The Martial Arts Stars That Were In Enter The Dragon

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Enter The Dragon was Hollywood's first martial arts picture. It has influenced cinema, and helped inspire change in the World around it. It made a huge splash in not only Hollywood, but also Hong Kong. Enter the Dragon had a lot of cameos with martial artists who later became stars in Hong Kong.

Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee fought for many years to a movie like Enter the Dragon to happen in Hollywood. Lee's first big role was as Kato in the Green Hornet (1966, ABC) While doing the show, Lee was developing his own martial art, Jeet Kune Do, and doing private lessons with celebrities like Steve Mcqueen, and James Couburn. Lee also had private lessons with Karate World Champions like Joe Lewis and Chuck Norris. Tired of waiting for Hollywood to give him a chance, Lee moved to Hong Kong to star in the record shattering Golden Harvest productions: The Big Boss (1970), Fists of Fury (1971), and Way of the Dragon (1972). Lee was in the middle of producing Game of Death (Never completed) when it was interrupted so he could do Enter The Dragon. Bruce Lee single handedly redefined the Martial Arts genre, and was the first star leading Hollywood blockbuster who wasn't white. For this Bruce will always be remembered as the most important figure in Martial Arts picture history

Jim Kelly

Thanks to his performance as Williams in Enter The Dragon, Kelly was launched into career portraying confident African American martial artists in the 1970s. He most famously portrayed Black Belt Jones (1974). Kelly became in important figure for the African American community in the 1970s. His portrayal of Williams helped inform all of the male leads for the "Blacksploitation" pictures Rudy Ray Moore produced.

Bob Wall

Wall portrayed O'hara who famously was killed by Lee in Enter The Dragon. Wall met Lee through Wall's teacher, Chuck Norris. Wall also worked with Bruce Lee in Way Of The Dragon (1972). After Enter The Dragon, Wall continued on with a lot of supporting roles in American Martial Arts pictures, primarily in the 1980s.

In the 1990s, Wall has continued his work in film to this day, but he is most known for becoming one of the Executive Producers of Walker Texas Ranger (93-01, CBS)

Bolo Yeung

Bolo Yeung, credited as Yang Tse, played Bolo in Enter the Dragon. He was already famous in Hong Kong when Enter the Dragon came out. In 1973 alone, we appeared in 11 pictures. Bolo Yeung went on to appear in over 100 other movies. Bolo Yeung is perhaps most known for his role as Chong Li, the primary villain in Bloodsport (1988)

Sammo Hung

Sammo fought Lee in the sparring match at the beginning of Enter The Dragon. Aside from having that role he was a coordinator in Enter The Dragon, and was responsible for bringing on many other famous martial artists.

Sammo is one of the most famous choreographers in Hong Kong today, and starred in nearly 200 movies. On screen in the US he is most known for often being along side Jackie Chan in the 80s, but off screen he is most known for being the choreographer for the Ip Man Movies.

Jackie Chan

Does Jackie Chan really need an introduction? Second to only Bruce Lee in terms of how internationally recognizable he is. In Enter The Dragon Jackie Chan's character had his neck broken by Lee, but while in the movie Jackie is in other scenes. In another scene Bruce accidentally whacked Jackie in the head with a stick. Post shooting, Bruce was very apologetic. On a another day, Bruce ran into Jackie in Hong Kong, Bruce recognizing Jackie, offered to take him bowling. Bruce Lee couldn't go any where without being recognized, and it did not go un noticed that Jackie was a much better bowler than Bruce. That was the last time they saw each other.

Jackie Chan went on to become the super star he is now, but not before Hong Kong studios tried to make Jackie the next Bruce during the Brucespoitation era. Thankfully, in coordination with Sammo Hung, Jackie was able to create his own cinematic style, which was less like Bruce Lee but more like Buster Keaton.

Yuen Biao

In Enter The Dragon, Yuen Biao was an extra that is hard to spot, but Biao did a few stunts for Bruce Lee in the movie. Biao has roles in over 125 features, but in the west he is most recognized as being along side Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung in a few movies in the 1980s.

Most notably, Project A (1983) and Meals on Wheels (1984). Many martial art cinema enthusiasts consider a young Biao as being more acrobatic than a young Chan. If it weren't for Jackie creating his own style, Biao could have been the next in line after Bruce for Hong Kong super stardom.

Yuen Wah

In Enter the Dragon Yuen Wah plays the un named participant who lost to John Saxon in the tournament when he took a fist to his nether regions. Also in Enter the Dragon, Wah did a few stunts for Bruce, including Lee's famous flash kick against O'hara. American audiences would recognize Wah as being the landlord in Stephen Chow's Kung Fu Hustle (2004)

Angela Mao

Angela Mao played Lee's sister in Enter The Dragon. Prior to her role as Lee's sister, Mao had already starred in 7 films, and was an internationally recognized Hapkido practitioner. Mao got her start in the same place as Sammo, Jackie and Biao, in the Pekking Fighting Opera. Mao had a respectable career in Martial Arts cinema, but she retired in 1992 when she started a restaurant in Hong Kong and shifted her focus to raising a family.

In Closing

Additional to Enter being a catalyst for the collaboration between many of the Martial Artists on this list, Enter The Dragon brought global attention and respect to the martial arts genre as a whole. Prior to Enter the Dragon, the genre was isolated to mainly Hong Kong, after the film, Martial Arts were seen as a very viable commodity. For at least two decades, Martial Arts cinema influenced American culture, and in turn, cinema as a whole.

Written by, Tyler Wiest Defining Cinema Producer and Editor