Bruce Lee died 40 years ago today at the age of 32.
For Asian Americans, Lee “demonstrated to non-Asians that Asian men could be strong, charismatic and sexy. That they could own the screen and command box office dollars and the cultural spotlight,” said Jeff Yang who has written extensively on Asian American culture and racism.
Yang told the BBC “While it’s taken decades longer for others to be given the same opportunity, there isn’t an Asian or Asian American actor today who doesn’t acknowledge the debt they have to Lee for opening people’s minds to the potential of Asian men.”
Although Lee was born in San Francisco he spent much of his younger years in Hong Kong. His reach is truly international.
“He was a rebel. He combined the East and the West in martial arts instead of following classical forms, and he won respect for Chinese people around the world,” said martial arts practitioner Lewis Luk.
For many in the martial arts community, Lee was a teacher and a mentor, even in his death.
“Bruce Lee transcends nationality, gender, ethnicity, religion and cultural differences,” said Hew Kuan Yau, a Malaysian and committee member of Hong Kong’s Bruce Lee Club.
You can read more about Lee’s impact in the BBC.
Then check out these Bruce Lee top 10 moments from Watch MoJo.