SKY NEWS
Actor Jim Kelly, who played an American martial arts expert in Enter The Dragon with Bruce Lee, has died at the age of 67.
Kelly became well known for his one-liners and fight scenes as Williams in the 1973 classic.
Marilyn Dishman, Kelly’s ex-wife said he died on Saturday at his home in California, reports Sky News.
His other films included Three The Hard Way, Black Belt Jones and Black Samurai.
But it was Enter The Dragon that was his most iconic film.
Directed by Robert Clouse, it starred Bruce Lee, Kelly and John Saxon. This was Bruce Lee’s final film appearance before his death on July 20, 1973. The film was released six days later in Hong Kong.
Kelly started studying martial arts in 1964 in Kentucky and later moved to California.
In the 1980s, Kelly re-trained as a professional tennis coach.
He told the LA Times in a 2010 interview: “I never left the movie business. It’s just that after a certain point, I didn’t get the type of projects that I wanted to do.
“I still get at least three scripts per year, but most of them don’t put forth a positive image.
“There’s nothing I really want to do, so I don’t do it. If it happens, it happens, but if not, I’m happy with what I’ve accomplished.”
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