Bruce Li (; born Ho Chung-tao; 5 June 1950) is a Chinese martial artist and actor who starred in martial arts films from the Bruceploitation movement.
Career
Ho Chung-tao went to play a stuntman in Taiwan and Hong Kong under the name of James Ho.
After the death of Bruce Lee, Ho's acting career began. Hong Kong studios believed that Ho had the ability to pick up where Lee left off and cast him in similar types of martial arts films. They first cast him in Conspiracy. Afterwards, the producers of Game of Death asked Ho to finish their movie in Lee's role, but he declined.
Afterward, he was employed by producer/actor Jimmy Shaw, who gave him the name of Bruce Li.
While Ho was finishing his military service, he appeared in Goodbye Bruce Lee: His Last Game of Death. He starred in other Bruceploitation pictures in 1976 with The Young Bruce Lee and Bruce Lee: The Man, The Myth.
Using the name Bruce Li, some Taiwanese and Hong Kong producers decided to directly credit him as Bruce Lee, even going so far as to use the real Bruce Lee's picture on posters. Ho even appeared in Bruce Lee Against Supermen, where he stars as Kato (Carter in the English dub version), a role loosely based on the Green Hornet's Kato played by Lee.
In 1975, Dragon Dies Hard became a hit in Japan, where it earned () at the box office.
The producers really wanted to show Li as the "official" successor to Bruce Lee. In the 1976 movie Exit the Dragon, Enter the Tiger, Li meets Lee, who says Li should replace him. The film's title relates to Lee being dubbed the Dragon and Li the Tiger. Li appeared in Return of the Tiger starring Angela Mao. In it, Li fights Paul L. Smith.
Li appeared in two unofficial sequels to Lee's classic Fist of Fury.
In 1976, Li reprised his role as Lee in the biopic Bruce Lee: The True Story (also known as Bruce Lee: The Man, The Myth). Li choreographed the combat sequences. This movie was quite successful, with fans dubbing it one of the best biopics of Lee.
Li kept shooting martial arts movies until the 1980s. He also directed a few including The Chinese Stuntman (1981).
Li eventually ran into trouble separating himself from playing Lee, along with standing out from other impersonators in Bruceploitation. In the mid-1980s, he become a physical education instructor at Taipei's Ping Chung University and taught martial arts to comedian apprentices. He later appeared only briefly in martial arts cinema or Bruce Lee documentaries.
In 1990, Li retired from acting at age 40 after his wife's sudden death to raise his children.
Bruce Li's career was the focus of a segment of the 1995 documentary Top Fighter. In the segment, Li said he was unhappy that the studios wanted to turn him into a Bruce Lee marketing gimmick, saying, "I could act like him but I could never be him", though at the time, Li did willingly accept the roles. He elaborated on this further with his appearance in the 2023 documentary Enter the Clones of Bruce, in which he elaborated more on his roles and why he left the business.
Filmography Year Title Role Notes 1972 Duel in the Tiger Den(翻山虎) Japanese Boss Credited as Chung Tao HoGecko Kung Fu(壁虎遊龍) Credited as Ho Chung TaoThe Death Duel(惡報) Extra Credited as Ho Tsung-TaoTriangular Duel(鐵三角)1973Chinese Iron Man(中國鐵人)Bad MasterCredited as Ho Chung Tao1974Hero of Kwangtong(廣東好漢)Member of Luk's familyCredited as Ho Chung TaoRikisha Kuri(大車伕)Japanese ThugCredited as Ho Chung TaoSuper Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story(一代猛龍)Bruce Lee/Li Xiao Long1975Goodbye Bruce Lee: His Last Game of Death(新死亡遊戲)Lee Hon Hung Bruce Lee, We Miss You!(金色太陽)StoneEnter the Panther(詭計)Shu Yu-LungBruce Lee Against Supermen(猛龍征東)Kato (Carter In the English dub version)1976The Legend of Bruce Lee(唐山截拳道)Bruce LeeExit the Dragon, Enter the Tiger(天皇巨星)Tiger/David/Tan LungThe Ming Patriots(中原鏢局)Li Tia-LongThe Dragon Lives(詠春大兄)Bruce LeeBruce Lee's Secret(詠春截拳)Bruce LeeBruce Lee: the Man, the Myth(李小龍傳奇)Bruce Lee1977Return of the Tiger(大圈套)Chang HungFist of Fury II(精武門續集)Chen ShenThe Real Bruce Lee(最後精武門)Kato (unreleased footage)DocumentarySoul Brothers of Kung Fu(被迫)Wong Wai-Lung1978Bruce Li's Magnum Fist(大英雄)Bruce Lee The Invincible(威震天南)Yu FongEdge of Fury(撈家撈女撈上撈)Fong PaoDynamo(不擇手段)Lee Tien-YeeBruce Lee in New Guinea(蛇珠)Wan LiThe Image of Bruce Lee(猛男大賊胭脂虎)Wei ManDeadly Strike(神龍)1979Bruce and the Iron Finger(大教頭與騷娘子)Bruce LeeThe Lama Avenger(打出頭)Hong Tian-DeFists of Bruce Lee(伏擊)Lee Min-ChinCo-directed with Kim Hyung-JoonFist of Fury III(截拳鷹爪功)Chen ZhenThe Iron Dragon Strikes Back(匯峰號黃金大風暴)Ah WaiBlind Fist of Bruce(盲拳鬼手)Yeh Chen Lung1981The Chinese Stuntman(龍的影子)Tang WeiAlso director1982Dragon Force(神探光頭妹)Dai Lung1983Pink Trap(粉紅色陷阱)1988Future Hunters1990Yellowthread StreetBarmanTV series - 1 episode1991Kickboxer the Champion
Notes
References
External links Bruce Li - Featured in Bruceploitation Series on GooHead
Clones of Bruce Lee – The Ultimate Guide To Bruce Lee Exploitation Cinema