Who was Bruce Lee’s best Hollywood kung fu student?
After his work in The Green Hornet dried up, Lee became a personal kung fu teacher to Hollywood stars including Steve McQueen, James Coburn and Roman Polanski – but which of them showed the most talent?
In a special series commemorating the 45th death anniversary of Bruce Lee on July 20, we aim to set the facts straight – as well as exploring some little known trivia – about the life of the martial arts legend.
Bruce Lee became well-known in the US for his role as Kato in the US television series The Green Hornet, which ran for 26 episodes in 1966 and 1967. After the show was cancelled, Lee – who played the Hornet’s assistant Kato – was advised by the show’s co-producer Charles Fitzsimons that he could garner an income by advertising himself as a personal kung fu teacher to the Hollywood elite.
Lee had tried to interest celebrity students in personal lessons before he started shooting the show, to no avail. Fitzsimons said that he would be successful this time, as he was now famous as Kato, and encouraged him to charge premium prices to emphasise his exclusivity. Lee decided to charge US$150 an hour or US$500 for 10 lessons.
The tactic worked, and Lee began teaching some Hollywood luminaries – Steve McQueen, James Coburn, director Roman Polanski, singer Vic Damone, and screenwriter Stirling Silliphant, who wrote the acclaimed 1967 film In the Heat of the Night.
So which Hollywood celebrity was Lee’s best student?
Lee says it’s either McQueen or Coburn. “It depends. As a fighter, Steve McQueen is good in that department because that son of a gun has the toughness in him,” Lee said in an interview on television.