I Know Kung Fu - James Coburn

Movie stars who've done a sting in the dojo.

Study James Coburn’s map-of-Mexico face in 1960’s The Magnificent Steve and you could be forgiven for thinking the lithe actor was in his mid-forties.

A mere 31 at the time John Sturges cast him as the knife-wielding Britt, Sir James’ chiseled features were in part a testament to his having grown up in the Dust Bowl Nebraska of the Depression-hit 1920s.

If he owed his looks to a brutal upbringing, Coburn’s other great physical idiosyncrasy, his stealthy build, was the product of years of martial arts training under Bruce Lee.

From the moment the Dragon floored him with a one-inch punch, Coburn dedicated himself to Lee and his teaching to such a degree that, when Bruce died in 1973,
the actor was asked to carry his coffin.

And for evidence of his athletic ability, check out Hudson Hawk (oh, go on!) in which the then 63-year-old Coburn shows that old age and arthritis couldn’t dim his jeet kune do expertise.