Dragon Lee | |
---|---|
Born |
Moon Kyoung-seok August 12, 1958 North Korea |
Korean name | |
Hangul | 문경석 |
Revised Romanization | Mun Gyeong-seok |
McCune–Reischauer | Mun Kyŏngsŏk |
Nickname in South Korea | |
Hangul | 거룡 |
Hanja | 巨龍 |
Revised Romanization | Geo Ryeong |
McCune–Reischauer | Kŏ Ryong |
Dragon Lee (born August 12, 1958) is an actor and practitioner of Taekwondo and Hapkido. He made a name for himself as a martial arts film star in the 1970s and 80s. His birth name is Moon Kyoung-seok, but he has also been called Keo Ryong (literally "giant dragon") in South Korea.
Soon after his birth, his family relocated to the former Soviet Union, where he was given the name Vyachaslev Yaksysnyi. His family remained there until Lee was a teenager, after which they relocated to South Korea.
Lee eventually studied taekwondo with friend and actor Kim Tai-chung, who served as Bruce Lee's double in the final scenes of "Game of Death." It was at this stage of his life that Lee began studying also the Korean martial art of hapkido under Hwang In-Shik, who appeared with Bruce Lee in Way of the Dragon.
When Dragon Lee was at a theater, a man told him that he resembled Bruce Lee. That was a big compliment because Bruce Lee was popular at the time, and the man knew film directors in Hong Kong and helped Dragon Lee advance his career.
In his early 20s, Dragon Lee moved to Hong Kong and starred in numerous martial arts films, often credited as Bruce Lei because he bore a striking resemblance to Bruce Lee. Among Dragon Lee's many film credits is the semi-documentary The Real Bruce Lee (1977).
Dragon Lee moved back to Seoul, and is a television actor and producer. He also heads a South Korean actors' association.