Bruce Lee born November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Hong Kong and Americanmartial artist, actor and philosopher. He was the founder ofJeet Kune Do, ahybrid martial artsphilosophy drawing from different combat disciplines that is often credited with paving the way for modernmixed martial arts(MMA). Lee is considered by critics, media, and other martial artists to be the most influential martial artist of all time and apop culture iconof the 20th century, who bridged the gap betweenEastandWest. He is credited with promotingHong Kong action cinemaand helping to change the way Asians were presented in American films. Born in San Francisco and raised in British Hong Kong, Lee was introduced to the Hong Kong film industry as a child actor by his father. However, these were not martial arts films.
His early martial arts experience included Wing Chun (trained under Yip Man), tai chi, boxing (winning a Hong Kong boxing tournament), and apparently frequent street fighting (neighbourhood and rooftop fights). In 1959, Lee, having U.S. citizenship due to his birth, was able to move to Seattle. In 1961, he enrolled in the University of Washington. It was during this time in the United States that he began considering making money by teaching martial arts, even though he aspired to have a career in acting. He opened his first martial arts school, operated out of home in Seattle. After later adding a second school in Oakland, California, he once drew significant attention at the 1964 Long Beach International Karate Championships of California by making demonstrations and speaking.
