Well I don't know if "Action/Adventure" is the right cateory but I fear a martial arts wing would be too slim. Anyway, C&P job from the other thread cos I can't be bothered repeating myself.

Bruce Lee is a Bona fide HOF candidate just for his influence alone. As for his film output, it's quality not quantity. In fact, he started out as a child star in China so he already had a number of films to his credit before moving to the US in the late 1950's. Plus it cannot be dismissed that his classic films of the 70's not only redifined martial arts cinema but action cinema in the West too.

Not only did he bring martial arts to the West via cinema but also on it's biggest scale to the everyman via his schools. His films stands the test of time and continue to influence martial artists and martial arts filmakers to this day, and his own fighting style of Jeet Kun Do is an accepted martial arts practice. His philosophical works are also still being taught and adopted by martial arts schools the world over. It was only his untimely death that stop him from going to fulfilling his potential and sustaining international success.

Bruce Lee's impact of the film industry is just as great as his impact on martial arts. Not only was he an action director and choreographer for all of his 70's films (inc Enter The Dragon and his scenes in Marlowe) as well as others, he also wrote and directed Way Of The Dragon and the original footage/screenplay/script for Game Of Death. The TV series that was Kung Fu was also orignally a Bruce created project called The Golden Flute, proving his skills ranged beyond his on-camera work.

Martial arts movies chaged after Bruce's movies as did the importance of the stars in the business. Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Jet Li and the others would have the same clout in the buisness if Bruce hadn't opened the doors for them. And the martial arts film explosion in the US wouldn't have happened if it were no for Bruce. Simple maths - No Bruce Lee = No Van Damme, No Seagal, etc.

And if you need futher convincing, when Bruce died film makers in both Hong Kong and Hollywood were looking for "the next Bruce Lee". If someone is that well know and that influential that their passing leaves a whole in the industry that creates that much interest in filing (or in this case trying to) then surely their importance, their contribution and icnonic status cannot be argued.

The fact that we are still talking about the guy almost 35 years after his death speaks volumes.

If James Dean is considered a cinematic icon with just 3 films to his name then what Bruce achieved in his 5 films of the 70's makes him an even more deserving candidate.

-- Edited by Man In Black at 10:26, 2007-07-18

Bruce Lee is such an icon that I half-expected to open this thread and read an induction annoucement for him. He's that good. I don't think that there is any discussion to be made...