Shannon Emery Lee (born April 19, 1969) is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actressAn actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. She is the daughter of martial artist and actor
Bruce LeeBruce Lee was a Chinese American and Hong Kong actor, martial artist, philosopher, film director, screenwriter, practitioner of Wing Chun and founder of the Jeet Kune Do concept. He is considered by many as the most influential martial artist of the 20th century, and a cultural icon...
and
Linda Lee CadwellLinda Lee Cadwell , a.k.a. Linda Emery, is an American teacher and the widow of martial arts master and actor Bruce Lee, founder of Jeet Kune Do. She was born and raised in Seattle, Washington, U.S....
. The late
Brandon LeeBrandon Bruce Lee was an American actor. He was the son of the late legendary martial arts film star Bruce Lee and Linda Lee Cadwell and the brother of actress Shannon Lee. He was also the nephew of Robert Lee, a musician and member of various Hong Kong beat bands.Brandon, following in his fathers...
was her older brother.
Personal life
Shannon was born in Los Angeles,
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
, the second child to Bruce and Linda (Emery) Lee. Shannon and her family lived in Hong Kong from 1971 to 1973, after which her mother moved back to the United States following the death of her father. Together, they lived in
SeattleSeattle is located in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Situated in the western part of Washington State on an isthmus between Puget Sound and Lake Washington, about south of the Canada – United States border, it is named after Chief Sealth, of the Duwamish and Suquamish tribes...
,
WashingtonWashington is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Washington was carved out of the western part of Washington Territory which had been ceded by Britain in 1846 by the Oregon Treaty as settlement of the Oregon Boundary Dispute. It was admitted to the Union as the...
(Linda's hometown) and Los Angeles. Shannon grew up in the affluent area of
Rolling Hills, CaliforniaRolling Hills is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 1,871. According to the 2000 US Census, Rolling Hills is the 21st richest place in the United States , and #4 for places with a population of at least 1,000.Rolling Hills...
.
Graduating from The
Chadwick SchoolChadwick School is a K-12, coed, nonsectarian, non-profit, independent day school located in Palos Verdes Peninsula, California. The school has a 5 star rating in terms of parent satisfaction.- Overview :Chadwick's current enrollment is under 900 students...
in 1987, Shannon then attended
Tulane UniversityTulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
in New Orleans, where she studied voice and graduated in 1991. She moved back to Los Angeles in 1993 after her brother's death to pursue acting. She married lawyer Ian Keasler in 1994, and they have one daughter, Wren, who was born in 2003.
Career
Shannon made her acting debut playing a cameo in her father's biopic film
Dragon: The Bruce Lee StoryDragon: The Bruce Lee Story, is a 1993 semi-fictionalized biographical film telling the story of actor Bruce Lee, starring Jason Scott Lee as Bruce Lee, Lauren Holly and Robert Wagner...
in 1993. She went on to act in several low budget films including
High Voltage (1997),
Enter the Eagles (1998) and
Lessons for an Assassin (2001). She also guest-starred in an episode of the television series
Martial LawMartial Law is a television series that ran from 1998 to 2000. It was created by Carlton Cuse.The title character, Sammo Law, portrayed by Sammo Hung, was a Chinese law officer and martial arts expert who came to Los Angeles in search of a colleague and remains in the US.The cast endured turnover...
alongside
Sammo HungSammo Hung is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, producer and director, known for his work in many kung fu films and Hong Kong action cinema...
in 1998 and appeared in the science-fiction television film
EpochEpoch is a 2001 science fiction film directed by Matt Codd, starring David Keith, Stephanie Niznik, and Brian Thompson. In it, a strange monolith is discovered, and the team sent to study it encounters repeated disasters.-Marketing:...
which first aired on the
Sci Fi ChannelSyfy is an American cable television channel launched on September 24, 1992, that specializes in science fiction, fantasy, horror, and paranormal programming. It is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBC Universal...
in 2000. She was also the television host of
WMAC MastersWMAC Masters is an American live-action television show produced by Norman Grossfeld featuring choreographed martial arts fights. It was created and licensed by 4Kids Entertainment....
for the first season.
She is currently the president of the
The Bruce Lee FoundationThe Bruce Lee Foundation is the nonprofit foundation for perpetuating and preserving the martial arts, philosophy, and legacy of Martial Artist Bruce Lee and is operated by The Bruce Lee Estate. It is headed by Linda Lee Cadwell and Shannon Lee....
. She also sang on the band
MedicineMedicine is an alternative noise-pop/rock band from the San Fernando Valley, USA. They were formed in 1991 by guitarist Brad Laner and signed to Rick Rubin's American Recordings label the following year. Medicine was/is considered the American parallel to fellow shoegazers My Bloody Valentine...
's album
The Mechanical Forces of Love in 2003. Shannon also sang a cover of "
I'm in the Mood for Love"I'm in the Mood for Love" is a popular song.The music was written by Jimmy McHugh, the lyrics by Dorothy Fields. The song was published in 1935...
" for the movie
China Strike ForceChina Strike Force is a 2000 action/adventure film starring Aaron Kwok, Norika Fujiwara, Leehom Wang and Ruby Lin. It was directed by Stanley Tong and written by Steven Whitney and Stanley Tong.-Plot:...
(2000), which starred Leehom Wang and
Aaron KwokAaron Kwok Fu-Shing is a Hong Kong singer and film actor from the 1990s to the present. The media refer to him, Jacky Cheung, Andy Lau and Leon Lai as the Cantopop Four Heavenly Kings . Kwok's onstage dancing and displays is influenced by Michael Jackson...
. She is the executive producer of the 2008 television series
The Legend of Bruce LeeThe Legend of Bruce Lee is a Mainland Chinese TV series which is an retelling of the biography of Chinese martial arts icon Bruce Lee. Produced and broadcast by state broadcaster China Central Television , the 50-episode series which has been on air on CCTV-1 since October 12, 2008, stars Danny...
, based on her father's life.
Filmography
- Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story
Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, is a 1993 semi-fictionalized biographical film telling the story of actor Bruce Lee, starring Jason Scott Lee as Bruce Lee, Lauren Holly and Robert Wagner...
(1993)
- Cage II (1994)
- High Voltage (1997)
- Martial Law
Martial Law is a television series that ran from 1998 to 2000. It was created by Carlton Cuse.The title character, Sammo Law, portrayed by Sammo Hung, was a Chinese law officer and martial arts expert who came to Los Angeles in search of a colleague and remains in the US.The cast endured turnover...
(1998 in episode: "Take Out")
- Blade
Blade is a 1998 vampire action film starring Wesley Snipes and Stephen Dorff, loosely based on the published stories of the fictional Marvel Comics character Blade. It was directed by Stephen Norrington and written by David S. Goyer. Snipes plays the titular character, a vampire hunter who is...
(1998)
- Enter the Eagles (1998)
- Epoch
Epoch is a 2001 science fiction film directed by Matt Codd, starring David Keith, Stephanie Niznik, and Brian Thompson. In it, a strange monolith is discovered, and the team sent to study it encounters repeated disasters.-Marketing:...
(2000)
- Lessons for an Assassin (2001)
- She, Me and Her (2002)
External links
- Bruce Lee Web Website in Spanish about Bruce Lee family and Jeet Kune Do.