Immortalized on the silver screen: ‘Death of a Film Star’ recounts the lives of Bruce Lee, Chadwick Boseman, and more
Crowd Network is back with “Death of a Film Star.” Much like their anthology podcast “Death of a Rock Star,” this podcast is telling the lesser-known parts of the people forever immortalized on the silver screen – stars gone too soon, stars who left an indelible mark on the industry. From James Dean to Philip Seymour Hoffman, Judy Garland and Chadwick Boseman, “Death of a Film Star” documents their lives.
Hear about the life, legacy and death of movie stars like Bruce Lee, who never actually bore witness to his rise of stardom. Born in San Francisco but raised in Hong Kong, by the time he was 18, he had appeared in twenty films. He had also begun training in Wing Chun, a traditional Southern Chinese Kung fu style of self defense. Well known in China, his parents sent him back to America to stay with his sister, where he started teaching martial arts.
After years of notoriety in the martial arts community, he broke into the American film scene. Through the late ’60s and early ’70s, Bruce battled his way through a very white Hollywood. He was particularly influenced by Mickey Rooney’s portrayal of Mr. Yunioshi in Breakfast at Tiffany’s – by influenced, we mean inspired to work even harder in the film industry. And work hard he did. Film crews often complained about how hard he made them all work.
Bruce Lee has been hailed as one of the most groundbreaking Asian-Americans on screen: he became an iconic figure worldwide, particularly in China for his portrayal of Chinese-nationalism in his films, and among Asian-Americans for defying stereotypes. In 1973, at just 32 years old, he died of brain swelling and a potential allergy to pain medicine he had taken to sleep.
But people didn’t buy it: the man who could do two-finger push ups, who could one-inch punch a man across a room died while taking a nap? Rumors swirled, effectively making him an even more immortalized figure than the one he was already becoming. Bruce Lee the man might be dead, but Bruce Lee the legend lives on.
“Death of a Film Star” knows that stars don’t fade. And film stars leave us with their incredible talent to make us feel whatever they want. Whether it be Robin Williams or Heath Ledger, Sharon Tate or Cory Monteith, it’s all just as heart-wrenching to rewatch their greatest works. Listen to their inside tales, their scandals, their virtues, and their truths with this podcast. “Death of a Film Star” puts out new episodes every Monday.
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