Bruce Lee

While studying at the University of Washington, he met Linda Emery, with whom he tied the knot in August 1964. The couple was blessed with two children, Brandon Lee and Shannon Lee.

On May 10, 1973, he collapsed suddenly, while dubbing for ‘Enter the Dragon’ after suffering from seizures and headaches. Immediately, he was rushed to Hong Kong Baptist Hospital, where he was diagnosed with cerebral edema. He recovered from the first collapse.

On July 20, 1973, scheduled to meet James Bond star, George Lazenby, he got ready and arranged a meeting with Raymond Chow and Betty Ting Pei at the latter’s residence to discuss the script of ‘Games of Death’ which he intended to make with Lazenby. He complained of headache and therefore had analgesic. He lay down to take a nap little knowing that it would be his last nap.

Bruce Lee was born to Lee Hoi-chuen and Grace Ho in San Francisco's Chinatown. When he was three months old, his family relocated to Hong Kong. He had four siblings

Despite being raised in an affluent family, he was involved in a lot of street fights and gang rivalries which urged the need to be trained in martial arts. His first tutor was his father, under whom he learned the basics.

By the age of 13, he started his Wing Chun training under Yip Man. His mixed ancestry led him to learn the art of Wing Chun privately from Yip Man and Wong Shun Leung.

Academically, he received his preliminary education from La Salle College, but poor marks resulted in his being transferred to St. Francis Xavier's College.

His continuous involvement in street fight led to his relocation to San Francisco in 1959, as his parents were deeply disturbed by his violent behaviour and wanted him to leave Hong Kong to pursue a safer and healthier avenue.

Much before he learned to utter monosyllabic words as a baby, his career had kick-started, owing to the film-background of his father, who was a Cantonese opera star. He was only three months old when he starred in his first film, ‘Golden Gate Girl’.

Ever since his launch into the world of showbiz, his early years of life were eventful. A born actor (quite literally as well), his acting skills polished with every film. By the time he turned 18, he was 20 films old.

From 1959 until 1964, he gave up his acting career to pursue a vocation in martial arts. He started off as a teacher of Kung Fu. With time, he opened his own martial arts school, Lee Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute, in Seattle.

In 1964, he dropped out of college to join James Lee, a famous martial arts instructor on Oakland. Together, the two opened a second institute, Jun Fan Martial Art Studio in the city.

He participated in the 1964 Long Beach International Karate Championships, which popularized him for his ‘two-finger push-ups’ and ‘one inch punch’. It was there that he met Taekwondo master Jhoon Goo Rhee, a friendship that formed instantly and benefitted both artists. He performed in the 1967 event as well.

An iconic martial arts performer, he performed in a number of television shows and films. However, the film that gained the most limelight and made him a ‘hero’ in the West as well was the Golden Harvest and Warner Bros production, ‘Enter the Dragon’. The film grossed about $200 million worldwide.