Twenty Years on - Celebrating the Legacy of Brandon Lee

Today, 1st February, would have been the 48th birthday of Brandon Lee. Each year on this day many fans gather online to celebrate the life and legacy of Brandon, but this year is somewhat of a milestone anniversary as it has been twenty years since his untimely death.

It has been a relatively long time since 1993, the world is a somewhat different place. The internet and social media have changed the way we live, yet with this technological advancement gives us more of a chance to reach out and spread the word of Brandon Lee’s legacy.

There will be those too young to remember 1993, some not even born, yet I think we can all identify with Brandon’s performance as Eric Draven in The Crow as being one of sheer brilliance in a film that captivates the meaning of love in a way that a few could have portrayed.

Of course, Brandon will always have the comparisons to his father, Bruce Lee, but his legacy is not about being the son of Bruce Lee, it has always been about being his own man and love and passion for life that he left behind.

Brandon’s life started out in 1965, in California, and after living between the USA and Hong Kong, Brandon was just eight years old when his iconic father Bruce Lee tragically passed away. Determined to follow in his family’s acting background Brandon majored in drama at Emerson College. He continued his fathers legacy in Martial arts training under Dan Inosanto and Richard Bustillo, but it was his love of acting that would always have been his main passion.

In 1985, Brandon got his first ever TV role in Kung Fu the movie staring opposite David Carradine and later that year Brandon obtained his first leading role in the Hong Kong production of Legacy Of Rage. Other TV roles soon followed including Kung Fu The Next Generation and Ohara and in 1988 Brandon got his first main lead in an English production, in Laser Mission (Soldier of Fortune), starring opposite Academy Award Winner Ernest Borgnine.

The 1990’s began with Brandon starring opposite Dolph Lundgren in Showdown in Little Tokyo, a role that many critics said Brandon was the real star of the film even though he was not in the lead role. This led Brandon to be cast in his first notable starring role, in the 1992 action movie Rapid Fire, playing art Student Jake Lo, caught up in the mafia world in Chicago. Yet the movie that captivated Brandon’s finest performance was unquestionably The Crow.

An on screen adaptation of James O’Barr’s cult comic Brandon played the lead role of Eric Draven, a musician who returns from the dead to exact revenge on the four criminals responsible for the death of him and his fiancee. It was a critically acclaimed performance that sadly ended on March 31st when a tragic onset accident cost Brandon his life. Brandon left behind a fiancee, mother and sister yet the loss of his death was felt around the world. The film was released to critical acclaim, and there is no doubt that this movie would have made Brandon a massive star worldwide.

Yet in his death Brandon has left behind a legacy that continues to this day. People who were not even born in 1993 are still touched by movies such as The Crow, and it’s clear that the loss of Brandon and the way he lived his life still touches the hearts of millions worldwide today.

There are those who are dedicated to keeping Brandon’s legacy alive such as The Brandon Lee Movement, and our own Brandon and Bruce Lee Forum. The Brandon Lee Movement is certainly the most well informed and articulate website on Brandon Lee around today. Sam and Dillon who work tirelessly on Brandon’s legacy have never given up with their mission to get Brandon a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Shannon Lee, Brandon’s sister, also does phenomenal continual work on his legacy too. Twenty years ago today, the world lost not just a talented actor but a wonderful man and human being, his love and life, though lost at such a young age will continue to inspire many to live their lives as we never know just how valuable it can be.