November 27, 1940 - San Francisco, California - Lee Jun-fan is born
February 1(?), 1941 - Kowloon, Hong Kong - Appears in his first film, 3-months old
January(?) 1(?), 1946 - Kowloon - Begins filming the first of 20 cantonese-language films before reaching the age of 18
May 30, 1950 - Kowloon - "The kid" is released, starring 9-year-old Lee Jun-fan
January(?) 1(?), 1952 - Kowloon - Enrolls at Hong Kong's La Salle College, a Catholic school for boys, where he starts using the name "Bruce"
January(?) 1(?), 1953 - Kowloon - Begins studying Kung Fu under the grandmaster of the Wing Chun system, Yip Man
April 1(?), 1953 - Kowloon - Young Bruce Lee acts in the movie “The Guiding Light”
June 1(?), 1953 - Kowloon - Bruce acts in the movie "A Mother's Tears"
September 1(?), 1953 - Kowloon - Bruce acts in the movie "Blame It on Father"
October 1(?), 1953 - Kowloon - Bruce acts in the movie “A Myriad Homes”
November 1(?), 1953 - Kowloon - Bruce acts in the movie “In the Face of Demolition”
January 1(?), 1955 - Kowloon - Bruce acts in the movie “Love"
February 1(?), 1955 - Kowloon - Bruce acts in the movie “An Orphan’s Tragedy"
June 1(?), 1955 - Kowloon - Bruce acts in the movie “The Faithful Wife”
September 1(?), 1955 - Kowloon - Bruce acts in the movie “Orphan’s Song”
October 1(?), 1955 - Kowloon - Bruce acts in the movie “We Owe It To Our Children”
February 1(?), 1956 - Kowloon - Bruce acts in the movie “The Wise Guys Who Fool Around”
December 1(?), 1956 - Kowloon - Bruce acts in the movie “Too Late For Divorce”
March 1(?), 1957 - Kowloon - Bruce acts in the movie “Thunderstorm”
December 1(?), 1957 - Kowloon - Bruce acts in the movie “Darling Girl”
January(?) 1(?), 1958 - Kowloon - Wins the Hong Kong's Crown Colony Cha-Cha championship
March 29, 1958 - Kowloon - Transfered to St.Francis Xavier High School after being expelled from La Salle College
September 1(?), 1958 - Kowloon - Bruce Lee wins the Hong Kong schools boxing tournament, drawing on his knowledge of Wing Chun during fights and reaches the final defeating British-born champion Gary Elm, who had held the title for three consecutive years at Kowloon's King George V School in Hong Kong =(START)
April 29, 1959 - Kowloon - Bruce was the leader of a street "gang" called "Tigers of Junction Street", which was involved in many disputes against rival gangs or members of other Kung Fu schools. In one of these fights that took place on the terrace of a building, Bruce Lee representing the Wing Chun school, faced a representative of the Choy Lay Fut style (who was the son of an important member of the Triads mafia) and defeated him. His father considering the consequences of this fight, decides to send him to the US immediately, understanding that it was the only way to preserve his life, since he kept getting into trouble and gang fights. Threats from influential Hong Kong mobsters and warnings from the police were unrelenting. So his father sends Bruce to the United States to stay with his older sister, Agnes Lee
May 4, 1959 - Tokyo, Japan - The ship stops at Tokyo and Lee visits the city. During the 18-day trip, Bruce earns some money by teaching cha-cha-cha lessons.
May 12(?), 1959 - Honolulu, Hawaii - Stop at Honolulu, Hawaii
May 17, 1959 - San Francisco, California - Arrives in San Francisco
September 3, 1959 - Seattle, Washington - Moves to Seattle to continue his high school education. He also begins working as a waiter in Ruby Chow's restaurant
December 2, 1960 - Seattle - Completes his high school education and receives his diploma from Edison Technical School
March 27, 1961 - Seattle - Enrolls at the University of Washington, studying dramatic arts, philosophy and psychology
March 26, 1963 - Kowloon, Hong Kong - Returns to Hong Kong to visit his family
August 1(?), 1963 - Seattle, Washington - Bruce Lee returns to Seattle and discovers he has been drafted into the army. But when taking the exams, he is considered unfit for military service due to an excessive curvature of the arch of his feet and because he had a suspended testicle. Bruce was also nearsighted and wore glasses since his pre-teen years, but in the US he started to wear contact lenses and, in addition, his right leg was almost an inch shorter than the left. Not to mention his height of 1.68m which, by American standards, was very short
September 1(?), 1963 - Seattle - Lee reaches the advanced studies of philosophy in his junior year at the University of Washington. There he meets 17-year-old Linda Emery, also in her first year at the university. Bruce starts to lecture regularly on Kung Fu and Chinese Philosophy
October 25, 1963 - Seattle - First date with Linda Emery
June 6(?), 1964 - Seattle - Bruce graduates and leaves the University of Washington to devote himself exclusively to Kung Fu classes in Seattle
July 19, 1964 - Oakland, California - Bruce Lee moves to Oakland to live with James Yimm Lee, a martial arts pioneer
August 2, 1964 - Long Beach, California - Invited to the Long Beach International Karate Championships - Lee demonstrates his technique
August 3, 1964 - Oakland - Begins Kung Fu instruction in Oakland
August 17, 1964 - Seattle - Marries Linda Emery
September 2, 1964 - Oakland - Letter to Bill Evans
December 1(?), 1964 - Oakland - Lee is challenged by a Northern Shaolin style martial artist of Kung Fu named Wong Jack Man, who represented the traditional schools of the Chinese community. The reason for the challenge was Lee's open criticisms and challenges to traditional Kung Fu styles, which he considered ineffective for real fighting compared to his Wing Chun-based style (Jun Fan Kung Fu). So, if Bruce won, he would have the right to continue teaching whoever he wanted; if he lost, he would have to close the institute. Bruce beat Wong Jack Man, but recognizes that he was at the limit of his breath and in inadequate physical shape for a life-or-death confrontation. James Yimm Lee and Linda (pregnant with Brandon Lee) and some of Wong Jack Man's companions were the only witnesses to the fight that took place behind closed doors inside Oakland's Jun Fan Kung Fu Institute.
February 1, 1965 - Oakland - His son Brandon Bruce Lee is born
February 4, 1965 - Oakland - Jay Sebring, a hair stylist to Hollywood stars who watched Bruce Lee's demonstration at Long Beach International Karate, recommends him to producer William Dozier, who was looking for someone to play the son of the famous chinese detective, Charlie Chan, in a series that would be called "The Number One Son". Bruce Lee is called in to audition at 20th Century Fox Studios
February 8, 1965 - While in Oakland - His father, Lee Hoi Chuen, dies in Hong Kong
February 15, 1965 - Kowloon, Hong Kong - Attends his father's funeral. Letter to Linda Emery
March 6, 1965 - San Francisco | Seattle, Washington - Returns to the United States. Flies to Seattle on the same day
May 10, 1965 - Kowloon, Hong Kong - Letter to Taky Kimura
August 16, 1965 - Kowloon - Letter to James Yimm Lee
September 1(?), 1965 - Seattle, Washington - Lee Family returns to Seattle and temporarily lives in the home of Linda Lee's mother, who had not yet approved her daughter's marriage to Bruce, considering the fact that he was still not working as he was expecting to be called for the recordings of "Green Hornet". Bruce's mother-in-law didn't see any future in teaching Kung Fu either
December 1(?), 1965 - Oakland - Lee Family moves to Oakland, living again in James Yimm Lee's house for a month until they rent an apartment
December 18, 1965 - Oakland - Letter to George Lee
March 1(?), 1966 - Los Angeles - Lee family moves to Los Angeles, California. Bruce opens the third Lee Jun Fan Kung Fu institute
March 31, 1966 - Los Angeles - Letter to George Lee. Bruce Lee informs him that he is about to start giving private lessons and that the prospective students are Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, James Garner, Don Gordon and Vic Damone
April 9, 1966 - Los Angeles - Letter to Fred Sato
June 6, 1966 - Los Angeles - Shooting of the "Green Hornet" TV series begins in Desilu-Culver Studio
September 9, 1966 - Los Angeles - The first episode of "Green Hornet" titled "The Silent Gun" is released
September 20(?), 1966 - Los Angeles - Van Williams and Bruce Lee appear with Green
Hornet and Kato on the Milton Berle Show to promote the TV series
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| Bruce Lee as Kato |
Hornet and Kato on the Milton Berle Show to promote the TV series
September 28, 1966 - Los Angeles - Green Hornet and Kato quickly appear as guest stars in an episode of Batman, also produced by William Dozier, to promote the series The Green Hornet
January 8, 1967 - Los Angeles - Bruce Lee's first entry (in Chinese) is recorded in which he identifies his method as “Path of the Intercepting Fist”, aiming at personal development as a martial artist
February 5, 1967 - Los Angeles - Opens the Los Angeles chapter of the Jun Fan Kung Fu Institute
May 1, 1967 - New York City - Visit to New York
May 6, 1967 - Washington D.C. - Performs at the National Karate Championships in Washington, D.C.
May 10, 1967 - Oakland, California - Visit to his friend James Yimm Lee
May 26, 1967 - Oakland - Bruce returns to Oakland to oversee the Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute and pass on new techniques to students under James Lee
June 15, 1967 - Inglewood, California - Letter to Linda Emery
June 24, 1967 - New York City - Appears at All-American Open Karate Championship, Madison Square Garden
June 27, 1967 - Oakland - Returns to California
July 1(?), 1967 - Los Angeles - Names his way of Martial Art “Jeet Kune Do”
July 3, 1967 - Springfield, Massachusetts - In Agawam, in the Springfield, Massachusetts, metropolitan area, Bruce performs three demonstrations in one day
July 5, 1967 - Inglewood, California - Returns to California, where he undergoes an interview at Universal Studios to act as a guest artist in an episode of the series “Ironside”, entitled “Marked for Murder”
July 14, 1967 - Los Angeles - Hired to appear in episode of "Ironside" TV series, shot in Los Angeles
July 30, 1967 - Long Beach, California - Performs at the Long Beach International Karate Tournament
November 3, 1967 - Fremont, California - Bruce goes to Fremont, California, and demonstrates his techniques at the gym of veteran boxing and Ju-jitsu master, Wally Jae, academy
January 28, 1968 - Oakland - Bruce Lee returns to Oakland for a surprise birthday party for James Yim Lee
February 16, 1968 - Frisco, California - Attends a national exhibition of Kung Fu in Frisco, California
June 23, 1968 - Washington D.C. - Attends the National Karate Championships in Washington D.C.
July 5, 1968 - Los Angeles - Bruce Lee is hired as technical director (for action scenes) in the film "The Wrecking Crew" (the film debut of Chuck Norris)
August 1, 1968 - Los Angeles - Bruce Lee is hired to play a killer wrestler of Chinese origin in the movie "Marlowe" (Little Sister), starring actor (and his disciple) James Garner
October 1, 1968 - Los Angeles - Moves to Bel Air, Los Angeles
November 12, 1968 - Los Angeles - Films episode of "Blondie", a Universal TV Series
January 4, 1969 - Los Angeles - Letter to William Cheung
April 16, 1969 - Los Angeles - Stirling Silliphant, screenwriter and friend of Bruce, lands him a job as stunt choreographer for a fight sequence in the film "A Walk In The Spring Rain" with Anthony Quinn and Ingrid Bergman, scripted by Stirling Silliphant
April 19, 1969 - Santa Monica, California - Daughter Shannon Emery Lee is born
April 24, 1969 - Tennessee - Bruce returns from Tennessee after finishing his work on the movie “A Walk In The Spring Rain”. The film was released in 1970
February 5, 1970 - Dominican Republic – Bruce Lee travels with Jhoon Rhee to the Dominican Republic (until February 9th) to help the Korean master promote his academy network in that country. Bruce performs demonstrations in Santiago de los Caballeros, La Vega and Santo Domingo and participates in the TV program “Encuentro”
February 20, 1970 - Gstaad, Switzerland - Bruce Lee travels to Gstaad, na Suíça, to give private classes to movie director, Roman Polanski
March 3, 1970 - London, England - From his turn to Switzerland, Bruce made his way to London, staying at Polanski's house. Meets his friend Wu Ngan there
March 29, 1970 - Kowloon, Hong Kong - Bruce goes to Hong Kong with Brandon to visit his family. Upon arrival, they are surprised by a crowd waiting to greet them. The series "The Green Hornet", despite having been a failure in the US and having failed to unseat rival "Batman & Robin", was a tremendous success in Hong Kong and throughout Asia, being known by fans like “The Kato Series”
April 7, 1970 - Kowloon - Beginning of a series of performances for the Hong Kong TV-B show “Enjoy Yourself Tonight”
August 13, 1970 - Kowloon - Bruce performs a barbell exercise called “Good Morning”, weighing about 55 kg on his back. Bruce somehow was not properly warmed up for the procedure and suffers an irreversible injury to the 4th sacral nerve. He had to remain for six months without physical activity confined to bed and then in a wheelchair, only undergoing physical therapy. Not letting himself down, he takes advantage of the "rest" time to review and redo his notes on his fighting system, which later (after his death) would be compiled and published for a book under the coordination of Linda Lee and Dan Inosanto, entitled "The Tao of Jeet Kune Do". During this period, he also turned to the script of a film that would at first be called “The Silent Flute”
September(?) 1(?), 1970 - Kowloon - During his recovery, Bruce works with actor James Coburn and screenwriter Stirling Silliphant on screenplay about the philosophy of martial art. The movie is to be entitled "The Silent Flute"
January 29, 1971 - Kowloon(?) - The script for “The Silent Flute” is sent to Warner Brothers, which gives the green light to carry out the project, but with the condition that everything is filmed in India since Warner Brothers had rupee blocked by the Indian government regarding the collection of the his films in the country that were not transferred to the US. So Bruce Lee, James Coburn and Stirling Silliphant are forced to fly to India to study the situation
February 1, 1971 - New Delhi, India - Lee, Coburn and Silliphant arrive in New Delhi, India, and spend 10 days looking for locations and skilled martial artists to work on the film
June 27, 1971 - Los Angeles - Films the first episode of “Longstreet” TV series for Paramount
June 28, 1971 - Los Angeles - Bruce, who had been contacted by the wife of Hong Kong director Lo Wei through producer Raymond Chow, offers him a contract he can't refuse to direct two films for Golden Harvest
July 10, 1971 - Pak Chong, Thailand - Bruce finishes recording another episode of “Longstreet”. He immediately travels to Hong Kong and as soon as he arrives at Kai Tak Airport, he takes a flight to Pak Chong, Thailand, to start filming his first film, “The Big Boss” (originally, Fists of Fury)
July 12, 1971 - Pak Chong - Under very harsh conditions, the filming of "The Big Boss" begins, with an initial budget of HK$ 100,000.00 in Thailand. During filming, the director, Wu Chai Wsaing, is rejected by the crew for his bad character and in his place is summoned Lo Wei, who doesn't show much better than his predecessor, and disagreements between him and Bruce Lee soon start
September 3, 1971 - Kowloon, Hong Kong - Bruce returns from Thailand with part of the film crew to Hong Kong and is expected to attend an impromptu press conference at Kai Tak Airport for Hong Kong's TVB News, along with director Lo Wei and actresses Maria Yi and Nora Miao. In the evening, Bruce appeared on the HKTVB show “Enjoy Yourself Tonight”.
September 6, 1971 - Los Angeles - Bruce Lee returns to the United States after being invited to participate in three more episodes of the TV series "Longstreet"
September 30(?), 1971 - Kowloon - Bruce Lee returns to Hong Kong for the long-awaited premiere of "The Big Boss"
October 17, 1971 - Kowloon - With the success of “The Big Boss”, the planning for filming for the next film “Fists of Fury” begins in Hong Kong, which would still have some locations in the then Portuguese colony of Macau. The initial budget was expected to be HK 200,000 and would feature a more elaborate production and the first appearance of a Western foreigner (Bob Baker, Lee's student at the Seattle Institute), as protagonist in a Chinese martial arts movie
October 22, 1971 - Kowloon - Bruce Lee appears on the HKTVB show “Enjoy Yourself Tonight” alongside Bob Baker and some assistants for a demo of Jeet Kune Do
October 31, 1971 - Kowloon - Premiere of “The Big Boss”. The film breaks all revenue records on its first day of screening, immediately earning more than three times the amount spent on its production (HK$372,000.00), totaling at the end of its release the incredible revenue of HK$3,197,417 .00 throughout Asia. In the USA Canada it reached the figures of US$ 2,800,000.00
November 19, 1971 - Kowloon - Bruce Lee appears on the HKTVB special program dedicated to the success of the movie "The Big Boss"
December 7, 1971 - Kowloon - In Hong Kong, receives official word he would not star in “The Warrior”. The role is given to American caucasian actor David Carradine
March 22, 1972 - Kowloon - “Fists of Fury” premieres in Hong Kong. The film earns HK$ 4,431,423.00 and in the US it reaches US$ 3,400,000.00. Bruce Lee's first two films together gross about $20 million across Asia. Bruce Lee automatically competes and wins the Golden Horse Award (Asian Oscar) for his performance in “Fists of Fury”
May 4, 1972 - Rome, Italy - Bruce Lee flies to Rome, Italy, to find suitable locations for filming “The Way of the Dragon” along with Raymond Chow and Japanese camera man Tadashi Nishimoto
May 19, 1972 - Kowloon - After filming in Rome, Bruce returns to Hong Kong with Chuck Norris and Bob Wall. The day after his arrival, Bruce is greeted by presenter Josiah Lau Kar-Kit on the HKTVB’S “Enjoy Yourself Tonight” (EYT) Show with Norris and Wall to promote “The Way of the Dragon”
June 18, 1972 - Kowloon - A typhoon ravages Hong Kong, causing a lot of damage and casualties
June 24, 1972 - Kowloon - Bruce Lee, Linda and Brandon participate in a show on HKTVB's EYT program (to raise funds for typhoon victims) titled “Operation Relief Charity Show”
September 1(?), 1972 - Kowloon - Taking advantage of the visit of some of his students to Hong Kong, Bruce starts filming fight scenes for “The Game of Death”. At Hong Kong's traditional restaurant, Red Pepper, Bruce simulates the atmosphere of a pagoda, filming three fight sequences with Dan Inosanto (responsible for the Los Angeles Lee Jung Fan Gung Fu Institute); Korean Hapkido Master Ji Han Jae; and one of his students, the 2,18m-tall Los Angeles Lakers basketball player, Kareen Abdul Jabbar
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| Bruce Lee in "Enter the Dragon" |
November 20, 1972 - Kowloon - Bruce appears on HKTVB's EYT show to participate in the network's fifth anniversary celebration. To the surprise of the audience and guests, Bruce Lee emerges from a giant birthday cake onto the stage
December 30, 1972 - Kowloon - Hong Kong premiere of “The Way of the Dragon”. The production, which had a budget of 130,000 Hong Kong dollars, grosses over 5 million dollars (HK$5,300,000) and again beats all the records achieved by the two previous films. Bruce participated in the production, played the roles of director, screenwriter, choreographer of fight scenes and was the main protagonist
January 1(?), 1973 - Kowloon - “Enter the Dragon” starts shooting with an estimated budget of US$ 850,000.00 in cooperation between Concord Productions and Warner Bros., it was the first production between the US and Hong Kong film industries
February 20, 1973 - Kowloon - Bruce Lee is St.Francis Xavier School's guest of honor for the Sports Day ceremonies
May 10, 1973 - Kowloon - During one of the dubbing sessions for “Enter the Dragon” at Golden Harvest Studios, it was extremely hot, as the air conditioning was turned off so as not to interfere with the recordings. Bruce, feeling uncomfortable, asks for a break to go to the bathroom to wash his face. There he collapses and loses consciousness. When they notice his delay in returning, they look for him and find him unconscious on the floor. It took nearly twenty minutes before he is revived. Back to consciousness, Lee, still on the bathroom floor, begins searching for the glasses he was wearing in a clumsy attempt to justify the incident. While trying to return to the dubbing room supported by assistants, Lee suffers another collapse and is immediately taken unconscious to the Kowloon's Baptist Hospital, where he is treated by Dr. Langford and neurologist Dr. Wu, who examine him thoroughly. Apparently having had a seizure or had an epileptic attack, he was prescribed a drug compatible with the given diagnosis, Dillatin, used to eliminate accumulation of water in cells, returning water to the blood. That drug would have been Bruce's salvation at the time, according to Dr. Don Langford
May 25, 1973 - Los Angeles - After completing the final details of the film, Bruce flies to Los Angeles for further examinations at the renowned medical center at the University of California, Los Angeles. A series of preventive medical tests are performed and all are positive. According to Dr. Karpland and neurologist Dr. Reisboard, Bruce had the health of an 18-year-old, despite the sudden loss of 5 kg of weight (Bruce weighed 57 kg), and they attribute the collapses to a severe crisis of stress
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| The way of the Dragon - Famous fight scene with Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris in Rome |
July 20, 1973 - Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong - Bruce goes to actress friend Betty Ting-Pei's apartment and complains of a severe headache. He takes an Equagesic pill given by Betty and goes to bed in her room to recover so that they go out to meet George Lazenby and Raymond Chow. However, Bruce Lee dies of an allergic reaction to the Equagesic, aged 32 =(END)
