Johnny Lee (actor)

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 in 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.

Discography

Song of the South: Soundtrack (1946) You Can't Lose a Broken Heart (released July 1949) Mickey Mouse's Birthday Party (1954)

Selected filmography

References

External links

1898 births

1965 deaths

20th-century American male actors

20th-century American singers

20th-century American male singers

African-American male actors

20th-century African-American male singers

American male film actors

American male television actors

American male voice actors

Male actors from Los Angeles

Vaudeville performers