When Burt Ward Fought Bruce Lee in Real Life
What To Know
- Burt Ward, known for playing Robin, and Bruce Lee, who played Kato, were friends and real-life sparring partners due to their shared interest in martial arts and living in the same Hollywood apartment complex.
- Their on-screen fight in the crossover episode of Batman and The Green Hornet was inspired by their real-life martial arts sessions, and their friendship extended to Ward spending time with the Lee family.
- After his acting career, Burt Ward co-founded Gentle Giants Rescue with his wife, focusing on rescuing dogs and developing a specialized diet to extend their lifespans.
You’ve got to hand it to Burt Ward — he really was the perfect Boy Wonder. And did you know that there was a time, early on in his career, when this guy would routinely go head-to-head, fist-to-fist with the legendary Bruce Lee? Yep, it’s true — Batman’s legendary sidekick and the martial arts master squared off, but it was all in good fun, as the two were friends and neighbors.
When I was a kid, I was a pretty big fan of Bruce Lee, but not from his films. You see, I loved Bruce as Kato on the short-lived television series The Green Hornet, which was primarily because The Green Hornet was a spinoff from one of my all-time favorite TV shows, Batman. And yes, the two crime-fighting teams did clash during a couple of episodes, which led to a face-off between Kato and the Boy Wonder.
View this post on Instagram
Now, most folks might think that Burt would be a bit intimidated by going mano a mano with Bruce Lee, even if it was pretend … but he wasn’t. You know why? That’s because Burt was no slouch either when it came to the martial arts. He may not have been Bruce Lee, but Burt was a full black belt in karate. And another little-known fact is that when Burt and Bruce fought each other on screen, they’d already sparred against each other in real life.
This information comes directly from a Showbiz CheatSheet article by Mishal Ali Zafar written back in November 2021, where Burt acknowledges that both he and Bruce lived in the same Hollywood apartment complex for a time, and because of their common interest in martial arts, they became friends. In fact, not only was Burt a friend of Bruce’s, but he got to know the entire Lee family.
Maybe it’s just me, but the thing that I found most interesting about these legendary sparring sessions between Burt and Bruce was what would happen afterward. According to Burt, he and Bruce would go pick up the rest of the Lee family and head to Chinatown for some amazing Asian cuisine. End of the day, it wasn’t what happened on the mat that was the most memorable for Burt; it was the time spent with Bruce getting to know the man and his family.
View this post on Instagram
Sadly, on July 20th, 1973, Bruce Lee was found unconscious in his Hong Kong hotel and rushed to a nearby hospital where he died later that day. Bruce had been experiencing painful headaches and had taken some medicine to help dull the pain. Whether it was an allergic reaction to those painkillers, or, as many believe, a cerebral edema caused by overexertion and heat stroke, the fact remains that the legendary Kung Fu master was gone.
These days, Burt spends much of his time offscreen working with his wife, Tracy, in a non-profit group they started called Gentle Giants Rescue. In addition to caring for a multitude of shelter dogs, Burt and his amazing wife have been working on a specialized diet for dogs that has allowed many owners to actually double the lifespan of their beloved pets. You can learn more about their efforts by clicking here.