Happy birthday Bruce Lee: 7 things about the martial arts icon you may not know, from his love of samurai films to wanting more comic scenes
- Born on November 27, 1940, the martial arts icon, while super serious about his acting, had wanted to add more comedy to his films – and shoot period movies
- And while he preferred to do his own fight choreography, Lee got on well with a young Sammo Hung, then a stuntman, on Enter the Dragon and The Game of Death
To celebrate what would have been Bruce Lee’s 82nd birthday on November 27, here are a few things you might not know about the man, the myth and the legend.
1. He planned to make more period films
According to Carl Fox, author of The KFM Bruce Lee Society, Lee thought about making more films set in the past while filming Fist of Fury.
“Lee was planning to make several period films at some point and did some costumed photo shoots on the Fist of Fury set,” Fox says.
“These photos show Lee wearing a wig with his hair in a bun. He’s wearing brown fur garments in some photos, some blue and white uniforms in others. Several types of weapons, such as axes and swords, also feature in the photos.
“The photo shoot occurred in the alleyway outside the Jingwu School in Fist of Fury, where the translator Mr Wu is found hanging from a lamp post. You know where [the photos] were taken, as the same brick wall in the background is visible in the film.”
2. Japanese record labels paired him with a disco hit
