Bruce Lee was a Chinese American actor. Bruce Lee was also a martial arts instructor, philosopher, film director, producer, screenwriter and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement. He is widely considered the most influential martial artist, and a cultural icon.

Bruce Lee was born in San Francisco to parents of Hong Kong heritage but was raised in Hong Kong until his late teens. He emigrated to US at the age of 18 to claim his citizenship and receive his higher education. He began teaching martial arts, which soon led to film and television roles.

His films elevated the traditional martial arts film to a new level of popularity. Bruce Lee became an iconic figure known throughout the world, particularly among the Chinese, as he portrayed nationalism in his films.

Bruce Lee initially trained in Wing Chun, but he later rejected well-defined martial art styles, favouring instead to use techniques from various sources in the spirit of his personal martial arts philosophy, which he dubbed Jeet Kune Do, The Way of the Intercepting Fist.

On 20 July 1973 Bruce Lee complained of a headache and actress Betty Ting Pei gave him an analgesic. Around 7:30 pm, he went to lie down for a nap. When Bruce Lee did not turn up for dinner, producer Raymond Chow came to the apartment but could not wake him up.

A doctor was summoned, who spent ten minutes attempting to revive Bruce before sending him by ambulance to Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Bruce Lee was dead by the time he reached the hospital.