Jim Kelly (martial artist)
A martial arts film pioneer whose cool charisma and afro made him a defining symbol of 1970s blaxploitation cool and an inspiration to a generation.
1946–2013 (age 67)·American athlete, actor, and martial artist·Birthday: May 5·Baby Boomers
Biography
Jim Kelly brought an unprecedented swagger to the martial arts film. A champion karateka from Kentucky, he moved to Los Angeles and opened a dojo, training celebrities before being discovered for cinema. His breakout role opposite Bruce Lee in 'Enter the Dragon' was brief but electric; as the defiant, philosophical Williams, he stole every scene he was in. Hollywood quickly capitalized on his unique blend of physical prowess and laid-back confidence, casting him as the lead in films like 'Black Belt Jones,' where he fought villains among floating soap bubbles in a car wash. Kelly embodied a specific 1970s ideal: the self-assured, independent Black hero who used his fists and wits against corrupt systems. When the blaxploitation wave crested, he stepped away from acting, focusing on his successful tennis and fitness ventures. Though his film career was short, his cultural footprint is vast—an icon of Black empowerment and cool whose influence resonates in hip-hop aesthetics and action cinema to this day.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Jim was born in 1946, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Jim Was Born
The biggest hits of 1946
#1 Movie
The Best Years of Our Lives
Best Picture
The Best Years of Our Lives
Jim's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1946Born
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1951Started school
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1959Became a teenager
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1962Could drive
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1964Could vote
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1967Turned 21
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1976Turned 30
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 40
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 50
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 60
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2013Died at 67
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
Key Achievements
- Starred as Williams in the classic martial arts film 'Enter the Dragon' alongside Bruce Lee.
- Headlined the blaxploitation martial arts film 'Black Belt Jones' in 1974.
- Won the middleweight division at the 1971 Long Beach International Karate Championships.
- Became a professional tennis player and ranked as high as number 38 in the world in senior men's tennis.
Did You Know?
He owned and operated a successful karate school in the Crenshaw district of Los Angeles.
He was an avid surfer and incorporated fitness regimes from surfing into his training.
His distinctive afro and sideburns became a signature look emulated by fans.
He turned down the role that eventually went to Richard Roundtree in 'Shaft.'
“"The best fighter is not a Boxer, Karate or Judo man. The best fighter is someone who can adapt on any style."”
