"One time I took Brandon into a martial arts academy, he was about 9 or so. We walked in and there was this huge picture , poster of his dad on the wall. Brandon just looked at that picture and walked right out without a word"-Linda Lee Cadwell on the day she took Brandon into a martial arts academy
"Bruce used to call Brandon the only blonde haired- grey eyed chinaman in the world"Linda Lee Cadwell, from her book "The Bruce Lee Story"
"Just after Bruce died Brandon had this little friend who would say You're dad died because of ladda ladda etc and I don't believe any of that stuff, and Brandon would be out there picking fights with this kid, saying my dad was the greastist on the face of the earth"Linda Lee Cadwell, in an interview for E True Hollywood Story speaking on after Bruce died
"Brandon lived his life to the moment, he lived like he was living on borrowed time, and I do believe Brandon was living on borrowed time"Schoolmate Katy Kastanza, on how Brandon lived his life-in an interview for E True Hollywood Story
Brandon Bruce Lee was born to Linda Emery Lee *nee Cadwell* and Bruce Lee *Sai Phon* on February 1st, 1965. Bruce was overjoyed to have a first born son, as being in the chinese heritage and it was a good omen in their culture to have a boy first. Bruce doted over his son, Brandon. They did everything together, even when Brandon was tiny Bruce would play with him and make his hands into fists. When Brandon learned how to walk, his father was teaching him his art of martial arts. Brandon was his star pupil. Brandon when he was first born, had a head of jet black hair which soon all fell out and came in platnuim blonde, so his father would kid around with him and call him the "Only grey-eyed, blonde haired chinaman in the world". Brandon did not sleep through the night for the first 18 months of his life, which was hard on his parents. Brandon was joined by his sister, Shannon Emery Lee *nee Keasler* in 1969. As Brandon and his dad grew
closer and closer, tragedy struck young Brandon. On July 20th, 1973 Brandon's idol, friend and father Bruce Lee died suddenly at the age of 32. Brandon was lost. He was only 8 years old when his father passed away. After Bruce died, Brandon took on being the man of the family, which his mother said at a very young age Brandon should have not had to do. Brandon also decided at a very young age that he wanted to become an actor. When Brandon was a teenager he attended the Chadwick School, but in his senior year was asked t leave and he completed his GED. Brandon then went to Emerson College, but dropped out to come back to LA to study acting. Brandon thought this world was looking for another Bruce Lee, so he decided he wanted to do things on his own without using his fathers name. Brandon did somewhat follow his father in one sense, as he was offered 250,000 to star in the cantonese speaking movie Legacy Of Rage. That movie put Brandon on the map in the doorway for other offers.
Brandon was offered the role of David Carradine;s charactor in the movie Kung Fu, which was originally thought up *David Carridines Part* for his father Bruce Lee, so everyone was delighted he won the part. Brandon then did a movie called "Laser Mission" with Debi Monohan. Then in between Kung Fu and Laser Misson, Brandon decided to get into the martial arts. He would take people to his home to video tape them coreograph fight scenes which some say were used in his movie "Rapid Fire". Brandon then landed a role oppisete Dolph Lundgren in "Showdown in Little Tokyo", which was considered to some as Brandon's first major role in a Hollywood film. By this time Brandon was making his mark, and having his name known for being a leading man, and having the skills to carry this out. Brandon then was offered the role in Fox's "Rapid Fire", which put him on the map big time! After the success of Rapid Fire, Brandon was offered the starring role as playing his father in the biography "Dragon The Bruce Lee
Story" which Brandon turned down, the real reasons to this day are not known. Some say Brandon Turned it down due to wanting to be his own person, other say it was due to him just not wanting the part. But shortly after this Brandon was offered the role in the movie which was unfortuntly his last. During all of this however Brandon met, and fell in love with Eliza Hutton, who was an employee of Keifer Sutherland's. Brandon and Eliza were deeply in love, and were to be married 18 days after The Crow wrapped up. Brandon even joked on the set of The Crow, about how sometimes the fake blood in the blood packs would be sticking on his skin. The Crow had a bad omen on it from the start. Brandon to get the look and feel of being dead, would do REALLY dangerous things, such as lay in a tub of ice to "feel dead", and he also dropped alot of weight, even joked about how low his muscle mass was. But thinking he would finish up the movie soon, and be able to go back to his everyday life, Brandon did not mind all the
excess he did for the movie. But on March 30th, 1993 this all proved too wrong for Brandon. This night was the last night for any of the gunfire in the movie, as they were filming the part where Eric Draven comes into the apartment of his fiance Shelly, and Funboy sees him walk in the door and shoots him point blank. The original scene called for Brandon to be holding a bag of groceries, which behind the groceries was a blood pack. Director Alex Proyas called "ACTION" and FunBoy *actor Michael Masse* shot at Eric Draven like it was set and written for. Alex called cut after Brandon hit the wrong, but then everyone noticed something was terribly wrong. Brandon did not get up like he was supposed to. Brandon was rushed to New Hanover Medical Center where docters tried depseratly to save Brandon's life. Eliza Hutton was called from the set, his mom and sister notified later on. But by the time his mom and sister got there, it was too late. On March 31st 1993, Brandon Lee was pronounced dead. What killed him was
a dummy tip had lodged into the gun, where it was supposed to have contained blanks, and turned one of the blanks into a bullet which ripped into Brandon's organs.Brandon was laid to rest beside his father Bruce Lee on April 3rd, 1993. The funeral was a quiet one, and Linda Lee said to everyone " Let's all be happy, and remember the good things about Brandon. He would have not wanted us to be sad".And 3 weeks later, Bruce Lee, Brandon's father got his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
