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They say the "Imitation is the sincerest form of Flattery", yet, I wonder if Lee, himself, would have been flattered by all the people using everything from his name to his mannerisms to sell films. In the wake of his untimely death, numerous people have tried to fill the void he left when he died back in 1973. Some had a similar look, could do certain gestures (thumbing the nose), but none could match his skill and screen presence, leading to the fact that he was truly "One-of-a-kind".
A number of people who tried to imitate him in some way or another in order to make a name for themselves and/or try to make a quick buck in the process. Greedy producers saw their chance to make it big, get rich, or both as the market for Bruce Lee "look-a-likes" turned into a frenzy for filmmakers and fans alike. We will look at the most prominent (and promising) of these stars and show by category, what they had to offer (if anything) to the preservation of Lee's memory on the screen and if it did anything to help their own career.
*** The films discussed here will mainly their roles as "Bruce Lee" imitators.
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Score from 1 to 10 on the following
Bruce Chen
(Chen Wai-Man)
How did it help his career?
Like some, he had a promising career before any connection to the other clones. Unlike some of the others, he actually knew Bruce Lee and can be seen at a Press-party at the end of his film Chinese Godfather. In films like The Chinese Mack and Chinese Hercules you can see the potential he had and he would stay on course to become of the genre's most well respected actors.
His street-fighting days and his penchant for fighting may have recalled Lee's days as a youth, but the similarities stopped there. He also tried to he Brandon (lee's son) secure film work in Hong Kong during the early stages of his career. The film Spirit of Bruce Li (had nothing to do with Lee), in which Nora Miao (a frequent Lee co-star) appeared and the film Big Boss 2 were the only films that had any connection with Lee, himself.
His Downfall
No real downfall as the characters he played really didn't have anything to do with Lee. The name "Bruce Chen" was a name he was called originally in France and never actually stuck with his fans.
Some of his best work
Total = 25 points
Bruce Lai
(Chang Yi-Tao)
How did it help his career?
He definitely got noticed as an imitator. In Enter 3 Dragons he was mugging it like a pro, yet, when Dragon Lee showed up on the screen, we literally forget about him. He'd obviously been trying to perfect his "Lee-persona" with the mannerisms and all. Clones of Bruce Lee just gave us more "flash" and little substance.
His Downfall
Just mannerisms and no standout performances possibly made him wise-up, as he later started appearing in a number of films (but not as an imitator) that would show his true skill as a martial-artist Blooded Treasury Fight was one of his better roles (as himself).
Some of his best work
Total = 34 points
Bruce Lau
(Liu Chia-Yung)
How did it help his career?
Being a very good actor/choreographer himself, it would be fruitless for him to pretend to be Bruce Lee. He already had a flourishing career behind the camera (choreography) as well as in front of it (actor/stuntman). But the fact that actor Shek Kein (Han from Enter the Dragon) was in the movie, they felt that they could generate sound buzz (and $$$) by renaming him for the movie. The only real buzz they got was problem from people in local Church congregation because of the renaming of the film to God Wears a Blackbelt.
His Downfall
None. The film neither held him back, nor interfered with his career as a choreographer and stuntman in the industry. He's gone on to be one of the most respected Choreographer/Director in the business.
Some of his best work
Total = 15 points
Bruce Le
(Huang Kin-Lung)
How did it help his career?
Tremendously. He became one of the most well-known Bruce Lee imitators around, 2nd only to Bruce Li. He had a similar build as Lee and he almost had Lee's mannerisms down to a science. In many places around the world, he was even more popular than Li.
A number of his films have become instant classics among his fans - The Young Dragon, Bruce and Shaolin Kung Fu, and Treasure of Bruce Lee were some of the best. Having starred in a great number of films, he learned the market well and eventually began filming his own features. During the later part of his career he began producing films.
His Downfall
Some of his best work
Total = 46 points
Bruce Lei
(Dragon Lee)
How did it help his career?
Yes. Outside of the severe overacting, he was a very good replacement, in that he actually looked like Lee with a few more muscles and he had Lee-like movements. It was almost like Lee has been reincarnated, but when his started those mannerisms, we knew better. Outside of "thumbing his nose", the kiais (Lee-like screams), and trying to make people get on their knees and beg, he gave some solid performances.
His Downfall
He could have been the best imitator around, but somewhere along the way he started "Overacting" and his Lee-mannerisms took a turn for the worst. Shaking his hands like his head was going to explode was a bit too much and it soon began to take away from his performances.
Some of his best work
Total = 45 points
Bruce Li
(Ho Chung-Tao)
How did it help his career?
He became known as the #1 "Bruce Lee Impersonator" on the silver screen. As time progressed, so did he, and people started looking forward to each movie that he appeared in. Though, I'm sure he appreciated his fame, inside I think it was bittersweet, because they were cheering for his portrayal of Bruce Lee and not him (Ho Chung-Tao). He would later admit that he hated being called Bruce Li, because it was like cheating the people who could have possibly thought he was Bruce Lee. (Now, how in the world could we have done that?)
He's starred in so many Lee-imitation films, that when people see him, they automatically think it's a "Bruce Lee-Imitation" film. This hindered him after a while, especially when he wanted to do other roles. He became famous with his Lee-portrayals and people around the world now know his name because of his association with his impersonations.
His Downfall
He was a decent actor, but never got to really show it with other roles, because of his association with Lee-like characters and impersonations.
Some of his best work
Total = 50 points
Bruce Liang
(Liang Siu-Lung)
How did it help his career?
It helped to push him out there when everyone else was using "Lee-like" names to get noticed. But, his name came from Seasonal Films. Little Superman and renamed Bruce, D-Day at Macau when it was distributed by the company for International release and he was renamed "Bruce Liang" to push his career. Though, somewhat "stout" in appearance, he actually had the skills to back up the name, as many didn't at that time.
When he shot The Dragon Lives Again (a satire comedy), he gained more recognition with the name. Then, he appeared along side Bruce Li/Ho Chung-Tao in Bruce and Iron Finger, it was the first time (2) impersonators were in the same film.
His Downfall
His portrayals of Lee were more comical than the other imitators. Most saw Lee as a visionary and not a comic, so it was somewhat insulting to some. Yet, when people realized that it was mainly greedy producers pushing this along, no one could hold this against him. He eventually dropped the "Lee" act, though he was still being billed as "Bruce Liang". He later in his career, he beat out many hopefuls for the part called The Fist, a television series based on the character Bruce Lee played in Fists of Fury.
Some of his best work
Total = 41 points
Bruce Lo
(Yasuaki Kurata)
How did it help his career?
He was already a household name in Japan, long before Sonny Chiba. He even was trying to get Bruce and Sonny to meet with each other to discuss a possible film project. (Lee supposedly died (3) days before). Lee was a personal friend even giving him a pair of plastic Nunchakus, which he claims to still have.
Working around Chiba helped him to land his only "Lee-impersonation" film Tiger's Claws. While the film was decent, it did little to help with his career as an impersonator. He's given numerous solid performances in various villainous roles and had became a staple in Hong Kong films thanks to director Chang Cheh he initially cast him in The Angry Guest.
His Downfall
None. He was a friend of Lee's - his film was more of an "Homage" than an imitation.
Some of his best work
Total = 29 points
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