“Where have all the good men gone, And where are all the gods; Where’s the street-wise Hercules, To fight the rising odds?” So sings Bonnie Tyler. Everyone needs a hero, and Hollywood usually supplies them. But for decades one was needed among Asian-Americans.
Born in the USA and raised in Hong Kong, in strides Bruce Lee. He was strong, he was fast, and always fresh from the fight. Like his fighting style his rise to stardom was fast and short, starting in 1971 and ending two years later.
How did Hollywood portray Asian-Americans before Bruce Lee? What famous Asian characters do we remember? Hop Sing, cook on the Ponderosa. Kato, Green Lantern’s side kick. Villains of action films. But after Bruce Lee who did we have? Jackie Chan and Jet Li. Now we expect Asian characters to be martial arts experts and heroes. And a few terrifying villains.
Perhaps Bruce Lee set the standard and raised the bar for many Asian-American Hollywood actors, but it goes without saying, his charisma on and off screen has inspired the world.
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