Bruce Lee‘s student, Robert Baker, became famous with martial arts fans by portraying the Russian strong man and martial artist, “Petrov” in Bruce Lee’s movie Fist of Fury (1972). Already a Jeet Kune Do practitioner under Lee, Bruce recruited Baker to play the role of the sinister Russian because of his towering height and tough guy appearance.
Robert Baker takes part in a key fight scene in Fist of Fury (1972) when Lee, with his cheeky grin, devastates Baker, but not without teasing Baker and the audience along the way. Lee bites Baker and then behaves as though he just finished eating a meal, wiping his face with the back of his hand. After toying with Baker for a while, Lee finishes off his opponent with a kick to the head and a shuto or knifehand strike to the throat.
Robert Baker also had a minor role as a thug in Bruce Lee’s next film The Way of the Dragon (1972), and he appears in several documentaries about the life and film career of Bruce Lee.
