Brandon Lee
Brandon Lee was an American actor and martial artist, born on February 1, 1965, in Oakland, California. He was the son of the legendary martial arts icon Bruce Lee and sought to carve out his own path in the film industry, inspired by his father's legacy. Despite facing challenges, including the early loss of his father in 1973, Brandon pursued acting and martial arts, appearing in notable projects like "Kung Fu: The Movie" and "Legacy of Rage." His career was tragically cut short in 1993 during the filming of "The Crow," when a prop gun malfunction led to a fatal accident. Brandon's untimely death occurred on set, sparking legal action and leading to changes in safety protocols in the film industry, particularly regarding firearms. "The Crow," which was posthumously completed using previously shot material, became a cult classic and was dedicated to both Brandon Lee and his fiancée. His legacy, though marred by tragedy, continues to influence discussions around safety in filmmaking and the representation of Asian actors in Hollywood.
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Subject Terms
Brandon Lee
Actor and athlete
- Born: February 1, 1965
- Place of Birth: Oakland, California
- Died: March 31, 1993
- Place of Death: Wilmington, North Carolina
Brandon Lee tried to follow in the footsteps of his legendary father, Bruce Lee, and become a martial-arts star and actor. Although he met with some success in this endeavor, he was killed while filming his first major motion picture, The Crow, in 1993.
Areas of achievement: Martial arts, acting, film
Early Life
Brandon Bruce Lee was born on February 1, 1965, in Oakland, California. He split his early life between the United States and Hong Kong, depending on where his father, world-famous martial-arts star and actor Bruce Lee, pursued his career. When Brandon Lee was eight years old, his father died suddenly, just before the release of the film Enter the Dragon (1973). The film would help establish Bruce Lee as a cultural icon.
Following his father’s death, young Brandon Lee grew up in Los Angeles and attended the Chadwick School. He was expelled in his senior year but later earned a GED.
Life’s Work
Lee moved to New York City and received some acting lessons. He also learned martial arts from some of his father’s friends and former pupils. Later, he returned to Los Angeles and became involved in the film industry. He worked on the production side of filmmaking while trying to get his start as an actor.
Lee’s first role came in the American karate movie Kung Fu: The Movie (1986), based on the 1970s television show that his father had helped develop with Warner Bros. Lee followed this role with a performance in the 1986 Cantonese-language action film Long zai jiang hu (Legacy of Rage), which was shot in Hong Kong. His performance earned him a nomination for a Hong Kong Film Award. After this, Lee returned to the United States and appeared in several small projects, including another television pilot based on the Kung Fu series. In 1992, Lee earned the starring role in the crime drama Rapid Fire as part of a long-term contract with Twentieth Century Fox.
In 1993, Lee began filming his next big project, The Crow, based on the comic-book series by James O’Barr. One of the scenes in the film called for Lee’s character to be shot. The production crew readied a pistol with what are known as “dummy cartridges,” or bullets that have had their propellant removed. However, the bullets were improperly prepared, and unbeknownst to the crew, a bullet was stuck in the gun’s barrel. While filming the scene, Lee was shot in the abdomen. He died the same day. No one was ever charged in the shooting, but Lee's mother successfully sued the filmmakers. Lee was buried in the same cemetery as his father in Seattle, Washington.
The Crow was finished using material that had been filmed before Lee was killed, along with scenes that were originally determined to be outtakes. A stunt double was used, and in the few close-ups that remained, Lee’s face was imposed over that of the stuntman. The Crow became a relative box-office success. It was dedicated to Lee and his fiancée, Eliza Hutton, whom he had planned to marry after filming ended. Since its release, the film has become a cult classic and the subject of a variety of rumors and myths.
Significance
Lee was one of the few American-born martial-arts stars of Asian ancestry. As with his father, martial artist and actor Bruce Lee, many became aware of Brandon Lee’s work only after his death. In 2022, on the production of a new adaptation of The Crow, real guns were banned from the set. The decision was made both because of Lee's death and a shooting death on a film set in 2021.
Bibliography
Baiss, Bridget. “The Crow”: The Story Behind the Film. London: Making of the Crow, 2000. Print.
Earl, William. "'The Crow' Reboot Banned Real Guns After Brandon Lee's Death on the Original Film's Set and the 'Rust' Tragedy (Exclusive)." Variety, 20 Aug. 2024, variety.com/2024/film/news/the-crow-reboot-banned-guns-brandon-lee-death-1236112451/. Accessed 20 Aug. 2024.
Heyward, Giulia. "Actor Brandon Lee Was Killed by a Prop Gun, Years Before the 'Rust' Shooting Death." National Public Radio, 20 Jan. 2023, www.npr.org/2023/01/20/1150034900/brandon-lee-killed-prop-gun-rust-shooting-death-alec-baldwin-halyna-hutchins. Accessed 20 Aug. 2024.
Lott, M. Ray. The American Martial Arts Film. Jefferson: McFarland, 2004. Print.
West, David. Chasing Dragons: An Introduction to the Martial Arts Film. New York: I. B. Tauris, 2006. Print.