The โdefinitiveโ (The New York Times) biography of film legend Bruce Leeโthe martial arts icon who made kung fu a global phenomenon, shattered Hollywood stereotypes of Asian and Asian American actors, and became one of the most influential pop culture figures of the 20th century.
Forty-five years after Bruce Leeโs sudden death at just thirty-two, journalist and bestselling author Matthew Polly delivers the authoritative account of his extraordinary life and legacy. Meticulously researched over a decade and informed by more than one hundred interviewsโincluding with Leeโs family, friends, colleagues, and the actress in whose bed he diedโBruce Lee is both sweeping and intimate.
Polly traces Leeโs evolution from Hong Kong child star to troubled teen, from charismatic martial arts teacher to trailblazing Asian American actor navigating a whitewashed Hollywood, to international superstar in Enter the Dragon, Fist of Fury, and The Big Boss. He explores Leeโs family dynamics, his struggle to break through in the US entertainment industry, his intense work ethic, and the enduring mystery surrounding his untimely death.
Dispelling myths and revealing the man behind the legend, Bruce Lee is a deeply humanizing, page-turning biography of a boundary-breaking actor, father, fighter, and icon whose cultural impact endures across generations and continents.