School. |
| May 27, 1961 | Enters the University of Washington, beginning in spring quarter. |
| March 26, 1963 | Returns to Hong Kong to visit his family for the first time in four years. |
| August 1963 | Returns to Seattle. Leaves the University of Washington after spring quarter 1964. |
| July 19, 1964 | Establishes a gung fu institute in Oakland, California. |
| August 2, 1964 | Performs at the International Karate Tournament in Long Beach, California. |
| August 3, 1964 | Begins gung fu instruction in Oakland. |
| August 17, 1964 | Marries Linda Emery in Seattle. |
| February 1, 1965 | Bruce and Linda’s son, Brandon Bruce Lee, is born in Oakland on Chinese New Year’s Eve, the “year of the dragon.” |
| February 8, 1965 | Bruce Lee’s father, Lee Hoi Chuen, passes away in Hong Kong. |
| March 1966 | The Lee family moves to Los Angeles, California. |
| June 6, 1966 | Shooting of “The Green Hornet” TV series begins. |
| February 5, 1967 | Officially opens the Los Angeles chapter of the Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute. |
| May 6, 1967 | Performs at National Karate Championships in Washington, D.C. |
| June 24, 1967 | Appears at All-American Open Karate Championship, Madison Square Garden, New York City. |
| July 1967 | Names his way of martial art jeet kune do. |
| July 14, 1967 | Hired to appear in episode of “Ironside” TV series, shot in Los Angeles. |
| July 30, 1967 | Performs at the Long Beach International Karate Tournament. |
| June 23, 1968 | Attends National Karate Championships in Washington, D.C. |
| July 5, 1968 | Hired as the technical director for the movie The Wrecking Crew. |
| August 1, 1968 | Hired to play a bad guy in MGM movie Little Sister (later renamed Marlowe). |
| October 1, 1968 | Moves to Bel Air, Los Angeles. |
| November 12, 1968 | Films episode of “Blondie,” a Universal TV series. |
| April 19, 1969 | Birth of Bruce and Linda’s daughter, Shannon Emery Lee, in Santa Monica, California. |
| 1970 | Returns to Hong Kong with Brandon to visit his family. |
| 1970-71 | Works with actor James Coburn and screenwriter Stirling Silliphant on screenplay about the philosophy of martial art. Movie is to be entitled The Silent Flute. |
| 1971 | Begins to collaborate with Warner Brothers on developing TV series, “The Warrior” (later renamed “Kung Fu”). |
| June 27, 1971 | Films premiere episode of “Longstreet” TV series for Paramount. |
| July 1971 | Goes to Thailand to film The Big Boss (Fists of Fury in North America) for Golden Harvest Studios. Movie breaks all previous box office records in Hong Kong. |
| December 7, 1971 | In Hong Kong, receives official word he will not star in “The Warrior”; role has been given to American Caucasian actor David Carradine. |
| 1972 | • In Hong Kong, films second film for Golden Harvest, Fist of Fury (The Chinese Connection in North America), which breaks records set by his previous film, The Big Boss.• Forms his own Hong Kong production company, Concord, and makes directorial debut in The Way of the Dragon (Return of the Dragon in North America); again, shatters all previous Hong Kong box office records. |
| October-November 1972 | In Hong Kong, begins preliminary filming of fight sequences for next film, The Game of Death. |
| February 1973 | Interrupts filming of The Game of Death to make feature film, Enter the Dragon, in Hong Kong for Warner Brothers. |
| July 20, 1973 | Bruce Lee passes away in Hong Kong, his death the result of a cerebral edema caused by hypersensitivity to a prescription medication. |
| July 31, 1973 | Bruce Lee is laid to rest in Lakeview Cemetery, Seattle. His pallbearers are friends and students Steve McQueen, James Coburn, Dan Inosanto, Peter Chin, Taky Kimura, and his younger brother, Robert Lee. |
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