Introduction
Have you ever wondered how tall Bruce Lee was? This famous man is known for his martial arts, and founded Jeet Kune Do, but not many people know how tall he was, how much he weighed, or how old he was when he died.
Bruce Lee was approximately 5 foot 7 (1.70 meters) tall, which many people are surprised by, as it’s not particularly tall. Most people think of great fighters as being tall, but despite his prowess, Bruce Lee would be short by modern standards. That said, he was probably a fairly average height for a Hong Kong man of his time.
In this article, we’re going to find out more about Bruce Lee’s height, weight, and age, so you have a good sense of what this famous man looked like!
How Tall Was Bruce Lee?
Bruce Lee’s height has been listed as both 5 foot 8 (1.72 meters) and 5 foot 7 (1.70 meters). He originally listed himself as 5 foot 8 when he began starring in films, before he became famous, but later said that he was 5 foot 7.5, while other sources list him as 5 foot 7.
His brother, Robert Lee, said that Bruce Lee was an inch taller than him at 5 foot 8, but this hasn’t been further verified.
Robert Lee pointed out at the time that people often felt confused by Bruce Lee’s height, because they had been told that he was small – but this wasn’t actually the case. In fact, he was pretty close to the average for his time, although not a tall individual.
There’s no official paperwork to say exactly how tall Bruce Lee was, but the two measurements are only about an inch apart, so it’s not surprising that there is a small amount of discrepancy.
How Old Was Bruce Lee?
Bruce Lee died at the age of just 32, in 1973. Many people are amazed to learn that he died so young, but a cerebral edema sadly took his life. This happened just 6 days before Enter The Dragon was released, so Bruce Lee never saw the result of his work on this movie.
It went on to become one of the highest grossing films of the year, and it was what really made Bruce Lee a legend. Adjusted for inflation, it made approximately $4 million in the US in 1973, and over $2 billion worldwide by 2022 (again, adjusted for inflation). The film resulted in a lot of interest in martial arts.
How Old Was Bruce Lee During His Significant Accomplishments?
He began his career very early, starring as a child in many movies, and he started studying martial arts when he was just 13 years old, with wing chun gung fu. He was a baby when he appeared in his first movie, and he continued to take on roles, as his father was a famous opera star.
By the time he had turned 18, Bruce Lee had already been in 20 different movies, but he was having difficulties in many parts of his life in Hong Kong, partly due to having some European blood, and being rejected by many other individuals in his country.
At this point, he left Hong Kong and moved to Seattle. He worked in a restaurant for a while, and then began a degree in drama at the University of Washington (although Lee himself and others stated that he undertook a philosophy degree). He dropped out of college in 1964.
He then became a martial arts teacher, opening the Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute in Seattle, followed by another two schools – one in Los Angeles and one in Oakland. He married his wife in 1964, when he was just 24 years old. They had two children together – Brandon and Shannon.
Bruce Lee continued with his martial arts, and in the mid-1960s, he was given a role in a show called The Green Hornet, and he played Kato from 1966 to 1967. Bruce Lee insisted on using his traditional martial arts style in this show, and he moved so fast, he had to slow down so that the cameras could capture his movements.
How Old Was Bruce Lee When He Developed His Own Martial Art?
After the end of The Green Hornet, when he was only 27, Bruce Lee developed his own martial art, Jeet Kune Do. He wanted to create a system that would be more practical for street fighting, and focused on practicality, flexibility, speed, and efficiency.
How Much Did Bruce Lee Weigh?
In his prime, Bruce Lee weighed approximately 145 lb (65.9 kg). This means he was around the average weight for his height.
He demonstrated that size, weight, and build are not particularly important when it comes to fighting, and he was a great believer in the fact that the best technical martial artist would always have the advantage in a fight.
Was Bruce Lee Unusually Small?
Some people suggest that Bruce Lee was of particularly small stature, but this isn’t really the case. While Bruce Lee wasn’t a tall individual, and he was certainly smaller than some of his opponents, he wasn’t outstandingly small.
He was known for his extraordinary power, and had a decidedly lean, wiry appearance that demonstrated his strength. He took down many opponents that were physically much more imposing and stronger than he was.
Lee has enjoyed an incredible legacy, and has contributed to the popularity and interest in martial arts across the globe. His size demonstrated that brute strength and power are not prerequisites for prowess in fights, and that demonstration will live on in both his work and the generations of individuals that were inspired by him.
Conclusion
Bruce Lee was between 5 foot 7 and 5 foot 8, and weighed approximately 145 lb in his prime. He unfortunately died at only 32 years old, in 1973. He became a martial arts icon, despite the fact that he was not a tall or powerful man, and was known for both his film career, his creation of a new martial art, and his street fighting prowess.
