Son of martial artist and actor Bruce Lee, Brandon Lee seemed to have followed in his father’s footsteps very closely. He was a martial artist and actor like his dad, and similarly died at the young age of 32. Controversy still surrounds both their deaths despite the many scientific reasons and corroborative evidences produced for the same.
Brandon Lee was born to Bruce Lee and Linda Emery on February 1, 1965, at Oakland in California. He spent a major part of his childhood and growing up days in the affluent area of Rolling Hills in Los Angeles. The family moved here after Bruce Lee’s death due to cerebral edema. Brandon Lee bagged his first role in 1986 for the action thriller “Legacy of Rage”. The film was also his only film made in Hong Kong. In all, his film career spanned seven films including “Legacy of Rage”, “Laser Mission”, “Showdown in Little Tokyo”, “Rapid Fire”, and “The Crow”. Thanks to the growing popularity of his dad in the martial arts, Brandon garnered the lead roles in Kung Fu-based television films such as “Kung Fu: The Movie” and “Kung Fu: The Next Generation”. He also had a guest appearance in an American television series, “Ohara”, in 1988.
Brandon garnered the lead role in 1992 for “The Crow” — a movie that cost him his life. The movie included a scene wherein Eric’s (the character played by Lee) girlfriend was being gang-raped in an apartment. According to the script, Eric is shot by the gang when he reaches there. However, during one of the rehearsals, a cartridge with a bullet and primer had remained, accidentally lodged in the gun’s barrel. When the finale was being shot, blanks were inserted into the bullet chamber. On being shot, the blanks dislodged the bullet that had accidentally remained stuck in the barrel, ejecting it. This fatal bullet struck Brandon killing him. The accident took place on March 13, 1993, barely 17 days before his wedding to Eliza Hutton. |
