Polly, who interviewed at least 100 of Lee’s friends and family members, says people often forget that Lee was virtually unknown in the United States when he died. He is seen as a Chinese superhero with a statue in Hong Kong, but he was also part Jewish. He has been portrayed as an impoverished immigrant who came to America to make it big, but he actually grew up in an affluent Hong Kong family with its own chauffer and two live-in maids. But he never learned to ride a bike and was declared medically unfit for the draft after failing his physical. Lee was a “kinetic genius” who could quickly master any martial arts fighting style. If you think you know Lee, this book may shock you. You can practically hear his catlike shrieks in some of the most vivid sections. Lee’s charisma, ambition and relentless appetite for combat leap off the pages. The book, which comes on the 45th anniversary of Lee’s death, features interviews from everyone from his childhood classmates to friends who saw him smoke up to the woman who last saw him alive. “Bruce Lee: A Life” by Matthew Polly is the first in-depth account of Lee’s journey from a street-brawling teenager to a global icon.

Twentieth Century Fox Television/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis/Getty Images Since he died at age 32, his legend has grown to such mythological levels that one martial artist calls him “kung fu Jesus.” A new biography, though, debunks some of the most popular myths about the man.īruce Lee's role as 'Kato' in the TV series, 'The Green Hornet,' made him a star in Hong Kong.

That’s not the type of story one typically hears about Lee.

“It raises the consciousness level,” Lee explained when another martial artist asked him why he got high. Lee would later move on to hashish, carrying it around in little bags and nibbling on it like edibles. It came from a box of marijuana cigarettes he kept in his garage. He’d transformed himself into a lithe fighter who could do two-finger push-ups and send burly men flying with his famed one-inch punch.īut Lee ended the training session at his home on this particular day with a different type of flourish. He didn’t smoke or drink he gobbled vitamin supplements and drank raw blended hamburger meat. The star of the classic film, “Enter the Dragon,” was already known for his fanatical fitness regimen. Bruce Lee was training a friend one day when he did something unexpected.

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