Editing Bruce Lee (section)

=== 1940–1958: Early roles, schooling and martial arts initiation ===
Lee's father was a [[Cantonese opera]] star. As a result, Junior Lee was introduced to the world of cinema at a very young age and appeared in several films as a child. Lee had his first role as a baby who was carried onto the stage in the film ''[[Golden Gate Girl]]''.{{sfn|Campbell|Lee|2006|p=1}} He took his Chinese stage name as 李小龍, lit. "Lee the Little Dragon", for the fact that he was born in both the hour and the year of the [[Dragon (zodiac)|Dragon]] by the [[Chinese zodiac]].<ref name="bruceleefoundation biography">{{cite web |url=http://www.bruceleefoundation.com/index.cfm/page/About-Bruce-Lee/pid/10378 |title=Biography |publisher=Bruce Lee Foundation |access-date=June 7, 2010|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100822035902/http://www.bruceleefoundation.com/index.cfm/page/About-Bruce-Lee/pid/10378 |archive-date=August 22, 2010}}</ref>

At age seven, Lee began practicing [[tai chi]] together with his father.{{sfn|Polly|2018|p=34}} As a nine-year-old, he co-starred with his father in ''[[The Kid (1950 film)|The Kid]]'' in 1950, which was based on a comic book character, "Kid Cheung", and was his first leading role.<ref name="BerryFarquhar2006">{{cite book |author1=Christopher J. Berry |author2=Mary Ann Farquhar |title=China on Screen: Cinema and Nation |url=https://archive.org/details/chinaonscreencin0000berr|url-access=registration |year=2006 |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=978-0-231-51030-1 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/chinaonscreencin0000berr/page/100 100]–}}</ref> By the time he was 18, he had appeared in 20 films.<ref name="bruceleefoundation biography" /> After attending Tak Sun School ({{lang|zh|德信學校}}; several blocks from his home at 218 [[Nathan Road]], [[Kowloon]]), Lee entered the primary school division of the [[Catholic school|Catholic]] [[La Salle College]] at age 12.<ref name="Thomas1994">{{cite book |author=Bruce Thomas |url=https://archive.org/details/bruceleefighting0000thom_d0z5 |title=Bruce Lee: Fighting Spirit : a Biography |publisher=Frog Books |year=1994 |isbn=978-1-883319-25-0 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/bruceleefighting0000thom_d0z5/page/11 11]–|url-access=registration}}</ref>

[[File:The age of 18 Bruce Lee and Ye Wen.jpg|thumb|Lee and [[Ip Man]] in 1958]]

In the early 1950s, Lee's father became an [[opium]] addict.{{sfn|Polly|2018|p=39}} In 1956, due to poor academic performance (and possibly poor conduct), Lee was transferred to [[St. Francis Xavier's College, Tai Kok Tsui|St. Francis Xavier's College]].{{sfn|Polly|2018|pp=46, 51}} He was mentored by Brother Edward Muss, [[Marist Brothers|F.M.S.]], a Bavarian-born teacher and coach of the school [[boxing]] team.<ref name=":7">Thomas 1994, pp. 29–30.</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Bruce Lee, a global hero who epitomised Hong Kong's strengths – it's just a pity the city could not preserve his former home |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1880598/bruce-lee-global-hero-who-epitomised-hong-kongs-strengths-its-just |id=[https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1880598/bruce-lee-global-hero-who-epitomised-hong-kongs-strengths-its-just 12ft.io] |access-date=January 26, 2023 |newspaper=[[South China Morning Post]] |archive-date=January 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127035746/https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1880598/bruce-lee-global-hero-who-epitomised-hong-kongs-strengths-its-just |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Bro. Edward Muss FMS R.I.P. |url=https://archives.catholic.org.hk/In%20Memoriam/Clergy-Brother/E-Muss.htm|access-date=January 26, 2023|archive-date=January 26, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230126213017/https://archives.catholic.org.hk/In%20Memoriam/Clergy-Brother/E-Muss.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1953, Lee's friend [[William Cheung]] introduced him to [[Ip Man]].{{snf|Thomas|1994|pp=307–308}}<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--not stated--> |date=July 25, 2018 |title=Who taught Bruce Lee kung fu? He was born to be a fighter, but the martial arts superstar also trained with the best |url=https://www.scmp.com/culture/film-tv/article/2156574/who-taught-bruce-lee-kung-fu-he-was-born-be-fighter-martial-arts |work=South China Morning Post |quote=Lee found a sifu, or master, through a street-gang member called William Cheung, who took him to a wing chun school run by Ip Man, who had begun teaching the style in Hong Kong around 1950.|access-date=February 14, 2023|archive-date=February 14, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230214104022/https://www.scmp.com/culture/film-tv/article/2156574/who-taught-bruce-lee-kung-fu-he-was-born-be-fighter-martial-arts|url-status=live}}</ref> According to Cheung, Lee's European background on his mother's side led him to be rejected, initially, from learning [[Wing Chun]] kung fu under Ip Man because of the long-standing rule in the [[Chinese martial arts]] world not to teach foreigners.<ref name="Blitz">{{cite news |url=http://www.ma-mags.com/Mags/Blitz/Blitz%203-3%20Cov.jpg |title=William Cheung Scene one... Take One |last1=De Roche |first1=Everett |date=June 1989 |work=Australasian Blitz Magazine|access-date=January 12, 2017 |publisher=Blitz Publishers |issn=0818-9595 |agency=Gordon and Gotch Ltd |issue=Print edition Vol. 3 No. 3 |ref=Blitz|archive-date=June 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190602081413/http://www.ma-mags.com/Mags/Blitz/Blitz%203-3%20Cov.jpg|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="SMH">{{cite news |last1=Lallo |first1=Michael |title=All the right moves |url=http://www.smh.com.au/national/melbourne-life/all-the-right-moves-20110119-19wp3.html|access-date=December 26, 2016 |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |issue=onliine |publisher=Fairfax Media |date=January 20, 2011 |ref=SMH}}</ref>{{sfn|Polly|2018|p=54}} Cheung spoke on his behalf and Lee was accepted into the school and began training in Wing Chun with Ip Man.<ref name="AsAmNews">{{cite news |last1=Chen |first1=Edwin |title=Bruce Lee Was an Anchor Baby |url=https://asamnews.com/2016/01/05/blog-bruce-lee-was-an-anchor-baby/ |access-date=November 1, 2020 |work=asamnews.com |issue=Online |publisher=AsAmNews |date=January 5, 2016 |ref=AsAmNews |archive-date=November 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108102227/http://asamnews.com/2016/01/05/blog-bruce-lee-was-an-anchor-baby/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="ReferenceA">''Black Belt: Bruce Lee Collector's Edition'' Summer 1993</ref> Ip tried to keep his students from fighting in the street gangs of Hong Kong by encouraging them to fight in organized competitions.<ref>''Black Belt: Bruce Lee Collector's Edition'' Summer 1993, p. 18.</ref>

After a year of his training with [[Ip Man]], most of the other students refused to train with Lee. They had learned of his mixed ancestry, and the Chinese were generally against teaching their martial arts techniques to non-Asians.{{sfn|Thomas|1994|p=26}}{{sfn|Sharif|2009|p=56}} Lee's sparring partner, Hawkins Cheung, states, "Probably fewer than six people in the whole Wing Chun clan were personally taught, or even partly taught, by [[Ip Man]]".<ref>''Black Belt: Bruce Lee Collector's Edition'' Summer 1993 p. 19.</ref> However, Lee showed a keen interest in Wing Chun and continued to train privately with Ip Man, [[William Cheung]], and [[Wong Shun-leung]].{{sfn|Campbell|Lee|2006|p=172}}<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--not stated--> |date=July 25, 2018 |title=Who taught Bruce Lee kung fu? He was born to be a fighter, but the martial arts superstar also trained with the best |url=https://www.scmp.com/culture/film-tv/article/2156574/who-taught-bruce-lee-kung-fu-he-was-born-be-fighter-martial-arts |work=South China Morning Post |quote=Although Lee studied wing chun at Ip's school, he was mainly taught by Wong Shun-leung, as Ip himself only taught advanced students, not beginners. Lee quickly became devoted to wing chun and practiced diligently.|access-date=February 14, 2023|archive-date=February 14, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230214104022/https://www.scmp.com/culture/film-tv/article/2156574/who-taught-bruce-lee-kung-fu-he-was-born-be-fighter-martial-arts|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1958, Lee won the Hong Kong schools boxing tournament, [[knocking out]] the previous champion, Gary Elms, in the final.<ref name=":7" /> That year, Lee was also a [[Cha-cha-cha (dance)|cha-cha]] dancer, winning Hong Kong's Crown Colony Cha-Cha Championship.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lee |first1=Linda |last2=Lee |first2=Mike |title=The Bruce Lee Story |date=1989 |publisher=[[Black Belt Communications]] |isbn=978-0-89750-121-7 |page=30 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2NAuMRjSUSIC&pg=PA30 |language=en |access-date=July 23, 2020 |archive-date=July 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727173321/https://books.google.com/books?id=2NAuMRjSUSIC&pg=PA30 |url-status=live}}</ref>