Bruce Lee, Steve McQueen, and the hairdresser killed by Manson Family who introduced the pair
Martial arts legend owed his entrée to Hollywood, and his celebrity kung fu students, in part to hairstylist-to-the-stars Jay Sebring, who paid a fateful visit to his ex-girlfriend Sharon Tate on the night of the infamous Manson murders
In a special series commemorating the 45th anniversary of Bruce Lee’s death on July 20, 1973, we aim to set the facts straight – as well as exploring some little known trivia – about the life of the martial arts legend.
Hollywood hairdresser Jay Sebring was not only a close friend of Bruce Lee, he was instrumental in his success as an actor and a kung fu teacher.
Lee’s aim before he started working in television in the United States was to open a chain of kung fu schools across America – he had no plans to restart his acting career in the West.
In 1964, Lee gave an exhibition of kung fu at the Long Beach International Karate Championships. Sebring, who studied karate under famed martial arts teacher Ed Parker, saw the demonstration, which was also filmed.
Sebring cut the hair of many Hollywood actors and producers – Steve McQueen, among them – and was a source of gossip and casual information for the film industry. While trimming the hair of producer William Dozier, Sebring learned that he was looking for someone to play the lead in Number One Son, a projected television series about fictional Chinese detective Charlie Chan’s son.