Profile of the Day: Bruce Lee

Are you a fan of martial arts movies? On this day in 1940, actor and martial arts legend Bruce Lee was born in San Francisco, California. Considered one of the most influential martial artists of all time, Lee is often credited with helping to change the way Asians are depicted in American films.

Image: Bruce Lee / Wikimedia Commons

His father was a leading Hong Kong Cantonese opera singer and film actor. At the time of Lee’s birth, his father was on a one year tour with the Cantonese Opera Company in the U.S. When Lee was three months old, the family returned to Hong Kong, where Lee lived until returning to America at the age of 18.

Lee became an international star thanks to hit action films, The Big Boss and The Way of the Dragon. Tragically, Lee died at the age of 32, just one month before the release of his last film, Enter the Dragon. The movie would become one of the year’s highest grossing films and cement Lee’s status as a pop culture icon.

Explore Bruce Lee’s family tree on Geni and share how you’re related to the legendary marital artist.

View Bruce Lee’s Geni Profile