Shannon Lee – whose extensive resume includes roles as author, producer and legacy-keeper of her father, martial arts icon Bruce Lee -- visited UC Merced on March 6 as a special guest speaker. The event, held in recognition of Women’s History Month, spotlighted her career highlights, not only as Bruce Lee Foundation chair and Bruce Lee Family Companies CEO, but her many creative endeavors that are introducing her father’s philosophies and artistry to new generations of martial arts fans.
Students, staff and campus community members packed the Dr. Vikram and Priya Lakireddy Grand Ballroom to listen to Lee’s conversation with event moderator and Central Valley Opportunity Fund Regional Director and Program Officer Kim Garner. The discussion provided insight into Lee’s personal and professional journey as the steward of her father’s estate and her efforts to honor his memory through business, creative, educational and programming ventures.
Lee explained she “began looking after the Bruce Lee name in 2000,” 27 years after her father’s death. During those three decades, commercial rights were obtained and held by a Hollywood studio, which, according to Lee, would “take liberties” with her father’s image and persona that minimized the complexity and richness of his character. “There is so much more to this man,” she said.
Through what Lee described as several years of “patience, understanding the goal and looking for every possible opportunity,” along with shifting cultural norms and entertainment technologies, she slowly acquired the rights to her father’s likeness and name, formalizing what would become a defining factor of her life’s work.
“I believe I understand what (the Bruce Lee) legacy is more than anybody else, and I feel that my father would want me to be the voice of his legacy,” she said. “I will do whatever I have to do to step into that place.”
