The name Bruce Lee evokes a myth much like that of James Dean. A blazing career, films seen by millions around the world, and then sudden death. Lee died of apoplexy on July 20, 1973, in Hong Kong, at the age of 32 and at the height of his fame.

Bruce Lee, king of kung-fu, the martial art that originated in China, usually practiced the jeet-kunedo in most of his films. This form of karate combines all of the known martial arts. Lee was initiated into the martial arts by his father, Lee Hoi Chuen and later studied kung-fu with the grand master Yip Man. Lee kept kung-fu's most effective techniques and most spectacular manoeuvres and combined them with the staccato movements of karate, which was a great source of inspiration for him.

"I am not just one style, I am all styles", he once said. These words best described the personality of Bruce Lee, who knew how to make use of only the best part of the martial arts he was taught. When he practised French boxing, his style returned the sport to its classical origins and reinvested it with a noble flair and artistry that may never be equaled.

Lee's career began with "The Green Hornet", a 30-episode, half-hour television series that started in 1966. Now young people link him with the grand masters of karate and kung- fu. Numerous Bruce Lee fan clubs still exist around the world. The prodigious martial arts talents of Sansei Bruce Lee, professor, athlete, and actor, reduced the lack of understanding that often pits East against West.

BRUCE LEE Born Nov. 27, 1940, at the Chinese Hospital in San Francisco, Calif. He was baptised Leen Yuen Kam, "protector of San Francisco" Died July 20, 1973, in Hong Kong

Photo:The master demonstrates his art for a group of students