Brandon Lee

File:Bruce Lee - son.jpg

Brandon was born on February 1, 1965, at East Oakland Hospital in Oakland, California,{{Cite book|last1=Lee|first1=Linda|url=|title=The Bruce Lee Story|last2=Lee|first2=Mike|publisher=Ohara publication, Inc.|year=1989|isbn=978-0-89750-121-7|location=Santa Clarita, California|page=179|language=en|chapter=14}} the son of martial artist and actor Bruce Lee (1940–1973) and Linda Lee Cadwell (née Emery).{{Cite news|last=Sharkey|first=Betsy|date=May 3, 1993|title=Fate's children: Bruce and Brandon (Published 1993)|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/05/02/archives/fates-children-bruce-and-brandon.html|access-date=October 15, 2020|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=October 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211024090850/https://www.nytimes.com/1993/05/02/archives/fates-children-bruce-and-brandon.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|date=April 1, 1993|title=Father and son|work=The News and Observer|pages=18 A}} From a young age, Lee learned martial arts from his father, who was a well known practitioner and a martial arts movie star. Lee said the family lived between Hong Kong and the United States, due to his father's career. While visiting his father's sets, Lee became interested in acting. Lee's father died suddenly in 1973, leaving a legacy that made him an icon of martial arts and cinema.{{Cite web |last=Hicks |first=Chris |date=July 24, 1992 |title=Brandon Lee follows in his dad's shoes, but he hopes to win respect as an actor in his own right. |url=https://www.deseretnews.com/article/238726/Brandon-Lee-follows-in-his-dads-shoes-but-he-hopes-to-win-respect--as-an-actor-in-his-own-right.html |access-date=April 22, 2019 |website=Deseret News |archive-date=April 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422224549/https://www.deseretnews.com/article/238726/BRANDON-LEE-FOLLOWS-IN-HIS-DADS-SHOES-BUT-HE-HOPES-TO-WIN-RESPECT--AS-AN-ACTOR-IN-HIS-OWN-RIGHT.html |url-status=dead }} Grace Ho (Lee's grandmother) said that by the age of 5, he could kick through an inch board.{{cite web |last=Wing Chun News |date=August 24, 2018 |title=Geraldo Rivera interviews Bruce Lee's mother in her only live tv interview |url=https://www.wingchunnews.ca/geraldo-rivera-interviews-with-bruce-lees-mother-in-her-only-tv-appearance/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220425201242/https://www.wingchunnews.ca/geraldo-rivera-interviews-with-bruce-lees-mother-in-her-only-tv-appearance/ |archive-date=April 25, 2022 |access-date=25 March 2022 |website=wingchunnews.ca |publisher=Wing Chun News}}

Afterwards, Lee's family moved back to California. Lee began studying with Dan Inosanto, one of his father's students, when he was 9.{{Cite news|last=Sharkey|first=Betsey|date=May 30, 1993|title=Family Matters|page=Agenda: 7|work=The Age|url=}} Later in his youth, Lee also trained with Richard Bustillo{{cite magazine|last=Reid|first=Dr. Craig D.|date=1999|title=Shannon Lee: Emerging From the Shadow of Bruce Lee|magazine=Black Belt Magazine|volume=37|issue=10|page=33}} and Jeff Imada. Imada said that when Lee was in his teens, he struggled with his identity, and having to train in dojos which included large photos of his father troubled him. According to Imada, this led Lee to leave martial arts in favor of soccer. Both would reconnect later in their film careers, with Imada working as stunt and fight coordinator in several of Lee's upcoming films. Meanwhile, Lee was a rebellious high school student. In 1983, four months prior to his graduation, Lee was asked to leave the Chadwick School for misbehavior. That year Lee received his GED from Miraleste High School.{{Cite book|last=Baiss|first=Bridget|url=|title=The Crow: The Story Behind the Film|publisher=Titan Books|year=2004|isbn=978-1-78116-184-5|location=London|pages=41–43|language=en}}

Lee pursued his studies in New York City, where he took acting lessons at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. Lee went on to Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts, where he majored in theater. During this time, Lee appeared in several stage productions. He was part of the Eric Morris American New Theatre, with them he acted in John Lee Hancock's play Full Fed Beast.

Lee returned to Los Angeles in 1985 and worked as a script reader. During this period, he was approached by casting director Lynn Stalmaster and successfully auditioned for his first credited acting role in Kung Fu: The Movie.{{Cite web|title=Son of Bruce Breaks Loose|url=https://people.com/archive/son-of-bruce-breaks-loose-vol-38-no-10/|last=Lipton|first=Michael A.|date=September 7, 1992|website=People|access-date=April 23, 2019|archive-date=April 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190423042302/https://people.com/archive/son-of-bruce-breaks-loose-vol-38-no-10/|url-status=live}} It was a feature-length television movie that was a follow-up to the 1970s television series Kung Fu, with David Carradine returning as the lead.{{Cite news|last=Crokett|first=Lane|date=January 30, 1986|title=Carradine re-creates Kung Fu|page=B-5|work=Green Bay Press-Gazette}} On set Lee reconnected with his former instructor Jeff Imada who worked in the stunt department. Imada said Lee had to be talked into accepting the role, since the martial arts nature of the film did not appeal to Lee, who avoided any connection with his father's genre of film.{{Cite book|last=Baiss|first=Bridget|title=The Crow: The Story Behind the Film|publisher=Titan Books|year=2004|isbn=978-1-78116-184-5|location=London|pages=43|language=en|chapter=Finding Eric Draven}} In the film, the character of Kwai Chang Caine (Carradine) has a conflict with his illegitimate son (Lee).{{Cite web|last=Erickson|first=Hal|title=Synopsis|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/kung-fu-v27777|access-date=June 17, 2019|website=AllMovie|archive-date=June 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190617041220/https://www.allmovie.com/movie/kung-fu-v27777|url-status=live}} Kung Fu: The Movie first aired on ABC on February 1, 1986.{{Cite news|url=https://people.com/archive/enter-the-son-of-the-dragon-bruce-lees-only-boy-brandon-gets-no-kick-from-kung-fu-vol-25-no-5/|title=Enter the Son of the Dragon: Bruce Lee's Only Boy, Brandon, Gets No Kick from Kung Fu|date=February 3, 1986|work=People|access-date=October 7, 2018|archive-date=October 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181007183553/https://people.com/archive/enter-the-son-of-the-dragon-bruce-lees-only-boy-brandon-gets-no-kick-from-kung-fu-vol-25-no-5/|url-status=live}} Lee said that he felt there was some justice in being cast for this role in his first feature, since the TV show's pilot had been conceived for his father.

That year saw the release of Ronny Yu's Hong Kong action crime thriller Legacy of Rage. This was Lee's first leading film role.* {{cite magazine|last=Allen|first=Terence|date=September 1994|title=The movies of Brandon Lee|url=|magazine=Black Belt Magazine|volume=32|issue=9|page=51}} Yu said that Lee and him did not get along during shooting.{{Cite news|last1=Savage|first1=Mark|last2=Bren|first2=Frank|date=August 30, 1994|title=Shadow over film future|work=The Sydney Morning Herald}} In the film, Lee plays a young man blamed for a crime he did not commit.{{cite AV media|title=Legacy of Rage|type=VHS|publisher=Tai seng video marketing (Ent.)|year=1998|id=601643563831}} It was the only film Lee made in Hong Kong, and in Cantonese. Lee was nominated for a Hong Kong Film Award for Best New Performer in this role.{{Cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/legacy-of-rage/review/133375|title=Legacy Of Rage {{!}} TV Guide|website=TV Guide|access-date=April 23, 2019|archive-date=April 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190423170037/https://www.tvguide.com/movies/legacy-of-rage/review/133375|url-status=live}} The film was a critical success at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival, and was a commercial success in Japan.{{Cite news|date=July 15, 1987|title=Bruce Lee Jr. talks about his father|pages=15–16|work=Manila Standard}}

In 1987, Lee starred in another spin-off of Kung Fu, the unsold television pilot Kung Fu: The Next Generation.{{Cite news|last=Kelley|first=Bill|date=June 19, 1987|title='Kung Fu' a one-shot sequel to series|work=South Florida Sun Sentinel}} On June 19, it aired on CBS Summer Playhouse, a program that specialized in rejected pilots and allowed the audience to call in to vote for a show to be picked up as a series.{{Cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/465328/kung-fu-the-next-generation|title=Kung Fu: The Next Generation (1987) - Overview|website=Turner Classic Movies|access-date=October 7, 2018|archive-date=October 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181007145638/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/465328/Kung-Fu-The-Next-Generation/|url-status=live}} The plot centered on the grandson and great-grandson (Lee) of the main character from the original series. The pilot was poorly received and not picked up as a series.{{Cite news|last=Zuckerman|first=Faye|date=June 19, 1987|title=On TV tonight|work=El Paso Times}}{{Cite news|last=Bianculli|first=David|date=June 19, 1987|title=TV tonight|work=The Philadelphia Inquirer|volume=316}}

In 1988, Lee had a role in "What's In a Name", an episode of the American television series Ohara, starring Pat Morita,{{Cite web|date=December 26, 2006|title=From the Archives: Pat Morita, 73; Actor Starred in 'Karate Kid' Movie Series|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/archives/la-me-pat-morita-20051126-story.html|access-date=September 25, 2020|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US|archive-date=January 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119194516/https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/archives/la-me-pat-morita-20051126-story.html|url-status=live}} He portrayed the main villain, the son of a yakuza. Jeff Imada, who worked as stunt coordinator, said that Lee was recommended not to do the role due to the nature of the character. However, Lee saw it as a chance to expand his acting range, and took the role.

In 1990, Laser Mission was released.{{Cite web|title=Laser Mission|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/laser-mission/2000280080/|access-date=July 24, 2021|website=TVGuide.com|language=en|archive-date=July 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210724081655/https://www.tvguide.com/movies/laser-mission/2000280080/|url-status=live}} Filmed in Namibia,{{Cite book|last=Baiss|first=Bridget|title=The Crow: The Story Behind the Film|date=2004|publisher=Titan Books|isbn=978-1-78116-184-5|location=London|pages=46|language=en|chapter=Finding Eric Draven}} Lee stars as mercenary on a mission.{{cite AV media |last=Davis |first=Beau |year=1990|title=Laser Mission|type=VHS |publisher= Direct Source Special Products |id=79836 40653 8}} Distributed by Turner Home Entertainment, it was a commercial success on home video.{{Cite journal|last=Alvarez|first=Max J.|date=December 30, 1994|title=Big names look for bright lights in videoland|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1994-12-30-9412300287-story.html|access-date=April 23, 2019|website=Chicago Tribune|archive-date=July 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702204400/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1994-12-30/entertainment/9412300287_1_direct-to-video-video-store-r-rated|url-status=live}} The film was generally panned by critics, although a few considered it an amusing action B movie.{{Cite news|last=Casimir|first=Jon|date=August 1, 1994|title=Sly gets the joke in action spoof|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|volume=48,957}}{{Cite web|last1=Vorel|first1=Jim|last2=Lowe|first2=Kenneth|date=June 20, 2019|title=Bad Movie Diaries: Laser Mission (1989)|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2019/06/laser-mission-bad-movie-diaries.html|access-date=July 20, 2019|website=Paste|archive-date=July 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190720043828/https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2019/06/laser-mission-bad-movie-diaries.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Colón|first=Dan|date=December 2, 2017|title=Schlock Value: Laser Mission (1989)|url=https://talkfilmsociety.com/columns/schlock-value-laser-mission-1989|access-date=July 20, 2019|website=Talk Film Society|archive-date=July 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190720050747/https://talkfilmsociety.com/columns/schlock-value-laser-mission-1989|url-status=live}}

In the 1980s, Lee started to train again with Dan Inosanto.{{Cite book|last=Baiss|first=Bridget|title=The Crow: The Story Behind the Film|date=2004|publisher=Titan Books|isbn=978-1-78116-184-5|location=London|pages=40|language=en|chapter=Finding Eric Draven}} Inosanto said that Lee would bring a camera to the training facilities to see which techniques looked good on screen. Also around this time, Margaret Loesch, Marvel's CEO from 1984 to 1990,{{Cite web|last=Mallory|first=Michael|date=June 21, 2012|title=Margaret Loesch Fights for Marvel|url=https://www.animationmagazine.net/top-stories/margaret-loesch-fights-for-marvel/|access-date=December 27, 2019|website=Animation Magazine|archive-date=December 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191227040747/https://www.animationmagazine.net/top-stories/margaret-loesch-fights-for-marvel/|url-status=live}} had a meeting with Lee and his mother through comic book writer Stan Lee (no relation). Stan Lee felt that Brandon would be ideal in the role of super-hero Shang-Chi in a film or television adaptation.{{Cite web|last=Francisco|first=Eric|date=November 23, 2018|title=Stan Lee Tried to Make a Shang-Chi Movie Starring Bruce Lee's Son|url=https://www.inverse.com/article/51139-stan-lee-shang-chi-movie-or-tv-show-bruce-lee-son|access-date=April 23, 2019|website=Inverse|archive-date=July 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190726150054/https://www.inverse.com/article/51139-stan-lee-shang-chi-movie-or-tv-show-bruce-lee-son|url-status=live}}

In April 1991, Lee was in Universal Pictures' list of contenders to play his father in the biopic Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993).{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=AFI{{!}}Catalog|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/59508-DRAGON--THE-BRUCE-LEE-STORY?cxt=filmography|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201018102147/https://catalog.afi.com/Film/59508-DRAGON--THE-BRUCE-LEE-STORY?cxt=filmography |archive-date=2020-10-18 |access-date=October 18, 2020|website=AFI}} He turned the role down, finding it awkward to play his father, and too strange to approach the romance between his parents.{{cite web|last=Parker|first=Ryan|date=February 1, 2018|title=Brandon Lee turned down role to play his father in 'Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story'|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/brandon-lee-turned-down-role-play-his-father-dragon-bruce-lee-story-1071598|access-date=October 5, 2020|work=The Hollywood Reporter|archive-date=May 22, 2018|archive-url=https://archive.today/20180522173134/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/brandon-lee-turned-down-role-play-his-father-dragon-bruce-lee-story-1071598|url-status=live}} Also, producer Raffaella De Laurentiis said he did not look Chinese enough and that she would have refused to work on the project if they had to resort to making Brandon appear more Asian.{{cite web |last=Chase |first=Donald |date=25 October 1992 |title=On Location : Re-Enter the Dragon : A film biography of kung fu king Bruce Lee, who died almost 20 years ago, weaves martial arts action with an interracial love story |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-10-25-ca-1095-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200424091846/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-10-25-ca-1095-story.html |archive-date=24 April 2020 |work=Los Angeles Times}} The role went to Jason Scott Lee (no relation), who said he was initially intimidated by his role as Bruce Lee but that he overcame his fear after speaking to Brandon. According to Jason, Brandon told him the following in regards to the role: "He said I wouldn't survive in this part if I treated his father like a god. He said his father was, after all, a man who had a profound destiny, but he was not a god. He was a man who had a temper, a lot of anger, who found mediocrity offensive. Sometimes he was rather merciless." Director Rob Cohen said he spent hours talking to Brandon during preparations.{{cite web|last=Weinraub|first=Bernard|date=April 15, 1993|title=Bruce Lee's Brief Life Being Brought to Screen|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/04/15/movies/bruce-lee-s-brief-life-being-brought-to-screen.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200419153418/https://www.nytimes.com/1993/04/15/movies/bruce-lee-s-brief-life-being-brought-to-screen.html|archive-date=April 19, 2020|work=The New York Times}}File:Obata toshishiro and brandon lee.jpg, 1991]]On August 23, 1991, Mark L. Lester's Showdown in Little Tokyo premiered, which Warner Bros. produced and distributed. Lee starred opposite Dolph Lundgren in the buddy cop action film. Lee secured his role on October 13, 1990, to make his American feature debut. It was meant to start shooting after his casting but was delayed until the following January.{{Cite web|title=AFI{{!}}Catalog|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/59045-SHOWDOWN-IN-LITTLE-TOKYO?cxt=filmography|access-date=September 15, 2020|website=catalog.afi.com|archive-date=September 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200916225219/https://catalog.afi.com/Film/59045-SHOWDOWN-IN-LITTLE-TOKYO?cxt=filmography|url-status=live}} In the film, Lee and Lundgren play cops who are partnered to investigate yakuza.{{cite AV media|title=Showdown in little Tokyo|date=1992|last=Lester|first=Mark L.|language=en|publisher=Warner Brothers|location=Burbank, California|id=0 85391 32113 4|isbn=0-7907-0901-5|medium=VHS}} In the US, the domestic gross was $2,275,557.{{Cite web|title=Showdown in Little Tokyo|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl2523825665/weekend/|access-date=October 20, 2020|website=Box Office Mojo|archive-date=October 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021073413/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl2523825665/weekend/|url-status=live}} The movie faced largely negative reviews;{{cite news|last=Thomas|first=Kevin|date=August 26, 1991|title=Movie Review : 'Showdown in Little Tokyo' a Class Martial-Arts Act|work=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-08-26-ca-850-story.html|url-status=live|access-date=December 4, 2010|archive-date=November 4, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104033007/http://articles.latimes.com/1991-08-26/entertainment/ca-850_1_japanese-martial-arts}}{{cite news|date=December 31, 1990|title=Showdown in Little Tokyo|work=Variety|url=https://variety.com/1990/film/reviews/showdown-in-little-tokyo-1200428753/|url-status=live|access-date=December 4, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107050724/https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117794868?refcatid=31|archive-date=November 7, 2012}}{{cite news|last=Canby|first=Vincent|date=September 22, 1991|title=Review/Film; 'Showdown In Little Tokyo'|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/09/22/movies/review-film-showdown-in-little-tokyo.html|access-date=December 14, 2010|archive-date=June 5, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130605060740/http://www.nytimes.com/1991/09/22/movies/review-film-showdown-in-little-tokyo.html|url-status=live}} retrospectively, however, some critics find it entertaining for its genre.{{Cite web|last=Bumbray|first=Chris|date=December 7, 2018|title=The Best Movie You Never Saw: Showdown in Little Tokyo|url=https://www.joblo.com/movie-news/the-best-movie-you-never-saw-showdown-in-little-tokyo|access-date=September 1, 2019|website=joblo.com|archive-date=June 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190623073352/https://www.joblo.com/movie-news/the-best-movie-you-never-saw-showdown-in-little-tokyo|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Picou|first=Charleston|date=November 23, 2018|title=Film Review: Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991)|url=https://horrornews.net/137456/film-review-showdown-little-tokyo-1991/|access-date=September 1, 2019|website=Horrornews.net|archive-date=September 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190901070804/https://horrornews.net/137456/film-review-showdown-little-tokyo-1991/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Bastardo|first=Luis|date=September 2, 2015|title=Showdown in Little Tokyo Blu-ray Review: The Ultimate Guilty Pleasure of the 90s|url=http://cinemasentries.com/review/showdown-in-little-tokyo-blu-ray-review-the-ultimate-guilty-pleasure-of-the-90s/|access-date=September 1, 2019|website=cinemasentries.com|archive-date=September 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190901070814/http://cinemasentries.com/review/showdown-in-little-tokyo-blu-ray-review-the-ultimate-guilty-pleasure-of-the-90s/|url-status=live}}

While visiting Sweden, Lee was among the cameos in the locally made genre film Sex, Lögner och Videovåld (2002),{{Cite book|last=Crick|first=Robert Alan|title=The Big Screen Comedies of Mel Brooks|date=June 14, 2015|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-1-4766-1228-7|location=London and North Carolina|pages=233|language=en|chapter=Appendix|chapter-url=}} filmed between 1990 and 1993. The film was completed in 2000.{{Cite book|last=Stevenson|first=Jack|title=Scandinavian Blue: The Erotic Cinema of Sweden and Denmark in the 1960s and 1970s|date=September 2, 2015|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-1-4766-1259-1|location=London and North Carolina|pages=263|language=en|chapter=The Players|chapter-url=}}

Lee's next film was 20th Century Fox's Rapid Fire, which premiered on August 22, 1992, and was directed by Dwight H. Little.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=AFI{{!}}Catalog|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/59370-RAPID-FIRE?cxt=filmography|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200201023837/http://catalog.afi.com/Film/59370-RAPID-FIRE?cxt=filmography |archive-date=2020-02-01 |access-date=September 15, 2020|website=AFI}} Lee plays a student named Jake Lo who witnesses a murder and is put in a witness protection program.{{cite AV media |last= Little|first= Dwight H.|year= 2018|title=Rapid Fire|type=Blu-ray |publisher=Twilight Time |id=8 11956 02244 8}} The film came about when producer Robert Lawrence started working with Lee and noticed his potential to be an action leading man in Hollywood after screening Lee's earlier project Legacy of Rage.{{Cite news|last=Koltnow|first=Barry|date=August 26, 1992|title=A karate chop off the old block|page=D-12|work=The Record}} Lee was involved with the story development, and connected with the plot point where his character loses his father. Jeff Imada, the film's stunt coordinator, witnessed Lee bringing a book of work by his father to emotionally prepare himself in the scene where the character loses his dad. Imada also said Lee put on muscle for the role.{{Cite book|last=Baiss|first=Bridget|title=The Crow: The Story Behind the Film|date=2004|publisher=Titan Books|isbn=978-1-78116-184-5|location=London|pages=84–85|language=en|chapter=Wilmington: pre-production}} Lee and Imada are credited for the fight choreography, the fighting style contain elements of Lee father's Jeet Kune Do.{{Cite web|last=Star-Telegram|first=Fort Worth|date=August 25, 1992|title=Brandon Lee follows father's footsteps|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1992-08-25-1992238069-story.html|access-date=April 22, 2019|website=The Baltimore Sun|archive-date=April 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422230938/https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1992-08-25-1992238069-story.html|url-status=live}} Lee was allowed to add some touches of his own humor to the script. On playing the character of Jake Lo, Lee said "I always saw that character as not being gung-ho to get himself involved in those situations. I wanted to keep that throughout the film, that sarcastic edge. So he's not just becoming Joe Action Hero." In the US, the film is debuted at No.3 at the box office,{{cite news|last=Fox|first=David J.|date=August 25, 1992|title=Weekend Box Office 'Unforgiven' at Top for Third Week|work=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-08-25-ca-6052-story.html|access-date=December 1, 2010|archive-date=April 2, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110402055251/http://articles.latimes.com/1992-08-25/entertainment/ca-6052_1_weekend-box-office|url-status=live}} making $4,815,850. After its 19 weeks run in cinemas, it made a total of $14,356,479.{{Cite web|title=Rapid Fire|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl3328869889/weekend/|access-date=October 20, 2020|website=Box Office Mojo|archive-date=October 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022203622/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl3328869889/weekend/|url-status=live}} Most critics did not like the film, but many of them found Lee charismatic.{{cite news|last=Siskel|first=Gene|date=August 21, 1992|title=Dump 'Rapid Fire,' But Keep Brandon Lee|work=Chicago Tribune|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1992/08/21/dump-rapid-fire-but-keep-brandon-lee/|access-date=September 20, 2010|archive-date=June 6, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120606142356/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1992-08-21/entertainment/9203160365_1_brandon-lee-rapid-fire-witness-protection-program|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last=Holden|first=Stephen|date=August 21, 1992|title=Review/Film; Violence Compounded by More Violence|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/08/21/movies/review-film-violence-compounded-by-more-violence.html|access-date=December 14, 2010|archive-date=March 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330233203/https://www.nytimes.com/1992/08/21/movies/review-film-violence-compounded-by-more-violence.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=Rapid Fire (1992)|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1040198_rapid_fire|access-date=October 2, 2017|website=Rotten Tomatoes|date=21 May 2002 |archive-date=August 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830111148/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1040198_rapid_fire|url-status=live}} A minority of critics found Rapid Fire to be slick, well acted, and a serviceable action film.{{Cite web|last1=McBride|first1=Joseph|date=August 14, 1992|title=Rapid Fire|url=https://variety.com/1992/film/reviews/rapid-fire-2-1200430540/|access-date=October 27, 2019|website=Variety|archive-date=October 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191027021312/https://variety.com/1992/film/reviews/rapid-fire-2-1200430540/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://cinapse.co/rapid-fire-brandon-lees-star-is-born-88dee2a8ffac|title=RAPID FIRE: Brandon Lee's Star Is Born|last=Travis|first=Ed|date=September 4, 2018|website=Medium|access-date=October 27, 2019|archive-date=April 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190430090225/https://cinapse.co/rapid-fire-brandon-lees-star-is-born-88dee2a8ffac|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Thomas|first=Kevin|date=August 21, 1992|title=Movie review : 'Rapid Fire' Launches Heir to Lee's Kung Fu Legacy|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-08-21-ca-5446-story.html|access-date=October 27, 2019|website=Los Angeles Times|archive-date=October 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191027021313/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-08-21-ca-5446-story.html|url-status=live}} Also that year, it was reported that Lee signed a three-picture deal with 20th Century Fox and a multi-picture deal with Carolco Pictures. That year, according to John Lee Hancock, Lee read the first draft of The Little Things (2021), and was interested to act in it.{{Cite web|last=Gray|first=Tim|date=January 26, 2021|title=John Lee Hancock Makes Audiences Think About 'Little Things'|url=https://variety.com/2021/awards/news/john-lee-hancock-denzel-washington-little-things-1234891136/|access-date=March 23, 2021|website=Variety|language=en-US|archive-date=January 23, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220123135952/https://variety.com/2021/awards/news/john-lee-hancock-denzel-washington-little-things-1234891136/|url-status=live}}

In the fall, while doing publicity for Rapid Fire, Lee landed the lead role in Alex Proyas' The Crow, an adaptation of a comic book by the same name.{{Cite book|last=Baiss|first=Bridget|title=The Crow: The Story Behind the Film|date=2004|publisher=Titan Books|isbn=978-1-78116-184-5|location=London|pages=49|language=en|chapter=Refining the script and doing a deal}} It tells the story of Eric Draven (Lee), a rock musician raised from the dead by a supernatural crow to avenge his own death as well as the rape and murder of his fiancée by a dangerous gang in his city.{{cite AV media|title=The Crow|last=Proyas|first=Alex|language=en, fr, es|publisher=Miramax / Dimension Home Entertainment|id=21460|isbn=0-7888-2602-6|medium=DVD}} According to producer Jeff Most, Lee had good insight on the character and liked the lyrical lines within the script, but did not want the dialogue to spread aimlessly.{{Clarify|reason=What does "spread aimlessly" mean?|date=September 2021}} Hence, Lee focused on the brevity and rhythm of the lines of dialogue to make the character threatening. In preparation for the fight sequence, Most said that director Proyas and Lee studied martial arts movies. Also according to Most, Lee did not want metaphysical characters besides his own in the film.{{Cite book|last=Baiss|first=Bridget|title=The Crow: The Story Behind the Film|date=2004|publisher=Titan Books|isbn=978-1-78116-184-5|location=London|pages=49–50|language=en|chapter=Refining the script and doing a deal}} Costumer Roberta Bile said that Lee modelled Draven after singer Chris Robinson.{{Cite book|last=Baiss|first=Bridget|title=The Crow: The Story Behind the Film|date=2004|publisher=Titan Books|isbn=978-1-78116-184-5|location=London|pages=84|language=en|chapter=Wilmington: pre-production}} Lee convinced the team to hire Jeff Imada who became the stunt coordinator;{{Cite book|last=Baiss|first=Bridget|title=The Crow: The Story Behind the Film|date=2004|publisher=Titan Books|isbn=978-1-78116-184-5|location=London|pages=50|language=en|chapter=Refining the script and doing a deal}} he and Imada oversaw the fight choreography.{{Cite book|last=Baiss|first=Bridget|title=The Crow: The Story Behind the Film|date=2004|publisher=Titan Books|isbn=978-1-78116-184-5|location=London|pages=284|language=en|chapter=Appendix II}}

Imada and Lee agreed that the character of Eric Draven would not do conventional martial arts moves; his movements would be unique. He is a character without formal martial arts training who was given supernatural abilities upon resurrection. With this in mind, they added aerobics to Draven's fighting style. Both Imada and Most said Lee was pleased to incorporate his martial arts to the design of the character, without it being part of the story.{{Cite book|last=Baiss|first=Bridget|title=The Crow: The Story Behind the Film|date=2004|publisher=Titan Books|isbn=978-1-78116-184-5|location=London|pages=49–51|language=en|chapter=Refining the script and doing a deal}} Imada said that in order to look like a rocker and not an action hero, Lee went on a strict diet weeks before shooting in order to remove a lot of bulk, and would even weigh the food he ate. Lee also focused on cardiovascular exercise with a stairmaster, did repetitions on lighter weights to elongate and stretch his muscles, and did aerobics to lose body fat rapidly. During pre-production, Imada said that in order to get into character for the resurrection, Lee bought bags of ice in which he submerged himself, because Lee hypothesized that the feeling of resurrection must be freezing cold. The resurrection scene was shot the first night of production, during the winter. Imada was surprised that Lee requested the bags of ice because of the weather, and the fact that he was already barefoot and bare-naked.{{Cite book|last=Baiss|first=Bridget|title=The Crow: The Story Behind the Film|date=2004|publisher=Titan Books|isbn=978-1-78116-184-5|location=London|pages=88–89|language=en|chapter=Production begins}} Key hairstylist Michelle Johnson{{Cite book|last=Baiss|first=Bridget|title=The Crow: The Story Behind the Film|date=2004|publisher=Titan Books|isbn=978-1-78116-184-5|location=London|pages=285|language=en|chapter=Appendix II}} said that in rain scenes Lee would soak himself prior to filming the scenes, where he would act without a shirt in cold weather. The film crew was impressed with his performance and dedication.{{Cite book|last=Baiss|first=Bridget|title=The Crow: The Story Behind the Film|date=2004|publisher=Titan Books|isbn=978-1-78116-184-5|location=London|pages=124–125|language=en|chapter=The atmosphere on set}}

On March 31, 1993, while filming The Crow, Lee suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the abdomen on set. A .44 Magnum revolver loaded with blanks was pointed at him and fired as part of a scene, but the props staff had not checked the gun to ensure that it was safe to use. The projectile from a live round had become wedged in the barrel some time earlier; when the blank was fired, it generated enough force to push the projectile out at lethal velocity.{{cite news|last1=Robey|first1=Tim|date=October 27, 2016|title=Brandon Lee, Michael Massee and the 'curse' of The Crow|work=The Daily Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/brandon-lee-michael-massee-and-the-curse-of-the-crow/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/film/the-crow/brandon-lee-death-shooting-truth |archive-date=2022-01-11 |url-access=subscription|url-status=live|access-date=January 26, 2017}}{{cbignore}}

After Lee's death in 1993, his fiancée Eliza Hutton and his mother supported director Proyas' decision to complete The Crow.{{Cite web|last=Arnold|first=Ben|date=May 22, 2019|title=Brad Pitt says Brandon Lee once told him he feared dying young like his father|url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/brad-pitt-says-brandon-lee-once-told-him-he-feared-dying-young-like-his-father-093356019.html|access-date=December 27, 2019|publisher=Yahoo! Finance|archive-date=December 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191227023505/https://finance.yahoo.com/news/brad-pitt-says-brandon-lee-once-told-him-he-feared-dying-young-like-his-father-093356019.html|url-status=live}} At the time of Lee's death, only eight days were left before completion of the movie. A majority of the film had already been completed with Lee, and he was only required to shoot scenes for three more days. To complete the film, stunt doubles Chad Stahelski and Jeff Cadiente served as stand-ins; special effects were used to give them Lee's face.{{Cite magazine|last=Ascher-Walsh|first=Rebecca|date=May 13, 1994|title=The Crow cast deals with Brandon's Lee death|url=https://ew.com/article/1994/05/13/crow-cast-deals-brandons-lee-death/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150323214621/http://www.ew.com:80/article/1994/05/13/crow-cast-deals-brandons-lee-death |archive-date=2015-03-23 |access-date=September 25, 2020|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|language=EN}} Lee's on-set death paved the way for deceased actors to complete or have new performances, since pioneering CGI techniques were used to complete The Crow.{{Cite web|last=Miller|first=Leon|date=August 9, 2018|title=14 Actors Resurrected With Crazy CGI (And 6 That Can Never Be)|url=https://screenrant.com/actors-refused-resurrected-cgi-rights/|access-date=December 27, 2019|website=ScreenRant|archive-date=December 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191227201529/https://screenrant.com/actors-refused-resurrected-cgi-rights/|url-status=live}} A month later, it was reported that Lee's previous films Laser Mission, Showdown in Little Tokyo, and Rapid Fire saw a surge in video sales.{{cite news|last=Hunt|first=Dennis|date=May 9, 1993|title=A Resurgence of Interest in Films of Brandon Lee|work=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-04-09-ca-20800-story.html|access-date=December 3, 2010|archive-date=November 4, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104032437/http://articles.latimes.com/1993-04-09/entertainment/ca-20800_1_brandon-lee|url-status=live}} On April 28, Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story premiered at the Mann's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. The film is dedicated to Brandon with the quote: "The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering." The event was considered a celebration of both Brandon and his father Bruce. Brandon's mother Linda and sister Shannon attended the premiere. Linda found the film to be excellent and a great tribute to her whole family.{{Cite web|last=Higgins|first=Bill|date=April 30, 1993|title=A Film Premiere Tempered by Loss : Memories: Brandon Lee's death made the opening of Bruce Lee's bio a poignant event. But the elder Lee's widow said it was a tribute to both.|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-04-30-vw-29353-story.html|access-date=December 28, 2019|website=Los Angeles Times|archive-date=December 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191228035222/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-04-30-vw-29353-story.html|url-status=live}}

In 1994, The Crow opened at number one in the United States in 1,573 theaters grossing $11.7 million, averaging $7,485 per theater.{{cite web|author1=Fox|first=David J.|date=May 16, 1994|title='The Crow' Takes Off at Box Office|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-05-16-ca-58401-story.html|access-date=March 12, 2011|website=Los Angeles Times|archive-date=September 12, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110912015601/http://articles.latimes.com/1994-05-16/entertainment/ca-58401_1_box-offices|url-status=live}} The film ultimately grossed $50.7 million, above its $23 million budget, 24th among all films released in the U.S. that year and 10th among R-rated films released that year. It was the most successful film of Lee's career, and is considered a cult classic.{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=crow.htm |title=The Crow (1994) |website=Box Office Mojo |access-date=March 12, 2011 |archive-date=November 9, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181109070659/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=crow.htm |url-status=live }}{{Cite web|last=Goodman|first=Eleanor|date=January 4, 2019|title=The Crow: the macabre tale of the ultimate cult goth movie|url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/1994-when-a-surprise-movie-hit-unleashed-a-gothic-vision-that-endures-today|access-date=December 29, 2019|website=Metal Hammer Magazine|archive-date=November 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191102003859/https://www.loudersound.com/features/1994-when-a-surprise-movie-hit-unleashed-a-gothic-vision-that-endures-today|url-status=live}}{{cite news |author=Fox, David J. |date=May 16, 1994 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-05-16-ca-58401-story.html |title='The Crow' Takes Off at Box Office |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |access-date=March 12, 2011 |archive-date=September 12, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110912015601/http://articles.latimes.com/1994-05-16/entertainment/ca-58401_1_box-offices |url-status=live }} The film is dedicated to him and his fiancée Eliza Hutton. The Crow has an approval rating of 82 percent on Rotten Tomatoes based on 55 reviews; critical consensus there is: "Filled with style and dark, lurid energy, The Crow is an action-packed visual feast that also has a soul in the performance of the late Brandon Lee."{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/crow/|title=The Crow|date=January 1, 1994|work=Rotten Tomatoes|access-date=December 30, 2019|archive-date=June 5, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200605071447/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/crow|url-status=live}} The Crow has a score of 71 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 14 critics, indicating "Generally favorable reviews".{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-crow|title=The Crow|publisher=Metacritic|access-date=November 6, 2015|archive-date=November 20, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151120224937/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-crow|url-status=live}} Reviewers praised the action and visual style.{{cite news |author-link=Desson Howe |author=Howe, Desson |date=May 13, 1994 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/thecrowrhowe_a0b055.htm |title='The Crow' (R) |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=March 12, 2011 |archive-date=November 10, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110070132/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/thecrowrhowe_a0b055.htm |url-status=live }}{{cite news |author-link=Roger Ebert |author=Ebert, Roger |date=May 13, 1994 |url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F19940513%2FREVIEWS%2F405130302%2F1023 |title=The Crow |newspaper=Chicago Sun-Times |access-date=March 12, 2011 |archive-date=December 23, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101223184520/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F19940513%2FREVIEWS%2F405130302%2F1023 |url-status=live }} Rolling Stone called it a "dazzling fever dream of a movie"; Caryn James, writing for The New York Times, called it "a genre film of a high order, stylish and smooth"; Roger Ebert called it "a stunning work of visual style".{{cite magazine |author-link=Peter Travers |author=Travers, Peter |date=May 11, 1994 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/the-crow-19940511 |title=The Crow |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=March 12, 2011 |archive-date=February 22, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110222150515/http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/the-crow-19940511 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |author=James, Caryn |date=May 11, 1994 |url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=950CEEDE1039F932A25756C0A962958260 |title=Eerie Links Between Living and Dead |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=March 12, 2011 |archive-date=July 6, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706064251/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=950CEEDE1039F932A25756C0A962958260 |url-status=live }} The Los Angeles Times also praised the film.{{cite news |author=Rainer, Peter |date=May 11, 1994 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-05-11-ca-56162-story.html |title=Movie Review: 'The Crow' Flies With Grim Glee |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |access-date=March 12, 2011 |archive-date=November 4, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104034315/http://articles.latimes.com/1994-05-11/entertainment/ca-56162_1_brandon-lee |url-status=live }}{{cite news |author=Welkos, Robert W. |date=May 11, 1994 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-05-11-ca-56213-story.html |title=Movie Review: Life After Death: A Hit in the Offing? |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |access-date=March 12, 2011 |archive-date=November 4, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104034355/http://articles.latimes.com/1994-05-11/entertainment/ca-56213_1_small-movie |url-status=live }} Lee's death was alleged to have a melancholic effect on viewers; Desson Howe of The Washington Post wrote that Lee "haunts every frame" and James Berardinelli called the film "a case of 'art imitating death', and that specter will always hang over The Crow".{{cite web |author-link=James Berardinelli |author=Berardinelli, James |date=1994 |url=http://preview.reelviews.net/movies/c/crow.html |title=Review: the Crow |website=ReelViews |access-date=March 12, 2011 |archive-date=December 31, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191231100349/http://preview.reelviews.net/movies/c/crow.html |url-status=live }}

Jessica Seigel of the Chicago Tribune found that Lee never quite left the shadow of his father and that The Crow did not live up to Lee's full unexploited potential.{{Cite news|last=Seigel|first=Jessica|date=April 14, 1993|title=Brandon Lee never escaped shadow of his famous dad|work=Detroit Free Press|url=}} Amber McKee of the Park Record considered it a good film but an eerie conclusion to Lee's career, since he had wanted to escape the action genre and move on to dramatic roles.{{Cite news|last=McKee|first=Amber|date=May 19, 1993|title=The Crow: an apt eulogy for Brandon Lee|work=The Park Record|url=}} Berardinelli called it an appropriate epitaph to Lee, Howe called it an appropriate sendoff, and Ebert stated that not only was this Lee's best film, it was also better than any of his father's.The Crow retained a loyal following many years after its release. Due to the source material and Lee's fate, it is often described as a goth cult film.{{Cite web|last=Powers|first=Ed|date=May 21, 2019|title=How 'The Crow' transcended the tragic, on-camera death of its star to become a superhero classic|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/the-crow-25-ann-brandon-lee-shot-world-goth-day-michael-massee-comic-book-a8907951.html|access-date=December 28, 2019|website=The Independent|archive-date=December 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191228032704/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/the-crow-25-ann-brandon-lee-shot-world-goth-day-michael-massee-comic-book-a8907951.html|url-status=live}}

In 1998, Legacy of Rage was released in the US to Home media, and Australia the next year.{{Cite news|last=Lowing|first=Rob|date=March 21, 1999|title=Movies|work=The Sydney Morning Herald}} The film has been described as stylistic and fast-paced, with a good performance by Lee.{{Cite news|last=Myers|first=Randy|date=May 22, 1998|title=Reviews|page=Gulf-Coasting: 14|work=News-Press}}{{Cite news|last=Harris|first=Paul|date=March 22, 1999|title=Today's films|page=19|work=The Age}}{{Cite news|date=May 8, 1998|title=Mondo video|page=74|work=Daily News}}

On March 31, 1993, Lee was filming a scene for the film The Crow in which his character is shot and killed by thugs.{{cite news|author1=Richard Harrington|date=May 15, 1994|title=The Shadow of the Crow|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/1994/05/15/the-shadow-of-the-crow/5852ee0f-6e8c-4a40-9aef-55440dcbed53|access-date=September 20, 2016|archive-date=August 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807174405/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/1994/05/15/the-shadow-of-the-crow/5852ee0f-6e8c-4a40-9aef-55440dcbed53/|url-status=live}} In the scene, Lee's character walks into his apartment and discovers his fiancée being beaten and raped, and a thug played by actor Michael Massee fires a Smith & Wesson Model 629 .44 Magnum revolver at Lee's character as he walks into the room.{{cite news|title=Bruce Lee's Son, Brandon, Killed in Movie Accident|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=April 1, 1993|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-04-01-mn-17681-story.html|access-date=December 7, 2010|first=Robert W.|last=Welkos|archive-date=January 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190108234234/http://articles.latimes.com/1993-04-01/news/mn-17681_1_actor-brandon-lee|url-status=live}}

In a film shoot prior to the fatal scene, the gun that was used as a prop (a real revolver) was loaded with improperly made dummy rounds, improvised from live cartridges that had the powder charges removed by the special effects crew, so in close-ups the revolver would show normal-looking ammunition. However, the crew neglected to remove the primers from the cartridges, and at some point before the fatal event, one of the rounds had been fired. Although there were no powder charges, the energy from the ignited primer was enough to separate the bullet from the casing and push it part-way into the gun barrel, where it got stuck—a dangerous condition known as a squib load.

During the fatal scene, which called for the revolver to be fired at Lee from a distance of {{convert|3.6|–|4.5|m|ft|sp=us}}, the dummy cartridges were replaced with blank rounds, which contained a powder charge and the primer, but no solid bullet, allowing the gun to be fired with sound and flash effects without the risk of an actual projectile. However, the gun was not properly checked and cleared before the blank was fired, and the dummy bullet previously lodged in the barrel was then propelled forward by the blank's propellant and shot out the muzzle with almost the same force as if the round were live, striking Lee in the abdomen.{{cite magazine|title=The Brief Life and Unnecessary Death of Brandon Lee|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=April 16, 1993|url=https://ew.com/article/1993/04/16/brief-life-and-unnecessary-death-brandon-lee/|access-date=December 7, 2010|first=Mark|last=Harris|archive-date=March 15, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110315034237/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,306206,00.html|url-status=live}}

After Massee pulled the trigger and shot Lee, Lee fell backwards instead of forwards as he was supposed to. When the director said "cut", Lee did not stand up and the crew thought he was either still acting or joking. Jeff Imada, who immediately checked Lee, noticed something wrong when he came close and noted Lee was unconscious and breathing heavily. Medic Clyde Baisey went to Lee and shook him to see if he was dazed by hitting his head during the fall, but did not think Lee had been shot since there was no visible bleeding. Baisey took Lee's pulse, which was regular, but within two to three minutes it slowed down dramatically, and stopped.{{Cite book|last=Baiss|first=Bridget|title=The Crow: The Story Behind the Film|date=2004|publisher=Titan Books|isbn=978-1-78116-184-5|location=London|pages=184–186|language=en|chapter=Confusion}}

Lee was rushed to the New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, North Carolina. Attempts to save him were unsuccessful and after six hours of emergency surgery, Lee was pronounced dead on March 31, 1993, at 1:03 pm. He was 28 years old. The shooting was ruled an accident due to negligence.{{cite news|date=April 29, 1993|title=Negligence is Seen in Actor's Death|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/04/29/us/negligence-is-seen-in-actor-s-death.html|access-date=March 16, 2019|archive-date=October 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211022234108/https://www.nytimes.com/1993/04/29/us/negligence-is-seen-in-actor-s-death.html|url-status=live}} Lee's death led to the re-emergence of conspiracy theories surrounding his father's similarly early death.{{cite news|date=May 3, 1993|title=Shooting of a star|pages=20–21|work=The Observer|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/41117122/shooting_of_a_star_part_2/|access-date=December 26, 2019|archive-date=December 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191226232706/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/41117122/shooting_of_a_star_part_2/|url-status=live}} Lee was buried next to his father at the Lake View Cemetery in Seattle, Washington. A private funeral attended by 50 took place in Seattle on April 3. The following day, 200 of Lee's family and business associates attended a memorial service at actress Polly Bergen's house in Los Angeles. Among the attendees were Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips, David Hasselhoff, Steven Seagal, David Carradine, and Melissa Etheridge.{{cite news|date=May 3, 1993|title=Shooting of a star|page=26|work=The Observer}}{{cite magazine|last=Jeffrey|first=Douglas|date=July 1, 1993|title=The Tragic death of Brandon Lee|url=|magazine=Black Belt Magazine|volume=31|issue=7|page=29}}File:Bruce Lee 1.JPG]]

In August 1993, Lee's mother, Linda Lee Cadwell, filed a lawsuit against the filmmakers alleging negligence in the death of her son. The suit was settled two months later under undisclosed terms.{{Cite news|author=Pristin, Terry|date=August 11, 1993|title=Brandon Lee's Mother Claims Negligence Caused His Death : Movies: Linda Lee Cadwell sues 14 entities regarding the actor's 'agonizing pain, suffering and untimely death' last March on the North Carolina set of 'The Crow.'|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-08-11-ca-22553-story.html|access-date=October 22, 2021|work=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US|archive-date=October 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211023144859/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-08-11-ca-22553-story.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|title=MOM SETTLES SUIT IN BRANDON LEE'S DEATH|url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1993-10-27-9310270523-story.html|access-date=October 22, 2021|work=Orlando Sentinel|language=en-US|date=October 27, 1993|archive-date=September 2, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220902063053/https://www.orlandosentinel.com/|url-status=live}}

In an interview just prior to his death, Lee quoted a passage from Paul Bowles' book The Sheltering Sky{{Cite magazine|date=May 13, 1994|title=Brandon Lee's last interview|url=https://ew.com/article/1994/05/13/brandon-lees-last-interview/|access-date=November 27, 2019|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|archive-date=September 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923035243/https://ew.com/article/1994/05/13/brandon-lees-last-interview/|url-status=live}} which he had chosen for his wedding invitations; it is now inscribed on his tombstone:

{{blockquote|Because we don't know when we will die, we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well. And yet everything happens only a certain number of times, and a very small number really. How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, an afternoon that is so deeply a part of your being that you can't even conceive of your life without it? Perhaps four, or five times more? Perhaps not even that. How many more times will you watch the full moon rise? Perhaps twenty. And yet it all seems limitless...{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/41116327/visitors_leave_objects_of_devotion_on/|title=Visitors leave objects of devotion on graves of Bruce Lee and son|last=Lyke|first=M.L.|date=June 4, 1995|work=The Santa Fe New Mexican|access-date=December 26, 2019|archive-date=December 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191226230626/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/41116327/visitors_leave_objects_of_devotion_on/|url-status=live}}}}

Lee was trained from a young age by his father Bruce Lee in martial arts.* {{cite magazine|last=Jeffrey|first=Douglas|date=July 1, 1993|title=The Tragic death of Brandon Lee|url=|magazine=Black Belt Magazine|volume=31|issue=7|pages=28}} During this time, martial artist Bob Wall, a friend and collaborator of Bruce, observed that Lee hit with power and had good footwork.* {{cite magazine|last=Jeffrey|first=Douglas|date=July 1, 1993|title=The Tragic death of Brandon Lee|url=|magazine=Black Belt Magazine|volume=31|issue=7|pages=96}} At age eight, after his father's death, Bruce's disciple Dan Inosanto trained Lee. According to Jeff Imada who at the time was helping with children's classes at Inosanto's Kali Institute, the fact that he was the son of one of its founders was kept quiet; Lee had difficulty focusing due to seeing his father's photos taking so much space in his studio. Imada said Lee stopped training in his mid-teens to play soccer. Richard Bustillo also trained Lee during his teens and said that Lee worked hard and was always respectful. Lee said that with his training Arnis with Inosanto he specialized in both Kali and Escrima and lasted three to four years.{{cite magazine|last=Coleman|first=Jim|date=September 1, 1994|title=Brandon Lee's first interview!|url=|magazine=Black Belt Magazine|volume=32|issue=9|page=47}}

In 1986, Lee said that he was training in Yee Chuan Tao, a relaxation-based martial art, with a trainer named Mike Vendrell. Lee said that it consisted of exercises such as slow sparring, Chi sao practice; they also worked on a wooden dummy, as well as Vendrell swinging a staff at him while he would duck or jump over. He said later that the exercise helped him be less tense.{{cite magazine|last=Coleman|first=Jim|date=September 1, 1994|title=Brandon Lee's first interview!|url=|magazine=Black Belt Magazine|volume=32|issue=9|pages=47–48}}

Also in the 1980s, Lee returned to Dan Inosanto's Academy. Lee said he did a few amateur fights but did not seek to compete in tournaments. He would bring a camera to Inosanto's studio, both would choreograph fights for Lee's films and would allow him to see how various moves played out on screen. During this time, Lee also trained in weapon-based martial arts such as Eskrima and Silat.{{Cite web|date=February 12, 2021|title=Was Brandon Lee a martial artist like his father & how good was he?|url=https://budodragon.com/was-brandon-lee-a-martial-artist-like-his-father-how-good-was-he/|access-date=April 8, 2021|website=BudoDragon|language=en-US|archive-date=February 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210221090947/https://budodragon.com/was-brandon-lee-a-martial-artist-like-his-father-how-good-was-he/|url-status=live}} In 1991, Lee was certified by the Thai Boxing Association. While his main goal was dramatic acting, he credited his skill in martial arts to have helped him to get roles that require it.

During the filming of The Crow, Lee said he did cardiovascular exercises to the point of exhaustion using a jump rope, running, riding a LifeCycle, or using a StairMaster, after which he would train at Inosanto's academy where he took Muay Thai classes.{{cite magazine|last=Little|first=John|date=August 1, 1993|title=Brandon Lee's final martial arts interview|url=|magazine=Black Belt Magazine|volume=31|issue=8|page=28}}

According to Lee's mother, years prior to his death Lee became consumed with his father's written philosophy, taking lengthy notes. When asked which martial arts he practiced, he responded:

{{Blockquote|text=When people ask me that question, I usually say that my father created the art of Jeet Kune Do and I have been trained in that. However, that's a little too simple to say because Jeet Kune Do was my father's very personal expression of the martial arts. So I always feel a little bit silly saying I practice Jeet Kune Do, although I certainly have been trained in it. It would be more accurate to say that I practice my own interpretation of Jeet Kune Do, just as everyone who practices Jeet Kune Do does.{{cite magazine|url=|magazine=Black Belt Magazine|title=Brandon Lee's final martial arts interview|first=John|last=Little|volume=31|issue=8|pages=121|date=August 1, 1993}}|author=|title=|source=}}

In August 1992, Bruce Lee biographer John Little asked Brandon Lee what his philosophy in life was, and he replied, "Eat—or die!"{{cite book|url=|title=The Warrior Within – The philosophies of Bruce Lee to better understand the world around you and achieve a rewarding life|last=Little|first=John|publisher=Contemporary Books|year=1996|isbn=0-8092-3194-8|page=129]}} Brandon later spoke of the martial arts and self-knowledge:

{{blockquote|Well, I would say this: when you move down the road towards mastery of the martial arts—and you know, you are constantly moving down that road—you end up coming up against these barriers inside yourself that will attempt to stop you from continuing to pursue the mastery of the martial arts. And these barriers are such things as when you come up against your own limitations, when you come up against the limitations of your will, your ability, your natural ability, your courage, how you deal with success—and failure as well, for that matter. And as you overcome each one of these barriers, you end up learning something about yourself. And sometimes, the things you learn about yourself can, to the individual, seem to convey a certain spiritual sense along with them.

...It's funny, every time you come up against a true barrier to your progress, you are a child again. And it's a very interesting experience to be reduced, once again, to the level of knowing nothing about what you're doing. I think there's a lot of room for learning and growth when that happens—if you face it head-on and don't choose to say, "Ah, screw that! I'm going to do something else!"

We reduce ourselves at a certain point in our lives to kind of solely pursuing things that we already know how to do. You know, because you don't want to have that experience of not knowing what you're doing and being an amateur again. And I think that's rather unfortunate. It's so much more interesting and usually illuminating to put yourself in a situation where you don't know what's going to happen, than to do something again that you already know essentially what the outcome will be within three or four points either way.{{cite book | last = Little | first = John | title = The Warrior Within – The philosophies of Bruce Lee to better understand the world around you and achieve a rewarding life | publisher = Contemporary Books | year = 1996 | page = 150 | isbn = 0-8092-3194-8 }}|source=}}

Lee's paternal great-grandfather was Ho Kom-Tong, a Chinese philanthropist who was the half-brother of businessman and philanthropist Sir Robert Ho Tung.{{Cite web|last=Russo|first=Charles|date=May 19, 2016|title=Was Bruce Lee of English Descent?|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/was-bruce-lee-of-english-descent/|access-date=February 16, 2020|website=Vice|archive-date=February 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200216235300/https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/mgzve4/was-bruce-lee-of-english-descent|url-status=live}} Lee's mother, Linda Emery, has Swedish and German ancestry. Lee's father has been said to have "proudly told everyone" about his newborn son Brandon's diverse features, describing him as perhaps the only Chinese person with blond hair and grey eyes.{{Cite journal|last=Blank|first=Ed|date=August 9, 2018|title=Mixed Martial Artist: Uncovering Bruce Lee's Hidden Jewish Ancestry|url=https://jewishinsandiego.org/jewish-community-news/mixed-martial-artist-uncovering-bruce-lees-hidden-jewish-ancestry|website=Jewish Federation of San Diego County|access-date=March 30, 2020|archive-date=September 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922003840/https://www.jewishinsandiego.org/jewish-community-news/mixed-martial-artist-uncovering-bruce-lees-hidden-jewish-ancestry|url-status=live}} He was the brother of Shannon Lee.{{Cite web|last=Yap|first=Audrey Cleo|date=October 5, 2020|title=Bruce Lee's Daughter Shannon Recalls His Struggle to Make 'Enter the Dragon' in New Book Excerpt|url=https://variety.com/2020/film/news/bruce-lee-shannon-lee-be-water-my-friend-book-1234792317/|url-status=live|access-date=March 23, 2021|website=Variety|language=|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201007065959/https://variety.com/2020/film/news/bruce-lee-shannon-lee-be-water-my-friend-book-1234792317/ |archive-date=2020-10-07 }}

According to Chuck Norris, a friend and collaborator of Lee's father, he lived not far from their home in California and spent time with him as a child telling him about his father. Norris also explained that his son, Eric Norris, and Lee were childhood friends.{{Cite news|last=Murray|first=Steve|date=May 3, 1993|title=Actor's new kick: family values|page=C-7|work=The Atlanta Constitution}} John Lee Hancock said he had a friendship with Lee, who would read all of his scripts. Lee was also friends with George Clooney and Miguel Ferrer. Clooney stated, "my cousin Miguel Ferrer was gonna be his best man the next week at their wedding. Brandon and I played ball and hung out at the Hollywood YMCA three days a week, we were buddies and this was his big break."{{Citation |last=VanHoose |first=Benjamin |title=George Clooney Reflects on Close Friend Brandon Lee's On-Set Death in Wake of 'Rust' Shooting |date=November 15, 2021|url=https://people.com/movies/george-clooney-reflects-on-close-friend-brandon-lees-on-set-death-in-wake-of-rust-shooting/ }} Lee was also a friend of Chad Stahelski, his double after his death during The Crow. The two trained together at the Inosanto Martial Arts Academy.{{Cite web|last=Ashurst|first=Sam|date=May 15, 2019|title='John Wick 3' director Chad Stahelski opens up about Brandon Lee's tragic death on 'The Crow'|url=https://uk.movies.yahoo.com/john-wick-3-director-chad-stahelski-opens-brandon-lees-tragic-death-crow-142644256.html|url-status=live|access-date=March 23, 2021|website=Yahoo|language=en-GB|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190517155750/https://uk.movies.yahoo.com/john-wick-3-director-chad-stahelski-opens-brandon-lees-tragic-death-crow-142644256.html |archive-date=2019-05-17 }}

In 1990, Lee met Eliza Hutton at director Renny Harlin's office, where she was working as his personal assistant. Lee and Hutton moved in together in early 1991 and became engaged in October 1992.{{Cite book|last=Baiss|first=Bridget|url=|title=The Crow: The Story Behind the Film|date=2004|publisher=Titan Books|isbn=978-1-78116-184-5|location=London|pages=59–60|language=en}} They planned to get married in Ensenada, Mexico, on April 17, 1993, a week after Lee was to complete filming on The Crow.

==Filmography==

• The Captive – 1915 film during which Charles Chandler was shot with a rifle
• Jon-Erik Hexum – actor killed by accidental self-inflicted blank cartridge gunshot to the head
• Halyna Hutchins – cinematographer and journalist shot and killed on the film set of Rust when a live round was loaded into a replica gun
• List of film and television accidents

{{Reflist|30em}}

• {{cite magazine |last=Jeffrey |first=Douglas |year=1993 |title=The Tragic death of Brandon Lee |url= |magazine=Black Belt Magazine |volume=31 |issue=7 |pages=}}
• {{cite magazine |last=Little |first=John |year=1993 |title=Brandon Lee's final martial arts interview |url= |magazine=Black Belt Magazine |volume=31 |issue=8 |pages=}}
• {{cite magazine |last=Allen |first=Terence |year=1994 |title=The movies of Brandon Lee |url= |magazine=Black Belt Magazine |volume=32 |issue=9 |pages=}}
• {{cite magazine |last=Coleman |first=Jim |year=1994 |title=Brandon Lee's first interview! |url= |magazine=Black Belt Magazine |volume=32 |issue=9 |pages=}}
• Little, John (1996). The Warrior Within: The philosophies of Bruce Lee to better understand the world around you and achieve a rewarding life. Contemporary Books. {{ISBN|0-8092-3194-8}}.
• {{cite magazine |last=Reid |first=Dr. Craig D. |date=1999 |title=Shannon Lee: Emerging From the Shadow of Bruce Lee |url= |magazine=Black Belt Magazine |volume=37 |issue=2 |pages=}}
• Baiss, Bridget (2004). The Crow: The Story Behind The Film. London: Titan Books. {{ISBN|978-1-84023-779-5|978-1-78116-184-5}}
• Stevenson, Jack (2015). Scandinavian Blue: The Erotic Cinema of Sweden and Denmark in the 1960s and 1970s. London and North Carolina: McFarland. {{ISBN|978-1-4766-1259-1}}
• Crick, Robert Alan (2015). The Big Screen Comedies of Mel Brooks. London and North Carolina: McFarland. {{ISBN|978-1-4766-1228-7}}

• Dyson, Cindy (2001). They Died Too Young: Brandon Lee. Philadelphia: Chelsea House. {{ISBN|0-7910-5858-1}}
• Pilato, Herbie J. (1993). The Kung Fu Book of Caine: The Complete Guide to TV's First Mystical Eastern Western. Boston: Charles A. Tuttle. {{ISBN|0-8048-1826-6}}.

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20191229054445/https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba5596d16 Brandon Lee] at the British Film Institute{{better source needed|reason=Help request: a live link can be searched for at https://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/search/expert - if available, replace the archive URL with the live link. Or if none found, remove this 'better source needed' template. | date=October 2023}}
• {{IMDb name|488}}
• {{TCMDb name|id=110834%7C0|name=Brandon Lee}}

{{Bruce Lee}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Brandon}}

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Category:Burials at Lake View Cemetery (Seattle)

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Category:Family of Bruce Lee