# Grace Ho

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Mother of Bruce Lee

Grace Ho 何愛瑜 Ho in the 1940s Born Bai Rong 1907 (1907) (bef. 24 June) Shanghai, China Died (1996-06-24)24 June 1996 (aged 89) Los Angeles, California, U.S. Other names He Aiyu, He Bairong Spouse Lee Hoi-chuen Children 5, including Peter, Bruce, and Robert Relatives Robert Hotung (uncle) Brandon Lee (grandson) Shannon Lee (granddaughter) Chinese name Traditional Chinese 何愛瑜 Simplified Chinese 何爱瑜 Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Hé Àiyú Yue: Cantonese Jyutping Ho4 Oi3-jyu4 IPA [hɔ˩ ɔj˧.jy˩]

**Grace Ho** ([Chinese](/source/Traditional_Chinese_characters): [何](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E4%BD%95)[愛](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E6%84%9B)[瑜](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E7%91%9C); 1907 – 24 June 1996)[1] was the mother of [Bruce Lee](/source/Bruce_Lee). Besides Bruce, she and her husband [Lee Hoi-chuen](/source/Lee_Hoi-chuen) were the parents of [Peter Lee](/source/Peter_Lee_Jung-sum), [Robert Lee](/source/Robert_Lee_Jun-fai), Phoebe Lee, and Agnes Lee. Grace Ho is believed to have been a devout [Catholic](/source/Catholic_Church) [Christian](/source/Christianity), while her husband Lee Hoi-chuen was a Buddhist.

## Biography

Grace Ho was born Bai Rong in 1907 in [Shanghai](/source/Shanghai) to mother Cheung King-sin (張瓊仙), a [mixed-race](/source/Mixed-race) Eurasian[2] woman who was a [mistress](/source/Mistress_(lover)) of [Ho Kam Tong](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ho_Kam_Tong&action=edit&redlink=1) [[zh](https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%BD%95%E7%94%98%E6%A3%A0); [zh-yue](https://zh-yue.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%BD%95%E7%94%98%E6%A3%A0)] (何甘棠), a prominent businessman who had 12 wives and reportedly more than 30 children.[1] Ho Kom-tong was the younger, maternal half-brother of [Hong Kong](/source/British_Hong_Kong) businessman and philanthropist [Robert Hotung](/source/Robert_Hotung). Ho eventually adopted Grace.[1][3]

The ethnicity of Grace Ho's parents is somewhat uncertain. The most popular assertion is that Grace Ho's father was German and her mother was Chinese, as attested by biographers [Robert Clouse](/source/Robert_Clouse), Bruce Thomas, and Ho's daughter-in-law [Linda Lee Cadwell](/source/Linda_Lee_Cadwell).[4][5] It is also stated that Grace Ho's father was raised as the son of a [Dutch Jew](/source/Dutch_Jew), Charles Maurice Bosman, and his Chinese [concubine](/source/Concubine). However, according to Russo, there are doubts about whether Charles Bosman was the actual father of Ho Kom-tong.[6] Charles Russo has questioned this origin story entirely, suggesting that Grace Ho's father might have been Chinese or mixed-Chinese, and that her mother was English.[5] [Matthew Polly](/source/Matthew_Polly) concedes that Grace Ho's paternal grandfather was a Dutch Jew, but likewise asserts that her mother was English.[7] However, according to Doug Palmer, the claim that Grace Ho had an English mother is only speculation. Palmer also notes that family records suggest that the Dutch-Jewish Bosman family had originated from Germany, which may explain why it was assumed that Grace had German origins.[8]

Grace spent part of her childhood in Hong Kong, living at the [Ho Tung Gardens](/source/Ho_Tung_Gardens) in [the Peak](/source/Victoria_Peak) under the care of Clara Ho Tung, her aunt.[5] Grace later fell in love with her husband-to-be [Lee Hoi-chuen](/source/Lee_Hoi-chuen) (李海泉) from her admiration of his stage art.[5] Grace traveled with Lee in [San Francisco](/source/San_Francisco) on his one-year US tour with the Mandarin Theatre in 1939.[1] Grace reported to the US government in 1939 that her mother was English; when Grace returned to Hong Kong during the [Japanese occupation of Hong Kong](/source/Japanese_occupation_of_Hong_Kong), she reported that her mother was German because Germany was an ally of Japan at that time.[1][5] During this tour, Grace gave birth to her fourth child [Bruce Lee](/source/Bruce_Lee); Lee Hoi-chuen was performing in [New York City](/source/New_York_City) at the time of Bruce's birth.[5] Grace's family would all return to Hong Kong in the spring of 1941 only to be stuck there during the Japanese occupation from 1941 to 1945.[5]

Grace's three sons would go on to be very successful. [Peter Lee](/source/Peter_Lee_Jung-sum), Grace's oldest son, excelled in [fencing](/source/Fencing)[9] and [meteorology](/source/Meteorology), becoming assistant director of the [Hong Kong Observatory](/source/Hong_Kong_Observatory). Bruce Lee would become famous in [Hollywood](/source/Hollywood_(film_industry)) and Hong Kong for his films and skill in [martial arts](/source/Martial_arts),[10] and [Robert Lee](/source/Robert_Lee_Jun-fai) would become a popular Hong Kong and [Macau](/source/Macau) musician founding the band called the Thunderbirds.[11]

## Depictions in media

Unlike most of her children, Grace was hardly ever seen in the media or on television.[12] Her only appearance on television was with her son Robert in an interview on *Good Night America* with [Geraldo Rivera](/source/Geraldo_Rivera), shortly after Bruce's death.[13]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Feng_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Feng_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Feng_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Feng_1-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-Feng_1-4) Ying-biao, Feng (27 November 2020). ["李小龍的洋血統"](https://www.master-insight.com/李小龍的洋血統/) [Bruce Lee's Foreign Blood]. *[Master-Insight](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Master-Insight&action=edit&redlink=1) [[zh](https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%81%BC%E8%A7%81%E5%90%8D%E5%AE%B6)]* (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Retrieved 13 March 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Polly, Matthew (4 June 2019). [*Bruce Lee: A Life*](https://books.google.com/books?id=5bGWDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA14). Simon and Schuster. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-5011-8763-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-5011-8763-6). p.[14](https://books.google.com/books?id=5bGWDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA14): "In the household he maintained in Shanghai for business, Ho Kom Tong kept his thirteenth concubine, a Eurasian lady named Ms. Cheung" p.[507](https://books.google.com/books?id=5bGWDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA507): "Bruce Thomas concurred, “Grace was the daughter of a Chinese mother and German father.” (Bruce Lee: Fighting Spirit, p. 3.) Linda Lee wrote, "Grace Lee was half German and a Catholic."

1. **[^](#cite_ref-gov.hk_3-0)** ["The Life of Ho Kom-Tong and Kom Tong Hall"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110612034159/http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/ce/Museum/Monument/form/147meeting/AAB-46%20Annex%20B.pdf) (PDF). Hong Kong Museum of History. Archived from [the original](http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/ce/Museum/Monument/form/147meeting/AAB-46%20Annex%20B.pdf) (PDF) on 12 June 2011. Retrieved 12 September 2010.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEPolly201913,_[httpsbooksgooglecombooksid5bGWDwAAQBAJpgPA507_507]_4-0)** [Polly 2019](#CITEREFPolly2019), p. 13, [507](https://books.google.com/books?id=5bGWDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA507).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Vice_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Vice_5-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Vice_5-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Vice_5-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-Vice_5-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-Vice_5-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-Vice_5-6) Russo, Charles. ["Was Bruce Lee of English descent? Just ask his mother"](https://www.vice.com/en/article/was-bruce-lee-of-english-descent/). *Vice*. Retrieved 18 May 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Palmer, Doug (21 September 2020). [*Bruce Lee: Sifu, Friend and Big Brother*](https://books.google.com/books?id=ND_-DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT31). Chin Music Press. p. 31. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-63405-982-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-63405-982-4).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEPolly2019507_7-0)** [Polly 2019](#CITEREFPolly2019), p. 507.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Palmer, Doug (21 September 2020). [*Bruce Lee: Sifu, Friend and Big Brother*](https://books.google.com/books?id=ND_-DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT31). Chin Music Press. p. 31. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-63405-982-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-63405-982-4). "Matthew Polly asserts that her father was indeed half Chinese and half Dutch-Jewish, and that her mother was 100% English. See pp. 13-14 and chapter notes thereto. But from the notes, it is clear that he is speculating. His notes also mention that the Dutch-Jewish Bosman family could be traced to Germany segeral generations before, which could explain the origin of the claim that Grace was part German."

1. **[^](#cite_ref-HKFA_9-0)** ["History"](http://www.hkfa.org.hk/EN/history.html?mID=1). *Hong Kong Fencing Association History*. Retrieved 13 March 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Time_100_10-0)** Stein, Joel (14 June 1999). ["Bruce Lee: With nothing but his hands, feet and a lot of attitude, he turned the little guy into a tough guy"](https://web.archive.org/web/20100605174143/http://205.188.238.181/time/time100/heroes/profile/lee01.html). *[Time](/source/Time_(magazine))*. The *Time* 100. New York. Archived from [the original](http://205.188.238.181/time/time100/heroes/profile/lee01.html) on 5 June 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** Rubinstein, teve (30 March 2009). ["In The Shadow Of A Legend – Robert Lee Remembers Bruce Lee"](https://web.archive.org/web/20090330130557/http://web.ukonline.co.uk/ray.d8/article2.html). Archived from [the original](http://web.ukonline.co.uk/ray.d8/article2.html) on 30 March 2009.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** Balkovich, Robert. ["The Truth About Bruce Lee's Parents"](https://www.grunge.com/191578/the-truth-about-bruce-lees-parents/). *grunge.com*. Retrieved 25 April 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** ["Geraldo Rivera Interviews Bruce Lee's Mother in Her Only Live Tv Interview"](http://www.wingchunnews.ca/geraldo-rivera-interviews-with-bruce-lees-mother-in-her-only-tv-appearance/). *wingchunnews.ca*. Retrieved 25 April 2022.

## External links

- [The secrets of Bruce Lee’s heritage are in ....San Bruno?](https://www.thesixfifty.com/the-secrets-of-bruce-lees-heritage-are-in-san-bruno-5987)

- ["Geraldo Rivera Interview Bruce Lee's Mother and Brother"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atur4sJN96s). YouTube.

- ["何愛瑜曾有幾個暑假住在干德道29號的細屋，而她未婚前住在何東於山頂的何東花園，至於有說她和李海泉是在甘棠第邂逅，這說法仍有待查證。"](https://www.facebook.com/heritagefootprints.hk/photos/a.2001631106803984/2359756077658150/) [He Aiyu once lived in a small house at No. 29 Conduit Road for several summer vacations, and before she was unmarried, she lived in the Hedong Garden on the top of the hill. As for the claim that she and Li Haiquan met in Gantangdi, this is still to be verified.]. *HeritageFootprints.hk* (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 1 June 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2022 – via Facebook.

v t e Bruce Lee Filmography Awards and honors Media about Films As film director Way of the Dragon (1972) The Game of Death (1972) As writer Way of the Dragon (1972) The Story (for The Game of Death in 1972) The silent flute (1978) Warrior (Lee, before created the concept for the series Kung Fu, and then it was finished in Warrior) As producer Way of the Dragon (1972) The Game of Death (1972) Enter the Dragon (1973) Acting roles "Kato" in The Green Hornet and crossover with Batman "Chen Zhen" in Fist of Fury "Tang Lung" in Way of the Dragon "Lee" in Enter the Dragon "Hai Tien" in The Game of Death "Cheng Chao-an" in The Big Boss "Winslow Wong" in Marlowe "Li Tsung" in Longstreet "Leon Soo" in Ironside "Yoto" in Blondie "Lin" in Here Come the Brides "As an infant" in Golden Gate Girl "Yam Lee" in Sai See in the Dream "Kid Cheung" in The Kid "Ngau" in Infancy "Son as teenager" in The Guiding Light "Frank Wong" (child) in An Orphan's Tragedy "Chow Chung" in The Thunderstorm "Sam" in The Orphan Books written Chinese Gung Fu: The Philosophical Art of Self-Defense Tao of Jeet Kune Do Bruce Lee's Fighting Method Bruce Lee Library Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey (book) Techniques Jeet Kune Do One-inch punch Straight blast Works about Films Hong Kong Bruce Lee: The Man and the Legend (1973) A Dragon Story (1974) Bruce Lee and I (1976) The Dragon Lives (1976) The Man, The Myth (1976) The Real Bruce Lee (1977) A Warrior's Journey (2000) Bruce Lee, My Brother (2010) United States Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993) The Curse of the Dragon (1993) A Warrior's Journey (2000) The Story (2001) The Legend of Bruce Lee (video; 2008) I Am Bruce Lee (2012) Birth of the Dragon (2016) Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) Be Water (2020) Television Spirit of the Dragon (1992) The Lost Interview (1994) The Legend of Bruce Lee (2008) Books The Man Only I Knew (1975) Bruce Lee: A Life (2019) Comics The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu (1976) Video games Bruce Lee Kung-Fu Master China Warrior Bruce Lee Lives Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story Quest of the Dragon Return of the Legend Family Lee Hoi-chuen (father) Grace Ho (mother) Peter Lee (brother) Robert Lee (brother) Linda Emery Lee (wife) Brandon Lee (son) Shannon Lee (daughter) Related 41 Cumberland Road Bruceploitation Bruce Li Bruce Le Bruce Lai Bruce Liang Dragon Lee Tong Lung Graves of Bruce and Brandon Lee Long Beach International Karate Championships Statues Hong Kong Los Angeles Mostar Betty Ting Ip Man Wong Shun Leung Wong Jack Man Concord Production Inc. Category

v t e Hotung family Ho Cheung Sing Tong Robert Hotung Eric Hotung Joseph Hotung Irene Cheng Robert Hung-Ngai Ho George Ho Lo family (by marriage) Lo Man-kam Lo Tak-shing Ho Cheung Yuen Tong Ho Fook Ho Sai-chuen Eric Peter Ho Stanley Ho family Stanley Ho Pansy Ho Daisy Ho Josie Ho Lawrence Ho Sabrina Ho Chiu-yeng by marriage Ina Chan Un Chan Leong On Kei Suki Potier Ming Xi Teddy Yip Ho Cheung Sin Tong Grace Ho Lee family (by marriage) Lee Hoi-chuen Peter Lee Jung-sum Bruce Lee Brandon Lee Shannon Lee Robert Lee Jun-fai (by marriage) Eunice Lam Mary Cheung Linda Lee Cadwell Sum Sum Distant relatives Jonathan Holmes See also: Four big families of Hong Kong

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Grace Ho](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Ho) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Ho?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.