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Jaden Harden

Ms. Bufford

English 3

4 May 2017

Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee is a famous actor and fighter from Hong Kong.He was born on November 27,

1940, in Chinatown, San Francisco, California. His parents names were Lee Hoi-chuen and

Grace Ho. When he was a teenager he was in a gang with his friends. He thought it would be a

good idea to learn how to fight incase someone tries to kill him. Bruce Lee is a man that came

from nothing in Hong Kong and immigrated to the U.S to become a successful Actor and a

really good fighter that inspires people today. (Bruce Lee." Encyclopedia of World Biography)

In Bruce Lees early life when he was a teenager, he became involved in two seemingly

contradictory activities: gang warfare and dance. As a dancer he won a cha-cha championship,

and as a gang member he risked death on the streets of Hong Kong. Out of fear that he might

be caught at some point without his gang, helpless before a group of rivals, Lee began to study

the Chinese martial arts of Kung Fu. This is how Bruce Lee first started fighting and getting

interested in it becauses he didn't want to get hurt in the gangs. (Bruce Lee." Encyclopedia of

World Biography)
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After he learned and mastered kung fu he found a new style that attracted his attention and was

called wing chun, which according to legend was developed by a woman named Yim Wing

Chun, who improved on the techniques of a Shaolin Buddhist nun. While there, he taught kung

fu to other students and wrote an undergraduate thesis on his own fighting style of Jeet Kune

Do. He then opened three new schools in California for kids to learn more about this fighting

style.

While Bruce was in College at the University of Washington, he began to take an interest

in acting so in 1966 he did a screenplay for The Green Hornet which was the start of his acting

career. The show was based on a 1930s radio program, and Lee played the role of the Hornet's

Asian assistant, Kato Lee made guest appearances on TV shows such as Longstreet and

Ironside. His most notable role during this time was in the film Marlowe (1969) with James

Garner, when he played a memorable part as a high-kicking villain. Clearly Lee had the qualities

of a star unfortunately his luck ran out.( "John, How Bruce Lee Changed the World, 2009." )

On July 20, 1973, after complaining of a headache, Lee took a dose of the painkiller Equagesic,

lay down in bed, and lost consciousness. When he could not be revived, Lee was rushed to the

hospital, where he was pronounced dead. its kind of shocking to think that Lee only lived to be

32 years old when he died in 1973, yet is still such an iconic figure today(.Cabrera, Manuel V., Jr.

"Lee, Bruce (19401973)."

Even though Bruce Lee died his legacy still lives on. He inspired thousands of people around

the world with his determined ability to leave his gang violence behind him and focus on

becoming successful in his life.This work is noteworthy because he impacted people all around

the world about fighting and acting. He also showed how kids can move across the seas and
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still become successful. He also shows that you do do whatever you want to do if you believe in

yourself.
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Works Cited

Bruce Lee." Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed., vol. 18, Gale, 2004, pp. 247-249. Gale
Virtual Reference Library,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GVRL&sw=w&u=j043905008&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CCX3404707209
&it=r&asid=525d17cdf6f766b24a06dc4c87483e48. Accessed 2 May 2017.

"John, How Bruce Lee Changed the World, 2009." Voices of the Asian American and Pacific
Islander Experience, edited by Sang Chi and Emily Moberg Robinson, vol. 1, Greenwood,
2012, pp. 206-207. Gale Virtual Reference Library,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GVRL&sw=w&u=j043905008&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CCX2730900086
&it=r&asid=71da41a7b4e080d2925939fd48e746dc. Accessed 2 May 2017.

Cabrera, Manuel V., Jr. "Lee, Bruce (19401973)." St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture,
edited by Thomas Riggs, 2nd ed., vol. 3, St. James Press, 2013, pp. 272-274. Gale Virtual
Reference Library,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GVRL&sw=w&u=j043905008&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CCX2735801584
&it=r&asid=898dc67c901cf9c00db3ec8ac11f4fa2. Accessed 2 May 2017.