Jim kelly cause of death
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With his funky Afro hairstyle, super cool attitude and superb karate skills, Jim Kelly was instantly identifiable, and one of the top martial arts film stars of the early 1970s. After appearing in a minor film role, Kelly's second screen effort was as one of the invited guests to the deadly Han's Island in Enter the Dragon (1973). Kelly quickly cropped up in several more martial arts influenced "blaxploitation" films including Three the Hard Way (1974), Golden Needles (1974) and Black Belt Jones (1974), with its interesting fight finale in a soap filled car wash! He then appeared in several other action films of the late seventies, however since 1980, Kelly has only cropped up in two minor roles. A talented athlete, winning ranked titles both in tennis and karate, Jim Kelly was an integral part of the African-American & martial arts cinematic explosion of the 1970s.
BornMay 5, 1946
DiedJune 29, 2013(67)
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Jim Kelly (martial artist)
American athlete, actor, and martial artist
James Milton Kelly (May 5, 1946 – June 29, 2013) was an American athlete, martial artist, and actor. After winning several karate championships, Kelly rose to fame in the early 1970s appearing in various action films within the martial arts and blaxploitation genres. Kelly played opposite Bruce Lee in 1973's Enter the Dragon, and had lead roles in 1974's Black Belt Jones as the title character and Three the Hard Way as Mister Keyes.[2]
Early life and athletic career
Kelly's mother ran a locker-rental service for Navy personnel.[3] Jim began his athletic career at Bourbon County High School in Paris, Kentucky, competing in basketball, football, and track and field. He attended the University of Louisville on a football scholarship, but left during his freshman year after a coach referred to a black teammate with a racial slur.[4][2] Instead he began to study Shorin-ryukarate.[5]
Kelly began his martial arts career under the tutel
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Born: May 5, 1946
Died: June 29, 2013 (Aged 67)
Birth Sign: Taurus
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 175 lbs
Country: Kentucky, U.S.A.
We found a very cool tribute video on YouTube to get you warmed up!
Training Background
- Jim trained in both Shaolin-Do karate and Okinawan Shorin-Ryu Karate
- He went on to win the World Middleweight title in 1971 at the Long Beach International Karate Championships
- In his later years, he trained in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with the Gracie brothers in their garage!
Biography
Jim Kelly was born in Millersburg, Kentucky. He grew up competing in a variety of sports, including American football and basketball, but got side-tracked or ‘hooked’ as he put it, in favour of karate. He trained hard, and won the World Middleweight Karate Title in 1971. “Everybody thought I was crazy,” Jim recalls. But he persisted, and it was because of this drive that he gained respect relatively quickly in the martial arts world.
Jim moved to L.A. and opened a karate dojo there. His plan was to use the money he gained from it to kick start his acting career, but op
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