Bruce Lee^[b] (born Lee Jun-fan;^[c] November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was an American-born Hong Kong martial artist, actor, filmmaker, and philosopher. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy which was formed from Lee\'s experiences in unarmed fighting and self-defense—as well as eclectic, Zen Buddhist and Taoist philosophies—as a new school of martial arts thought.^[2][3] With a film career spanning Hong Kong and the United States,^[4][5][6] Lee is regarded as the first global Chinese film star and one of the most influential martial artists in the history of cinema.^[7] Known for his roles in five feature-length martial arts films, Lee is credited with helping to popularize martial arts films in the 1970s and promoting Hong Kong action cinema.^[8][9]