The American martial artist, teacher and writer Linda Lee Cadwell, is also popularly known for being the widow of the world-renowned filmmaker, philosopher, actor, and martial arts instructor Bruce Lee. She’s the writer of the 1975 book, “Bruce Lee: the Man Only I Knew” and is the trustee and advisor of the charity organization, Bruce Lee Foundation.
Age, Early Life, and Education Background
Linda Emery Lee Cadwell is a native of Everett, Washington State, and was born under the Aries zodiac sign on 21 March 1945, which makes her 77 years old as of 2022. She was born to Everett Emery and his wife Vivian R., a Baptist family, and is of mixed Irish, Swedish and English ancestry.
Linda attended Garfield High School in Seattle, Washington, and was a cheerleader, attracted to it because she loved the excitement it provided. Her dream was to lead a medical career; she’s a graduate of the University of Washington.
Facts
Cadwell believes that the work of her late husband should live forever, and now runs the Bruce Lee Foundation, which teaches Bruce Lee’s philosophy on kung fu and martial arts in general.
She is very outspoken when it comes to her views on castes and racism, and is obviously open to interracial marriage.
Linda is very committed to her duties, and revealed that she got this quality from her mother.
Career
Linda went back to Seattle after the demise of her husband, and began working as a kindergarten teacher. She shortly afterward wrote her first book, “Bruce Lee: The Man Only I Knew” in 1975, which received many positive reviews from critics. 1989 saw her writing another book entitled “The Bruce Lee Story”, and the 1993 hit film, “Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story,” which starred Lauren Holly (playing Linda) and Jason Scott, was based on her book. The film had a box office collection of over $60 million.
Cadwell began her acting career in 1973, when she played a Party Guest in the film “Enter the Dragon”; her next role was in the film “A Night in Heaven” in 1983, but meantime she directed two episodes of “Sunday Night Live” in 1980, and later served as a line producer in the TV series “Alive from Off Center” in 1988.
Personal Life
Linda has been married thrice. She met her husband-to-be, Bruce Lee, in high school, where he had come to teach kung fu. The duo met again when Linda matriculated to the University of Washington, where she received martial arts training under him. They soon began dating, and finally walked the aisle in Seattle on 17 August 1964, a few months before her graduation when she was 19 years old. Shortly afterward, the newlyweds relocated to Hong Kong, now China.
One year after their marriage, they welcomed a son, Brandon Lee, who was born in California’s East Oakland Hospital on 1 February 1965. Unfortunately, Brandon was accidentally shot dead in Wilmington, North Carolina, during the filming of “The Crow” in 1993 after his co-star Michael Massee fired a prop firearm with a real bullet in it, cutting short his promising Hollywood career. The couple later welcomed a daughter, the famed actress, businesswoman and martial artist. Shannon Emery Lee, on 19 April 1969, at Santa Monica’s UCLA Medical Center. Shannon is famous for her appearances in the films: “Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story” in 1993, “Enter the Eagles” in 1998, “How Bruce Lee Changed the World” in 2009 and several more. She now runs the non-profit organization, the Bruce Lee Foundation together with her husband, Ian Keasler, and her mother.
Sadly, Bruce Lee died of brain edema, possibly because of an allergic reaction to a painkiller, in Hong Kong, on 20 July 1973, when he was 32 years old. His untimely death led to many speculating that he had been killed by Chinese gangsters, while others suspected that he was a curse victim. He was laid to rest at Lake View Cemetery, in Seattle.
Linda moved back to Seattle when her husband died and later relocated to Los Angeles, California. She thereafter fell in love with the American writer and actor, Tom Bleecker, and they eventually wed in 1988, but the duo ended their marriage just two years later for reasons they’ve kept private. One year later, she exchanged vows with the stockbroker, Bruce Cadwell, and the duo now lives in Rancho Mirage, California.
Height, Weight, and Physical Appearance
Linda is 5ft 7ins (1.70m) tall and weighs approximately 120lbs (55kgs). She has a pair of blue eyes, and blonde hair.
Net Worth
Linda has accumulated her net worth through her multiple business endeavors ,and is now worth approximately $10 million. The hit film “Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story” was based on two of her books, which saw her wealth increase significantly. She is also reported to have inherited a good sum from her late husband’s fortune.
With Bruce Lee’s widow, Linda Lee Cadwell. It meant a lot for her to give me a big thumbs up for the documentary I did on Bruce’s mentor, Allen Joe. pic.twitter.com/03HNs8B4DF
— Rick Quan (@rickquanABC7) June 10, 2018
Who was Linda Lee Cadwell’s First Husband, Bruce Lee?
Bruce Lee was known for his films “Enter the Dragon” and “Fist of Fury”, and was also credited for his fighting technique, Jeet Kune Do. He was born Lee Jun Fan under the Sagittarius zodiac sign on 27 November 1940, in San Francisco – his siblings were Robert, Phoebe, Peter and Agnes Lee. His father was the Hong Kong opera musician, Hoi Chuen, and his mother was Grace Ho – they relocated to the USA in 1939. Bruce made his film debut in “Golden Gate Girl” when he was three months old, and appeared in additional 20 movies as a child actor.
He studied poetry and dancing when he was young, and Lee also received Kung Fu training under the instructor Master Yip Man. He attended an Edison-based high school, and matriculated to the University of Washington to study philosophy.
Bruce Lee taught Jeet Kune Do, which is also called ‘The Way of Intercepting Fist’, and had schools in Los Angeles and Oakland. He rose to prominence for his starring role in the series “The Green Hornet”, and his fame saw him cast in the shows “Longstreet” and “Ironside.” He also appeared in many films, the most notable being “Marlowe’ in 1969 and “Fists of Fury” in 1971. He also came in as the director of “Return of the Dragon” in 1972.
