Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee (November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973), was a Chinese American martial artist and actor who is widely regarded as among the most influential martial artists of the 20th century. Lee's few movies, especially his performance in the Hollywood-produced Enter the Dragon, elevated the traditional Hong Kong martial arts film to a new level of popularity, paving the way for future martial artists actors such as Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Chuck Norris.

Names

Birth names

• Lee was named Lee Jun Fan in Cantonese (???; Mandarin Pinyin: L? Zhènfán; literally means invigorate Francisco, paying homage to the Chinese name of his birthplace, ???).
• At birth, Lee was given the English name Bruce by nurses at the hospital{{fn|1}}, a name he retained.
• Lee's mother initially gave him a name (???; Mandarin Pinyin: L? Xuànj?n), since Lee's father was away on a Chinese opera tour at the time. When the father returned after some months, the name was abandoned due to a conflict with the name of Lee's grandfather; in Chinese culture, it is considered a taboo to give a child a name that is the same as an ancestor's. Lee was then renamed Jun Fan.
• Lee was also given a feminine name throughout his early childhood, Sai Feng (??, literally Slender Ph?nix, a typical feminine name). The alias was given by the family in response to the death of Lee's brother, who was stillborn; the family wished to disguise Bruce's identity from demons, who were believed to steal baby boys (a Chinese belief).

Screen name

Lee Siu Lung in Cantonese or Li Xiaolong in Mandarin (???; Cantonese pengyam: Ley5 Siw2 Long4; Mandarin Pinyin: L? Xi?olóng), literally Lee Little-dragon, first named by director ??? in the 1950 Cantonese movie ???).

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