Life and movie career
Born in 1950, Ho Chung Tao has spent his youth studying martial arts. He went to play a stuntman in Taiwan and Hong Kong under the name of James Ho.
At the death of Bruce Lee, Ho Chung Tao's real career began. Hong Kong studios noticed that Ho looked a lot like the kung fu star. They first employed him in ''Conspiracy'' before the producers of ''Game of Death'' asked him to finish their movie in Lee's role. Ho declined the offer.
After this, Ho was employed by producer-actor Jimmy Shaw who gave him the name of Bruce ''Li''.
"The producer gave me the name Bruce Li, L-I. But, I don't like it, because I can act like him, but I can't be him."
While Ho was finishing his military service, he appeared in ''Good Bye Bruce Lee''. He would star in other in 1976 with ''The Young Bruce Lee'' and ''Bruce Lee: The Man, the Myth''.
As Li, his career improved dramatically. 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. Li even appeared in ''Bruce Lee vs Supermen'' where he stars as , assistant of the Green Hornet, just like the real Bruce.
The producers really wanted to show Li as the "official" successor of Bruce Lee. In the 1976 movie ''Exit the Dragon Enter the Tiger'', Li meets Lee who points to him as the one who shall replace him. Li was dubbed the "Tiger" to Lee's "Dragon". This movie is considered to be one of Li's best. Li returns in ''Return of the Tiger'', starring Angela Mao. In it, Bruce Li fights .
Bruce carried on by playing in two unofficial sequels to Bruce Lee's classic ''Fist of Fury''.
In 1978, Li reprised his role as Bruce Lee in ''Bruce Lee the True Story'' , a biography film. Li choreographed the combat sequences himself. Being very successful, fans recognize it as one of the best biopics of Bruce Lee.
Li kept shooting martial arts movies until the 1980s. He also directed movies, including ''The Chinese Stuntman'' .
Bruceploitation was jumping the shark and Li knew it. He had trouble separating himself from his Bruce Lee roles and had many rivals in the genre. In 1985, Ho ended his career after his wife's death. He returned to Taiwan to become a physical education instructor at Taipei's Ping Chung University. He also has taught martial arts for comedian apprentices. Since then he has appeared only very briefly in martial arts cinema or Bruce Lee documentaries.
Li is considered one of the best Bruce Lee imitators, along with Bruce Le of Hong Kong and Dragon Lee of South Korea.
Filmography as an actor includes
* ''Bruce Against Iron Hand''
* ''Bruce Lee: A Dragon Story''
* ''''
* ''Goodbye, Bruce Lee: His Last Game of Death''
* ''Bruce Lee Against Supermen''
* ''Fist of Fury II''
* ''Exit the Dragon, Enter the Tiger''
* ''Enter the Panther''
* ''Bruce Lee's Secret''
* ''The Real Bruce Lee''
* ''The Ming Patriots''
* ''Bruce Li in New Guinea''
* ''Bruce Lee the Invincible''
* ''The Dragon Lives''
* ''Bruce Lee, We Miss You''
* ''Soul Brothers of Kung Fu''
* ''The Image of Bruce Lee''
* ''Fists of Bruce Lee''
* ''Edge of Fury''
* ''''
* ''Deadly Strike''
* ''Bruce Li's Magnum Fist''
* ''Bruce Lee vs. the Iron Dragon''
* ''Bruce Lee: The Man, The Myth''
* ''Return of the Tiger''
* ''The Lama Avenger''
* ''Blind Fist of Bruce''
* ''The Iron Dragon Strikes Back''
* ''Fist of Fury II''
* ''The Chinese Stuntman''
* ''Powerforce''
IMDB also lists Bruce Li as appearing in ''Golden Sun'' , ''Master of Jeet Kun Do'' , and ''Superdragon vs. Superman''
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