Canada Lee
Actor
- Born
- March 3, 1907 · Manhattan, New York, US
- Died
- May 9, 1952 (age 45)
Canada Lee (born Leonard Lionel Cornelius Canegata; March 3, 1907 – May 9, 1952) was an American professional boxer and then an actor who pioneered roles for African Americans. After careers as a jockey, boxer and musician, he became an actor in the Federal Theatre Project, including the 1936 production of Macbeth adapted and directed by Orson Welles. A champion of civil rights in the 1930s and 1940s, Lee was blacklisted and died shortly before he was scheduled to appear before the House Un-American Activities Committee. He advanced the African American tradition in theatre pioneered by such actors as Paul Robeson.
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Known for
Acting7
- 1998Scandalize My Name: Stories from the Blacklist as Stephen Kumalo (archive footage)
- 1951Cry, the Beloved Country as Stephen Kumalo
- 1949Lost Boundaries as Lt. 'Dixie' Thompson
- 1947Body and Soul as Ben Chaplin
- 1944Lifeboat as Joe Spencer
- 1942Henry Browne, Farmer as Narrator (voice)
- 1939Keep Punching as Speedy Joe Williams (Henry's Trainer)