History Creator / BruceLee

* SuperSpeed: Light and lean, this was Lee's specialty. His super fast moves are often used to full effect in his fight scenes. Popular legend claims that his fastest moves are somehow ''invisible to the naked eye.''

* InsufferableGenius: He knew full well how badass he was and would sometimes attack friends randomly with grappling moves just to prove they couldn't get out of it. And even before he became famous he was known to throw temper tantrums when people had differing opinions on what to do. But when everyone got behind his vision that is what ended up as ''EnterTheDragon''.
** There are plenty of anecdotes about his ego, the most well known being the one about ''Franchise/{{The Green Hornet}}''[=/=]''[[{{Series/Batman}} Batman]]'' crossover; Bruce apparently flew off the handle at the revelation that Robin was supposed to beat Kato and threatened to beat the actor to within an inch of his life if the script wasn't changed. Supposedly, Bruce even chased Robin's actor Burt Ward around the set until someone made a joke about "the black panther and the yellow canary," after which everyone broke down laughing.

Died tragically young at the age of 32, due to a brain aneurysm from mixing the wrong medications for a headache [[hottip:*:It's a fairly simplified version of what happened. He was diagnosed with hypertension with brain swelling following the shooting of ''EnterTheDragon''. A few weeks later while visiting a friend he started to get a headache and the friend gave him an over-the-counter pain killer. Said medication conflicted horribly with his prescription medication for his prior medical issues and he was pronounced dead at the hospital]]. His death sparked urban legends about his "true" cause of death, ranging from suicide to being a target of the [[TheTriadsAndTheTongs Triads]]. And like with Elvis Presley, there are those who still believe he never died [[ElvisLives and faked his own death]].

Died tragically young at the age of 32, due to a brain aneurysm from mixing the wrong medications for a headache. His death sparked urban legends about his "true" cause of death, ranging from suicide to being a target of the [[TheTriadsAndTheTongs Triads]]. And like with Elvis Presley, there are those who still believe he never died [[ElvisLives and faked his own death]].

* ''TowerOfDeath'', AKA ''Game Of Death II'' (sorta.)

* {{Jerkass}}: There are plenty of anecdotes about his ego, the most well known being the one about ''Franchise/{{The Green Hornet}}''[=/=]''[[{{Series/Batman}} Batman]]'' crossover; Bruce apparently flew off the handle at the revelation that Robin was supposed to beat Kato and threatened to beat the actor to within an inch of his life if the script wasn't changed. Supposedly, Bruce even chased Robin's actor Burt Ward around the set until someone made a joke about "the black panther and the yellow canary," after which everyone broke down laughing.

* {{Jerkass}}: There are plenty of anecdotes about his ego, the most well known being the one about ''Franchise/{{The Green Hornet}}''[=/=]''[[{{Series/Batman}} Batman]]'' crossover; Bruce apparently flew off the handle at the revelation that Robin was supposed to beat Kato and threatened to beat the actor to within an inch of his life if the script wasn't changed. Supposedly Bruce even chased Robin's actor Burt Ward around the set until someone made a joke about "the black panther and the yellow canary," after which everyone broke down laughing.

* RealMenWearPink: According to his wife Bruce loved soap operas, especially ''GeneralHospital''.

Born in SanFrancisco on 27th November 1940 (in a Year of the Dragon, appropriately), his time growing up was split between Hong Kong and America, specifically Los Angeles and UsefulNotes/{{Seattle}}. This resulted in having a strong command of English that helped distance himself from the stereotype of the halted Asian accent. His first real break was playing Kato in ''TheGreenHornet''. Very much the BreakoutCharacter and being far more proactive than the main character, in Asia it was renamed ''The Kato Show''. He proceeded to gain a strong fanbase for Asian MartialArtsMovie films until he was made an international star with the (internationally-produced) legendary film ''EnterTheDragon.'' Time Magazine named him a person of the 20th Century as the shining example of personal improvement through physical fitness while he is universally recognized as one of the ultimate film star tough guys.

* Kato in ''TheGreenHornet''

* {{Jerkass}}: There are plenty of anecdotes about his ego, the most well known being the one about the ''{{Green Hornet}}''[=/=]''[[{{Series/Batman}} Batman]]'' crossover; Bruce apparently flew off the handle at the revelation that Robin was supposed to beat Kato and threatened to beat the actor to within an inch of his life if the script wasn't changed. Supposedly Bruce even chased Robin's actor Burt Ward around the set until someone made a joke about "the black panther and the yellow canary," after which everyone broke down laughing.

* OlderThanTheyThink: Bruce's career. Bruce starred in numerous Hong Kong films as a child and a teen, although none of them were in the martial arts genre. Some of them do allow him to show off his mad cha-cha skills, though.

* BadAss: Both on screen and off. He was basically a real-life Asian version of ''{{Batman}}''.

* CharlesAtlasSuperpower: He was one of the fastest men in the world, so fast that camera speed in his films had to be slowed down for certain stunts.

* HeCleansUpNicely: Ever seen him in a suit and tie, all groomed up? No? Then, [[http://supercoolitude.fr/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/bruce-lee%20%2811%29.jpg just see]]. Bruce was pretty famous for being a stylish fellow. A number of years ago, Japanese toy company Medicom released an entire line of Bruce Lee 12" dolls based on the various stylish attires he wore.
** Another example, Bruce's [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtfBaLEo2qY only English role where martial arts wasn't involved]] (an episode of ''HereComeTheBrides'' called "Marriage Chinese Style"). Likewise, his only turn as an antagonist when he played Winslow Wong in ''Marlowe'' in two different but just as stylish suits.

* {{Jerkass}}: There are plenty of anecdotes about his ego, the most well known being the one about the ''{{Green Hornet}}''[=/=]''[[{{Series/Batman}} Batman]]'' crossover; Bruce apparently flew off the handle at the revelation that Robin was supposed to beat Kato and threatened to beat the actor to within an inch of his life if the script wasn't changed. The director, mysteriously enough, complied.
** The anecdote ended up concluding with Bruce chasing Robin's actor around the set until someone made a joke about "the black panther and the yellow canary," after which everyone broke down laughing.

* PapaWolf: A man broke into his house to [[TooDumbtoLive challenge him to a fight]] and scared his kids. The man was put in the hospital with ''one kick''.

* ShortLivedBigImpact: He didn't star in very many films, and died at the age of 33, but Bruce Lee is widely credited with introducing martial-arts films to the United States, and popularizing asian culture. His fighting philosophy still lives on to this day, and he has inspired dozens upon dozens of Bruce Lee clones.

* SuperSpeed: Probably one of the few people capable of saying they've got this in real life. They guy could move so fast, high speed cameras were required just to ''see'' some of his moves. One of his favorite party tricks was basically a real life version of the FlashStep where he replaces the coin in someone's hand with something else before they can even close their hand, while standing a few feet away.

* PapaWolf: A man broke into his house to [[TooDumbtoLive challenge him to a fight]] and scared his kids. Said man was put in the hospital with ''one kick''.

-->'''Bruce:''' "Nowadays, you can't just go around kicking people, or punching people, because if you do...''*he pantomimes pulling out a pistol and shooting it*''...that's it."

-->''"I fear not the man who has practiced ten thousand kicks once. But I fear the man who has practiced one kick ten thousand times."''

Born in SanFrancisco on 27th November 1940 (in a Year of the Dragon, appropriately), his time growing up was split between Hong Kong and America, specifically Los Angeles and {{Seattle}}. This resulted in having a strong command of English that helped distance himself from the stereotype of the halted Asian accent. His first real break was playing Kato in ''TheGreenHornet''. Very much the BreakoutCharacter and being far more proactive than the main character, in Asia it was renamed ''The Kato Show''. He proceeded to gain a strong fanbase for Asian MartialArtsMovie films until he was made an international star with the (internationally-produced) legendary film ''EnterTheDragon.'' Time Magazine named him a person of the 20th Century as the shining example of personal improvement through physical fitness while he is universally recognized as one of the ultimate film star tough guys.

* OlderThanTheyThink: Bruce's career. Bruce starred in numerous Hong Kong films as a child and a teen, although none of them were in the martial arts genre. Some of them do allow him to show off his mad cha-cha skills, though.

** Another example, Bruce's [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtfBaLEo2qY only English role where martial arts wasn't involved]] (an episode of ''HereComeTheBrides'' called "Marriage Chinese Style").

* WarriorPoet: Lee wrote quite a bit of poetry during his lifetime, the list of his poems is there on TheOtherWiki.

Also tragically, his son Brandon [[FatalMethodActing died from a prop gun accident]] on the set of ''TheCrow''.

* {{Jerkass}}: There are plenty of anecdotes about his ego, the most well known being the one about the ''{{Green Hornet}}''[=/=]''[[{{Series/Batman}} Batman]]'' crossover; Bruce apparently flew off the handle at the revelation that Robin was supposed to beat Kato and threatened to beat the actor to within an inch of his life if the script wasn't changed. The director, mysteriously enough, complied. * PapaWolf: You didn't mess with his kids if you desired mercy.

* PapaWolf: A man broke into his house to challenge him to a fight and scared his kids. Said man was put in the hospital with ''one kick''.

* SuperSpeed: Probably one of the few people capable of saying they've got this in real life. They guy could move so fast, high speed cameras were required just to ''see'' some of his moves. One of his favorite party tricks was basically a real life version of the FlashStep where he replaces the coin in someone's hand with something else before they can even close their hand, while standing a few fee away.

* BadAss: Both on screen and off.
* BadassNormal: He was basically a real-life Asian version of ''{{Batman}}''.
* BeyondTheImpossible: Good lord, [[RapidFireFisticuffs he could hit quickly.]]

* GeniusBruiser

* ChuckNorris: Lee defeats Norris in the iconic climax of ''WayOfTheDragon''. It's a rare example of {{Memetic Bad Ass}}es actually fighting each other.

* RealMenWearPink: According to his wife Bruce loved soap operas, especially GeneralHospital