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In a special series commemorating the 45th anniversary of Bruce Lee's death on July 20, 1973, we seek to clarify the facts and explore some of the stories of the life of the martial arts legend.
Hollywood hairdresser Jay Sebring was not only a close friend of Bruce Lee, he played a decisive role in his success as a kung fu actor and teacher.
Prior to working on television in the United States, Lee wanted to open a chain of kung fu schools across America – he had no plans to resume his career in the United States. 39, actor in the West. In 1964, Lee gave a kung-fu show at the Long Beach International Karate Championships. Sebring, who studied karate under Ed Parker, famed martial arts teacher, saw the demonstration, which was also filmed.
Sebring has cut the hair of many actors and producers of Hollywood – Steve McQueen, among others. information for the film industry. While he was cutting the hair of producer William Dozier, Sebring learned that he was looking for someone to star in Number One Son a television series about the son of the detective Chinese Charlie Chan.
Sebring mentioned Lee's fight bout, and the duo arranged to watch the filmed footage. Dozier was impressed, and although Number One Son did not materialize, he called Lee by throwing Japanese character Kato into the crime fighting series The Green Hornet and offered him the role. Lee agreed and found himself in the showbiz.
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Sebring also helped Lee find rich students to teach kung fu. When The Green Hornet was canceled, Lee announced his services as a personal teacher of kung fu. Lee printed some business cards, and Sebring distributed them to his customers. Sebring's connection led Lee to teach Steve McQueen kung fu, among others.
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Sebring was 35 years old when he was killed in the Manson murders in August, 1969, alongside of the pregnant wife of the director Roman Polanski, Sharon Tate, and three others. Lee was a friend of Polanski – he taught him kung fu – and Sebring was Tate's ex-boyfriend. The house on Cielo Drive in which Tate and Polanski lived was close to Lee's own house
At the time of the murders, Polanski was in the UK to write a screenplay. Although Sebring was Tate 's former lover, the three were always friendly, and Sebring went to Tate' s home the night the Manson gang entered his house with the order to kill anyone who 's killed. found there.
Sebring received a .22 caliber revolver and was stabbed because he pleaded with the murderers to spare Tate, who was pregnant.
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Sebring would have been well liked in Hollywood. "[Sebring] worked on a wide variety of very rich men: Kirk Douglas, Paul Newman, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, Marlon Brando and Henry Fonda were regulars, and he is credited with the creation of [1759018] ] Jim Morrison's bulky helmet, "according to the magazine Allure ." He called – and was close friend with – Bruce Lee and Steve McQueen; the first taught him martial arts, while Sebring provided him with a lot of cocaine.
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