Bruce Lee, known for his iconic kung fu movies, also made appearances in five TV shows. Although his onscreen presence is limited to just four kung fu films as an adult, it is important to note that these are not the extent of his work. In fact, Lee started his acting career as a child actor in Hong Kong movies. After moving to the United States in his 20s, he pursued a film and TV career and landed the role of Kato in The Green Hornet, which lasted for one season on ABC.

Apart from his role in the James Garner neo-noir, Marlowe, most of Lee's work during this period came from the TV industry. He guest-starred in five TV shows, including the iconic 1966 Batman series.

The Green Hornet, which premiered in 1966, was an attempt to replicate the success of Batman. In an effort to boost ratings, Lee and the Green Hornet actor Van Williams filmed cameos for a season 2 episode of Batman. They appeared briefly during a wall-climbing scene with Batman and Robin in "The Spell of Tut," but did not have any lines.

After this initial crossover, Lee and Williams guest-starred in two additional episodes of Batman season 2. "Piece of the Action" and "Batman's Satisfaction" brought together the four heroes for a fight and a team-up against their common enemy. Lee was initially unhappy with the script, which had his character, Kato, losing to Robin.

The outcome was changed to a tie, but Lee had fun with the decision, pretending to be angry about fighting Robin, which worried Robin's actor unnecessarily.

In addition to Batman, Lee appeared on other TV shows as well. He had a single-episode stint on Ironside, a detective series, where he played an instructor at a karate dojo involved in a murder investigation. Lee also made an appearance on Blondie, a TV adaptation of the popular comic strip. In this black-and-white series, Lee played the owner of a karate dojo who helps the main characters' kids deal with bullies.

Lee's next role came in the CBS comedy Here Come The Brides, set in the American Wild West.

Lee took the part of Lin Sung, an immigrant forced into an arranged marriage he did not want. However, his character was not a martial arts expert like Lee's other roles, and he ultimately came up short.

Lastly, Lee appeared on the TV show Longstreet, where he helped a blind detective adapt to his new lifestyle using martial arts and his own kung fu philosophy. Lee's role in the pilot episode received positive reception, leading to three more appearances in subsequent episodes.

Although these TV appearances showcase a different side of Bruce Lee's acting career, his prominence in kung fu movies ultimately led him to focus more on his movie career rather than continuing with TV guest appearances.