Johnny Lee

Actor

Springfield, Missouri, USA

July 4, 1898

Biography

John Dotson Lee Jr. (July 4, 1898 – December 12, 1965) was an American singer, dancer, and actor known for voicing the role of Br'er Rabbit in Disney's Song of the South (1946) and as the clownish, cringing, tremulous-voiced shyster pseudo-lawyer Algonquin J. Calhoun in the CBS Amos 'n' Andy TV and radio comedy series in the early 1950s. His comedic portrayal of Calhoun was a highlight of a brilliant ensemble cast whose storylines remain eternally funny. Much of his career was spent in vaudeville, but he also performed in motion pictures, on recordings, and on television. He released a record (as "Johnnie Lee") in July 1949 called "You Can't Lose A Broken Heart" (Columbia Records # 30172), with backup vocals by The Ebonaires. Lee also starred in an all-black musical comedy called "Sugar Hill" in 1949 at Las Palmas Theatre in California. He died of a heart attack on December 12, 1965 age 67.