Bruce Lee is among the greatest martial artists to grace the silver screen. A global superstar, Lee bridged the gap between the East and the West with films. The way he portrayed Chinese martial arts in Hollywood revolutionized action cinema forever. Within a short time, Lee found success in Hong Kong and Hollywood with films like?The Big Boss (1971),?The Way of the Dragon (1972), and?Enter the Dragon (1973). However, at the height of fame in 1973, the martial arts legend tragically passed away at 32.

After the death of the action cinema icon, various individuals and companies began using his name. The legacy that Lee built in his short career guaranteed profits for those exploiting his name. Later, Lee’s daughter Shannon Lee decided to put a stop to these practices. However, Shannon Lee’s quest nearly drove her to financial ruin.

The steep price for the legacy of Bruce Lee

In a 2016 interview with?NextShark,?Lee’s daughter Shannon Lee narrated her struggles to preserve her father’s legacy in the internet age.?“The goal for me in all of this has always been to not just preserve my father?s message, but share his message,”?said Lee.

The martial arts legend is remembered for more than his movies. Even today, his unique take on philosophy and the way of life inspires millions. However, the challenge for Shannon Lee was to buy back the rights of her father’s name from those who aimed to make a quick profit. An example of exploiting Bruce Lee’s name for profit would be the subgenre of cinema that boomed shortly after the filmmaker’s death.

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Known as ‘Bruceploitation’, the film subgenre cast Bruce Lee look-alikes in imitations of Lee’s famous films. However, for Shannon Lee, buying back the rights nearly bankrupted her. “We?re still trying to work on getting rid of that debt… It?s not been an easy journey, but it?s been super rewarding and super worthwhile,”?Lee told NextShark.

How does Shannon Lee protect her father’s legacy?

Lee’s daughter drove herself into debt because, despite being incredibly famous, Bruce Lee wasn’t rich. Shannon revealed her father “got paid $15,000 or something,” for his first two films with Golden Harvest. Hence after his passing, the family faced financial issues. However, she never backed down from protecting her father’s legacy.

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Today Shannon Lee’s company, Bruce Lee Enterprises LLC, licenses his name to approved companies. Only these companies can sell products using the martial artist’s branding. Through her efforts, Shannon Lee has ensured that no one can get away with exploiting her father’s name and legacy.

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While the battle to secure Bruce Lee’s legacy was not easy, Shannon Lee beat the odds and succeeded.