Bruce Lee ‘genuinely cared’ about people around him and was generous too, says daughter Shannon Lee

Bruce Lee’s philosophy and his incredible martial arts are well documented, but what was Hong Kong’s most famous son like as a person?

We all know Bruce Lee had a larger-than-life personality and his dynamic charisma complemented his unbelievable athleticism and breathtaking martial arts skills.

But how about his character to those closest to him?

Daughter Shannon Lee only knew her father for four years before his untimely death on July 20, 1973 but the executive producer of the HBO TV series, Warrior, had a few anecdotes about the late kung fu superstar that might surprise some of his most ardent fans.

Shannon heard stories about her father from his most loyal students; people who were closest among his innermost circle of friends and they portrayed Bruce Lee as a kind and caring man who helped his friends out whenever they were in need.

Speaking to reporters by teleconference recently, the 50-year-old Shannon Lee talked about her father’s philosophy, charisma and legacy that made him the most fascinating of all martial artists while giving a rare insight on what the man was really like.

“I was studying jeet kune do with my father’s friend, Ted Wong. He was one of my siu fus and I remember asking him about my father that some people might not know. He said, ‘Your father really cared about people and he really always wanted to help out people and really genuinely connect with people’.

“He said, ‘Your dad one time he was asking me why I didn’t have a girlfriend, and I was saying, oh I was shy and I don’t look so good and all that. He [Bruce] said come on, he bought me some clothes and got me a haircut and he helped me work out and get in shape’.

“He was interested in people and wanted to help them be the best they could.”

Shannon Lee said her father always remembered his friends and was there for them until the end.

“He was generous. Like my father’s good friend and assistant in Oakland, James [Yimm] Lee. When he was diagnosed with cancer my father finished his book project [Wing Chun Kung Fu] and got it published so that he could have the proceeds from that for his medical bills and things.”

James Lee died from lung cancer caused by welding fumes – he was a welder by profession – only seven months before Bruce Lee’s death.

“Even though my father didn’t always have a lot of resources himself, especially earlier in life, he genuinely cared about the people around him and he wanted to help them. I think that’s something a lot of people don’t know,” Shannon said.

“I also think a lot of people didn’t realise how hard he worked. He worked really, really hard. When you go into the archives [California] you can see all of his writings and all the books he read and all the appointments, workouts and things he was doing, he didn’t waste time.

“He lived life to the fullest and it looked like an output of a man who was like 80 years old but only lived to be 32 and that’s because he was so alive and so engaged in creating the life he wanted to live.”

Shannon is working on Warrior, alongside The Fast & Furious director Justin Lin, who is also the creator of Warrior. The action-packed drama is set against the backdrop of the brutal Tong Wars of San Francisco’s Chinatown in the second half of the 19th century and centres around Ah Sahm (Andrew Koji) a Chinese immigrant martial arts prodigy, who is looking for his sister.

The series is one of the many ways to honour her father’s legacy, Shannon said. A second season of the hit series, which is based on the writings of Bruce Lee, has been confirmed by Cinemax.

Warrior is now available on HBO Go. New episodes of season one premiere every Saturday at 10am on HBO Go and Cinemax