You may think Bruce Lee was a wealthy celebrity and had no trouble finding a job, but this was not always the case. When The Green Hornet was cancelled Bruce Lee was unsure of his future in acting. He was worried that he would not be able to pay the bills to support his young family.
Bruce asked his friend and Green Hornet assistant Charlie Fitzsimons to meet him for lunch at Clifton’s Cafeteria to talk about his future. He wanted Charlie’s advice on his acting career.
Bruce explained that he was unsure if he should continue looking for acting jobs. The Green Hornet tv series did not pay him much ($450 week at the start and $750 week at the end) and he had very little savings. Bruce had to support his wife and young son Brandon as well as pay for their home in Culver City (Words, page 96, 102).
Charlie responded by saying that there wasn’t a demand for Asian actors, but Bruce had an “exceptional personality” and “magnetic energy. He told Bruce to continue pursing an acting career.
Bruce wanted to know how he could pay the bills while looking for acting roles. Charlie suggested that he teach martial arts on the side to pay the bills. Bruce didn’t think this could work because he didn’t have money to pay for a studio or equipment. Charlie said he could solve this problem by teaching at the homes of his private students.
But where would Bruce find these private clients? Charlie suggested that he pass out business cards. He sketched out an example:
Front:
Bruce Lee Master of Martial Arts
“Professional Consultation – $1,000”
Back:
“Private lessons, in the privacy of your own home.”
Bruce responded that Charlie was out of his mind. No one would pay that amount of money for private lessons. Charlie said that many “middle aged macho” male actors would pay for this because they wanted to be more like the younger generation.
Charlie suggested that Bruce give a stack of business cards to his friend Jay Sebring, who was a hairdresser to many Hollywood male actors. He should put a P.O. Box from Beverly Hills.
This idea worked so well that Bruce had many private wealthy clients such as Roman Polanski (Words, page 102), James Colburn, and Steve McQueen. He would charge $150 per hour or $500 for 10 lessons. Bruce was able to support his family and moved out of his modest Culver City home and into a “palatial” home on Mulholland Drive (Words, page 93)
Resources:
Words of the Dragon: Interviews, 1958-1973, John Little, Editor, Tuttle Publishing, 1997, 2017. Volume 1 of the Bruce Lee Library, commissioned by the Bruce Lee Estate. Interview transcripts of Bruce Lee on a variety of topics including philosophy, martial arts, and his personal life. Put together by John Little, Bruce Lee historian.
AI Narration provided by elevenlabs.io. Bruce Lee quotes read by AI voice over.
Leave a Reply