Bruce Li (; born Ho Chung-Tao; 5 June 1950) is a Chinese

martial artist Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the pres ...

and actor who starred in

martial arts film Martial arts films are a subgenre of action films that feature martial arts combat between characters. These combats are usually the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often are a method of storytelling and character expression a ...

s from the

Bruceploitation Bruceploitation (a portmanteau of "Bruce Lee" and "exploitation") is an exploitation film subgenre that emerged after the death of martial arts film star Bruce Lee in 1973, during which time filmmakers from Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea cast ...

movement.

Career

Ho Chung-Tao went to play a stuntman in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

and

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

under the name of James Ho. After the death of

Bruce Lee Bruce Lee (born Lee Jun-fan; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was an American-born Hong Kong martial artist, actor, filmmaker, and philosopher. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy which was formed from ...

, Ho's acting career began. Hong Kong studios believed that Ho had the ability to pick up where Lee left off and cast him in similar types of martial arts films. They first cast him in ''Conspiracy''. Afterwards, the producers of ''

Game of Death ''Game of Death'' () is an incomplete Hong Kong martial arts film, of which portions were filmed between September and October 1972, and was planned and scheduled to be released by 1973, directed, written, produced by and starring Bruce Lee. Th ...

'' asked Ho to finish their movie in Lee's role, but he declined. Afterward, he was employed by producer/actor Jimmy Shaw, who gave him the name of Bruce ''Li''. While Ho was finishing his military service, he appeared in '' Goodbye Bruce Lee: His Last Game of Death''. He starred in other

pictures in 1976 with ''The Young Bruce Lee'' and '' Bruce Lee: The Man, The Myth''. Using the name Bruce Li, some Taiwanese and Hong Kong producers decided to directly credit him as Bruce Lee, even going so far as to use the real Bruce Lee's picture on posters. Ho even appeared in ''Bruce Lee Against Supermen,'' where he stars as "Carter", a role loosely based on the Green Hornet's Kato played by Lee. In 1975, ''Dragon Dies Hard'' became a hit in Japan, where it earned () at the box office. The producers really wanted to show Li as the "official" successor to Bruce Lee. In the 1976 movie '' Exit the Dragon, Enter the Tiger'', Li meets Lee, who says Li should replace him. The film's title relates to Lee being dubbed the Dragon and Li the Tiger. Li appeared in '' Return of the Tiger'' starring Angela Mao. In it, Li fights Paul L. Smith. Li appeared in two unofficial sequels to Lee's classic '' Fist of Fury''. In 1976, Li reprised his role as Lee in the biopic ''Bruce Lee: The True Story'' (also known as ''Bruce Lee: The Man, The Myth''). Li choreographed the combat sequences. This movie was quite successful, with fans dubbing it one of the best

biopic A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or group of people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudrama films and histo ...

s of Lee. Li kept shooting martial arts movies until the 1980s. He also directed a few including ''The Chinese Stuntman'' (1981). Li eventually ran into trouble separating himself from playing Lee, along with standing out from other impersonators in Bruceploitation. In the mid-1980s, he become a

physical education Physical education is an academic subject taught in schools worldwide, encompassing Primary education, primary, Secondary education, secondary, and sometimes tertiary education. It is often referred to as Phys. Ed. or PE, and in the United Stat ...

instructor at

Taipei , nickname = The City of Azaleas , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country ...

's Ping Chung University and taught martial arts to comedian apprentices. He later appeared only briefly in martial arts cinema or Bruce Lee documentaries. In 1990, Li retired from acting at age 40 after his wife's sudden death to raise his children. Bruce Li's career was the focus of a segment of the 1995 documentary ''Top Fighter''. In the segment, Li said he was unhappy that the studios wanted to turn him into a Bruce Lee marketing gimmick, saying, "I could act like him but I could never be him", though at the time, Li did willingly accept the roles. He elaborated on this further with his appearance in the 2023 documentary ''Enter the Clones of Bruce'', in which he elaborated more on his roles and why he left the business.

Filmography

Notes

References

External links

Bruce Li
- Featured in Bruceploitation Series on GooHead *
Clones of Bruce Lee
– The Ultimate Guide To Bruce Lee Exploitation Cinema {{DEFAULTSORT:Li, Bruce Hong Kong male actors Hong Kong stunt performers Taiwanese stunt performers Bruce Lee imitators 1950 births Living people