Bruce Lee was one of the most recognizable and talented actors of his time. The martial artist set the stage for predecessors like Jackie Chan to follow in his footsteps. However, despite the fact that Lee spent a considerable amount of time in the spotlight and under the scrutiny of the public eye, there are still some things that many people don’t know. With that in mind, here we present our list of 15 things you probably didn’t know about Bruce Lee. Check out part one below, and stay tuned for part two, coming soon!
Number Fifteen: He Came to America to Escape Certain Death. Lee was very young when he defeated an opponent who was connected to organized crime. Because of his victory, there was a hit out on him, and he had to escape. His parents sent him to America with just $100 in his pocket.
Number Fourteen: He Instructed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Steve McQueen. It’s true! McQueen was even a pallbearer at Bruce Lee’s funeral. Other pallbearers included James Coburn, Chuck Norris, and George Lazenby.
Number Thirteen: He Learned Martial Arts as a Practical Defense. Lee’s parents encouraged him to learn martial arts after he continued to get involved in street fights. This turned out to be a good life move for him.
Number Twelve: He Trained With a Legendary Kung Fu Grandmaster. When Lee was just 16 years old, he trained with Yip Man, who was one of the most legendary kung fu grandmasters. Lee may have become the best, but that’s in part thanks to the fact that he learned from the best.
Number Eleven: His Ancestry Caused Him Trouble. When Lee began training in martial arts, other kids refused to train around him when they learned his ancestry wasn’t 100 percent Chinese. Despite this, Lee received instruction from many talented masters, including Yip Man (mentioned above).
Number Ten: He Was Very Tricky. Lee may as well have been the next David Blain because the things he could do without people noticing were as close to magic as humanly possible. Thanks to his skills in martial arts, Lee was capable of removing a coin from a person’s hand as he or she closed their hand and then putting a new coin in their hand.
Number Nine: He Trained Hard. Though Lee studied martial arts, he wasn’t convinced that that was enough training. He lifted weights and ran to supplement his martial arts training. Stay tuned for part two of our list of 15 things you didn’t know about Bruce Lee, coming soon!