Acting Career

Bruce Lee had an important acting career on both television and in the movies that redefined the martial arts genre. He appeared in productions from Hollywood to Hong Kong. See below for a summary.

Resources:

20th Century Fox Screen Test, February 4. L.A. screen test for a proposed show Charlie Chan’s Number One Son. Bruce Lee talks and demonstrates martial arts. This can be found as a special feature on the excellent documentary, I Am Bruce Lee (TMDB).

Batman, The Spell of Tut; Season 2, Episode 7, aired September 28, played Kato (uncredited). The villian King Tut returns with Egyptian scarabs (IMDB).

The Green Hornet Season 1, Episodes 1 – 26, aired September 9, 1966 – March 24, 1967. A series where Bruce Lee plays a newspaper publisher’s valet and crime fighting sidekick. Bruce Lee gained much attention with his realistic martial arts (IMDB).

Marlowe, 1969, played Winslow Wong. Marlowe is a private detective in L.A. hired to find a missing brother. Bruce Lee has a small part playing a criminal martial artist. 1h 36m (IMDB).

Longstreet, The Way of the Intercepting Fist, Season 1, Episode 1, aired September 16, played Li Tsung. Bruce Lee teaches the blind Mike Longstreet to defend himself. The first of four episodes on Longstreet. Bruce Lee received much positive attention and made important statements about his martial arts philosophy. 48m (IMDB).

The Big Boss, 1971, played Cheng Chao-an. Bruce Lee plays a non-violent man who works in an ice factory. His family members start to disappear. First breakout movie. 1 h 39m (IMDB).

Fist of Fury, played Chen Zhen. Bruce Lee plays a Chinese martial artist who fights the Japanese occupation of China. Second major martial arts movie by Bruce Lee. 1h 47m (IMDB).

The Way of the Dragon, played Tang Lung. Bruce Lee visits Italy and defends a restaurant against criminals. Third major martial arts movie. Iconic fight scene at the end of the movie between Bruce Lee and karate champ Chuck Norris. 1h 30m (IMDB).

Game of Death, played Hai Tien. Bruce Lee is a martial artist that must fight his way to the top of a Dojo to find an unknown treasure at the top. Unfinished but filmed approximately 2 hours of raw footage including multiple takes of the same scenes. Movie was put on hold to film Enter the Dragon but was never completed due to Lee’s death. In 1978 a film called Game of Death was released which only used 11 minutes of original footage. In 1990 A Warrior’s Journeydocumentary used approximately 30 minutes to make a cut of the film. In 2019 Game of Death Redux was released which used approximately 30 minutes. In 2023, Final Game of Death was released which includes all 2 hours of raw footage and a 30 minutes special cut of the film.

Enter the Dragon. Bruce Lee plays a martial artist who competes in a tournament on a criminal’s island. This movie made Bruce Lee a world superstar. Unfortunately, it was released after Bruce Lee’s death. 1h 42m (IMDB).

Music by StudioKolomna from Pixabay.