Horror History: Brandon Lee Would’ve Been 56 Today
On this day in horror history, The Crow and Rapid Fire actor Brandon Bruce Lee was born in Oakland, California back in 1965. He would have been 56 this year.
Lee is perhaps best known as the only son of Enter the Dragon star Bruce Lee. He studied acting at Emerson College and the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. In 1986, Lee made his screen debut in Kung Fu: The Movie with David Carradine. He then snagged his first leading role in the action film Legacy of Rage.
After that, Lee played a lead in Kung Fu: The Next Generation and the low-budget Laser Mission. His first major Hollywood movie was Showdown in Little Tokyo with Dolph Lundgren. Lee then snagged the lead in Dwight Little’s Rapid Fire.
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Then in 1992, he landed the of Eric Draven in Alex Proyas’ adaptation of the cult classic comic, The Crow. It would be his final film. On March 31, 1993, Lee was accidentally killed on set. He was only a few days away from completing the film when he was shot by a prop gun. The Crow was eventually completed by re-writing the script and by using early CGI technology along with stunt doubles.
Lee is buried alongside his father in Seattle’s Lake View Cemetery.
The Crow tells the tale of musician Eric Draven (Lee) who – along with his fiancée – is brutally murdered by a violent inner-city gang the night before his wedding. On the anniversary of their deaths, Eric rises from the grave and assumes the gothic mantle of the Crow, a supernatural avenger. Tracking down the thugs responsible for the crimes and mercilessly murdering them, Eric eventually confronts head gangster Top Dollar (Michael Wincott) to complete his macabre mission.
The film sports an 83% rating over on Rotten Tomatoes. The Critics Consensus reads: Filled with style and dark, lurid energy, The Crow is an action-packed visual feast that also has a soul in the performance of the late Brandon Lee.
What’s your favorite Brandon Lee movie – other than The Crow?
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