'Enter the Dragon' Star Jim Kelly Dies at 67

People.com reports that Jim Kelly, who co-starred opposite Bruce Lee in 1973's Enter the Dragon, has died. He was 67. The actor's ex-wife, Marilyn Dishman revealed that he passed away on Saturday at his home in San Diego after a battle with cancer.

Kelly's role as 'Williams', an inner-city karate instructor in the iconic martial arts film was originally supposed to go to actor Rockne Tarkington, who unexpectedly dropped out days before shooting in Hong Kong. Producer Fred Weintraub had heard about Jim Kelly's karate studio in the Crenshaw district of Los Angeles, and went there to see him and was immediately impressed.

The appearance led to starring roles in a string of martial arts-themed films, among them Melinda and Black Belt Jones. Most of Kelly's film roles played up the novelty of an African-American martial arts master.

He earned a three-film contract with Warner Brothers and made Three the Hard Way with Jim Brown and Fred Williamson, and Hot Potato, a movie in which he rescues a diplomat's daughter from the jungles of Thailand. After his contract ended with Warner Brothers, he starred in low-budget films Black Samurai, Death Dimension, and Tattoo Connection.

After his appearance in 1982's One Down, Two to Go, Kelly appeared in movies only rarely.

To post a comment, you must register and login.