I think Bruce Lee is a great and influential man. I dont really care much about defending his honor, but logically speaking, I gotta say it's mind-boggling seeing people arguing against his fighting ability by simply mentioning that he was an actor. Makes me wonder if all the "fighters" on these forums have day jobs. Wouldn't it seem stupid to go up to any fighter who doesn't fight for a living and say "hey, you're not a fighter because you're an entrepreneur/doctor/lawyer/teacher/etc?" Not to mention that it's common knowledge that Bruce also taught martial arts. Then there's the fact that he made it clear even in interviews that "screen fighting" and "real combat" are not the same at all.
From the looks of it, there's no reason to say that he wasn't a fighter. If you ask me, the real issue is when people say he was the greatest fighter or martial artist of all time. Of course, that's a totally different and probably easily debatable statement. But to say he wasn't a fighter at all? That's almost as out there as saying he was the greatest fighter of all time.
Just my 2c.
Everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die...