ANSWERS: 17
  • not sure how one measures "greatest"...but he's portrayed as finding his own way, sort of awakening to his own style (or as he characterized it "formlessness"), this is what I found intriguing...
    • ReiSan
      We had that idea in Japan long before Bruce Lee was born. It is Mu Shin in Japanese.
  • this is not my field of expertise but i would say.... no and no.
    • ReiSan
      I agree!
  • He may have been the 'greatest martial artist' but he certainly wasn't the greatest actor.
    • ReiSan
      He was far from being the greatest martial artist of any time. He had no black belt, gold sash or any other rank. He did not master any martial art. He has no record of competition. There is no evidence for calling him even a good martial artist, let alone the greatest.
  • Greatest Martial Arts fighter, "slash" actor ever. For me, Yes, definitely
    • ReiSan
      Not for me. China and Japan have had many martial arts actors who were far better than he was. He had no rank in any martial art
  • I haven't seen very many Bruce Lee movies, but I do enjoy Jackie Chan movies : )
    • ReiSan
      NO!
  • At least what he did was real. Jackie Chan does it with trick photography and tongue in cheek.
    • ReiSan
      No, both are/were just actors. Bruce Lee is the subject of absurd hoaxes. He had no mastery of any martial art. Hoaxes turn an actor into Super Duper Man.
  • I dunno about martial arts figher but, actor? Noooo!
  • I think Jet Li beats him as fighter and as actor. He has some championship titles behind also.
    • ReiSan
      Yes, Jet Li has more credentials than Bruce Lee
  • I think he was unique but his acting wasn't that great. Jet Li is much more versatile and I think that his fighting styles suite the screen more and he does humor so well, especially when he was younger. It's just hard to find movies that aren't dubbed and find him actually speaking.
  • not for me sorry.
    • ReiSan
      Not for me either.
  • He was the greatest for his time, let's put it that way. Jeet Kune Do gave birth to MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) and fighters like Jet Li came out of that, as did their opportunities to break into the American movie market. What Bruce Lee did for martial arts in the way of popularizing it, giving people of all cultures a hero, breaking down social taboos in his personal and professional life, and trying to bridge cultures basically gives him the right to be considered the best martial artist of the century. If he was still alive, he'd have a hard time fighting against MMA fighters who are now trained in arts he promoted. But MMA wouldn't have come about without him and his influence, or martial arts being taken seriously by Hollywood. So yes, as far as his importance, he was the greatest. As for acting, I am a professionally trained actor and I can tell you he was far from being a great actor, nonetheless the greatest. It was his talent and his carisma that carried him on screen and made up for that. However, his son Brandon, was a far better actor, though obviously not as great a martial artist.
    • ReiSan
      He did not master any style of martial arts, so there were many men who were superior to him by far. Dana White lies when he calls Bruce Lee the father of UFC. He has no right to be called the best martial artist of his time (1940-1973), let alone an entire century. Hoaxes overrate him immensely.
  • No, he was not great in either field. He did not master any style of martial arts. It is insane to claim such a rank novice was greater than genuine experts in martial arts. He is just the most hyped and thus overrated martial arts actor. He studied Wing Chun a few years, but he did not master the basics of even that simple and efficient style. Good students master them in one year, but Bruce Lee did not master them in several years, so he was obviously a poor student. Sifu Yip Man said that Bruce Lee was too immature and egotistical to learn properly. He had been in movies since he was just three months old due to his father's connections. Movie stars can be quite immature and egotistical. I was an actress and model 1974-1999, so I have known many movie stars. His fight record is nonexistent. He refused to compete in martial arts championships, and the outcome of his street fights are uncertain. His fight with Wong Jack man has two basic versions, and who can really tell which is correct if either is. There is no firm basis for saying he was a great fighter, let alone the greatest. Many men were greater in his time, and in history, myriads are much greater.
  • Hmm! Who's he?
  • never heard of him
  • No on both counts.
  • No, Kevin Spacey whips his ass.

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