Jim Kelly, actor in “Enter the Dragon,” dies at 63. According to his ex-wife Marilyn Dishman, legendary martial artist Jim Kelly, best known for his performance in the 1973 Bruce Lee film Enter the Dragon, passed away on Saturday due to cancer.
Dishman announced Kelly’s death on Facebook on June 29, writing, “James Milton Kelly, better known as Jim Kelly, the Karate expert, actor, my first husband, and the biological father of Sabrena Kelly-Lewis, passed away yesterday, June 29, 2013. “Sabrena would appreciate your positive thoughts and prayers. It’s not easy to make sense of the scenario at hand. The meaning of this is a bit of a mystery to me. Same with his mom, there will be no memorial.”
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WHO IS JIM KELLY?
James Milton Kelly was an American actor, actor, and martial artist. He was born on May 5, 1946, and died on June 29, 2013. After winning a few karate championships, Kelly became famous in the early 1970s when she appeared in several martial arts and blaxploitation action movies. Kelly was in the movie Enter the Dragon with Bruce Lee in 1973. In 1974, he played the title character in Black Belt Jones and Mister Keyes in Three the Hard Way. Kelly died on June 29, 2013, at age 67, from cancer.
Kelly’s dad had a business where Navy people could rent lockers. Jim started in sports at Paris, Kentucky’s Bourbon County High School, where he played basketball, football, and track and field. He went to the University of Louisville on a football scholarship but left after a coach used a racial slur to talk about a black teammate. He started learning Shorin-Ryu karate instead.
Jim Kelly Earlier Life
Kelly’s first teacher in martial arts was Sin Kwang The’ (Shaolin-Do), who taught him in Lexington, Kentucky. Parker Shelton, Nate Patton, and Gordon Doversola taught him how to do Okinawan karate. Kelly became one of the most decorated karate world champions in the early 1970s. In 1971, he won four important championships, with the World Middleweight Karate title at the 1971 Long Beach International Karate Championships being the most important. Kelly opened his dojo, which many famous people from Hollywood went to. This led to him getting a job in the movies.
Kelly also became a professional tennis player, in addition to his work in martial arts and movies. Jim played tennis for fun at Plummer Park in West Hollywood in the 1970s. He became a part of the USTA Senior Men’s Circuit in 1975. He was ranked No. 2 in California for senior men’s doubles and top ten for senior men’s singles. When he was older, he owned and ran a tennis club in the San Diego area.
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Jim Kelly Cause of Death
The death of Jim Kelly has been announced. He had a brief but fruitful career in action films thanks to his proficiency in martial arts. He was 67.
Marilyn Dishman, Kelly’s ex-wife, confirmed to CNN that the actor passed away on Saturday due to cancer.
Kelly landed a role in the action film “Melinda” while he was in Los Angeles instructing martial arts. He starred in the 1973 Bruce Lee film “Enter the Dragon,” however, for which he is best remembered.
Fans were disappointed that Kelly was killed off so quickly, but they still remembered him for his electric Afro, 6-foot-2 stature, and humorous remarks, despite the brief length of his role in the film.
The producers have called. The following year, he capitalised on his newfound fame by starring as the film’s titular character in “Black Belt Jones.” After the success of “Three the Hard Way” in the 1970s, he was not cast in any further films.
Kelly turned pro on the USTA senior tennis circuit later in life.
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