Funeral Service Times August 2017 October 2018 | Page 38

38 REMARKABLE FUNERALS
Bruce Lee
This month Funeral Service Times takes a look at the cinematic funeral of
actor and martial artist Bruce Lee
B
ruce Lee was arguably the most
famous martial artist of all-time,
showcasing his skills in countless
films and television series. Lee
was credited with changing the
way in which Asian people were presented
in American films. Born in 1940, as the son
of Cantonese opera star Lee Hoi-Chuen,
it was his father who introduced him to
the film industry at a young age when he
appeared in several films as a child star.
At the age of 18 Lee moved to America
to receive higher education in Seattle, it
was at this time that Lee began teaching
martial arts in the area. It was during his
work teaching martial arts that Lee was
‘discovered’ by Hollywood, being invited
to audition for the role of Kato in The
Green Hornet, he was successful and the
series made him a household name across
America. Lee’s big break in cinema came in
1971 Hong Kong film The Big Boss, the film
would become a classic in a golden period
OCTOBER 2018
for Asian cinema, particularly in Hong Kong.
The Big Boss was the start of a run of films
that would make Lee a legend of cinema,
Fist of Fury followed a year later along with
Way of the Dragon, filming also began for
Lee’s forth film in Hong Kong cinema Game
of Death.
Filming for Game of Death was stopped
when Warner Bros offered Lee a route
back into American cinema with Enter the
Dragon, filmed as a joint production with
Hong Kong producers Golden Harvest and
Lee’s own Concord Production. During an
automated dialogue replacement session
for the film Lee collapsed, suffering from
seizures and headaches he was rushed to
Hong Kong Baptist Hospital where he was
diagnosed with a cerebral edema. Lee had
been given medication to stop the swelling,
however 10 days after the treatment Lee
went upstairs for a nap at the house of
producer Raymond Chow and could not be
woken up. Lee was pronounced dead on
the arrival of a doctor at the age of 32, the
official cause of death was ruled as ‘death
by misadventure’.
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