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Bruce Lee’s kick-ass co-star in ‘Enter The Dragon’ Jim Kelly R.I.P.
07.01.2013
04:49 am
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Karate champ and film star Jim “The Dragon” Kelly has died of cancer at the age of 67.

Six foot two with an explosive Afro, Kelly made an indelible impression in 1973’s Enter The Dragon by holding his own against the film’s massively charismatic star Bruce Lee. Kelly’s character, Williams, was somewhat of a symbol of the Black Power movement in America at the time and Kelly’s look, defiant demeanor and no bullshit attitude fit the role perfectly.

Kelly went on to make a string of films in the 70s, the most popular of which were Black Belt Jones and Three The Hard Way. He also appeared briefly in the wildly twisted The Amazing Mr. No Legs.

Kelly exuded a cool intensity and had a screen presence that should have made him a bigger star than he was. But the scripts he was offered he turned down because they were generally exploitation flicks that he felt didn’t give him an opportunity to project a positive image. His martial arts training had made him very aware of directing his energies toward a higher goal. Playing Black stereotypes in low-rent B-movies wasn’t the kind of karma he wanted to accrue.

In this video shot during the 2012 Albuquerque Comic Expo, Kelly is interviewed by martial arts film historian Ric Meyers. The result is a wonderfully insightful take on one of cinema’s shooting stars and one of martial arts true legends. Kelly’s feelings for Bruce Lee are profound.
 

Posted by Marc Campbell
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07.01.2013
04:49 am
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