Carl Lee (actor)
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Carl Lee (born Carl Vincent Canegata; November 22, 1926 – April 17, 1986) was an American actor. His father was actor/professional boxer Canada Lee (1907–1952).


Biography

Lee, billed as Canada Lee Jr at age 16, played a student at Tuskegee Institute in an April 1952 episode of '' American Inventory''. His father starred in the episode as George Washington Carver. Lee made his first film appearance in ''
Human Desire ''Human Desire'' is a 1954 American film noir drama film directed by Fritz Lang and starring Glenn Ford, Gloria Grahame and Broderick Crawford. It is loosely based on Émile Zola's 1890 novel ''La Bête humaine''. The story had been filmed twice ...
'' (1954). Lee played a heroin dealer, the central role in the Obie Award-winning play '' The Connection''. He appeared in the film version released in 1961. Lee appeared in films such as '' A Man Called Adam'' (1966) opposite Sammy Davis, Jr. and
Cicely Tyson Cicely Louise Tyson (December 19, 1924January 28, 2021) was an American actress. In a career which spanned more than seven decades in film, television and theatre, she became known for her portrayal of strong African-American women. Tyson recei ...
, and the blaxploitation film '' Superfly'' (with
Ron O'Neal Ron O'Neal (September 1, 1937 – January 14, 2004) was an American actor, director and screenwriter, who rose to fame in his role as Youngblood Priest, a New York cocaine dealer, in the blaxploitation film '' Super Fly'' (1972) and its seq ...
, 1972). He also appeared on television in such shows as '' The Defenders'', '' Mannix'', and '' Good Times'' ("Willona's Surprise", 1977) in which he portrayed Willona Woods' ex-husband Ray, who makes sexual advances towards Thelma Evans ( Bernadette Stanis). While filming ''The Connection'', Lee fell in love with its director
Shirley Clarke Shirley Clarke (née Brimberg; October 2, 1919 – September 23, 1997) was an American filmmaker. Life Born Shirley Brimberg in New York City, she was the daughter of a Polish-immigrant father who made his fortune in manufacturing. Her mother w ...
. Their relationship lasted almost 30 years until Lee's death. Lee suffered a heroin addiction that caused him to contract AIDS from a dirty hypodermic needle. This led to his death by overdose in 1986.name= Toback> In a 2000 interview, filmmaker
James Toback James Toback (; born November 23, 1944) is an American film director and screenwriter. His screenplay for ''Bugsy'' won the 1991 Los Angeles Film Critics Association award for best screenplay of the year and was nominated for both the Academy Awa ...
stated "In the sort of hip world of New York, Carl Lee was the hip-black-actor icon. He was for hip people what Sidney Poitier was for mainstream people."


Acting filmography

;Films * ''
Human Desire ''Human Desire'' is a 1954 American film noir drama film directed by Fritz Lang and starring Glenn Ford, Gloria Grahame and Broderick Crawford. It is loosely based on Émile Zola's 1890 novel ''La Bête humaine''. The story had been filmed twice ...
'' (1954) as John Thurston (uncredited) * '' The Connection'' (1961) as Cowboy * '' The Cool World'' (1964) as Priest * '' A Man Called Adam'' (1966) * ''
Portrait of Jason ''Portrait of Jason'' is a 1967 documentary film directed, produced and edited by Shirley Clarke and starring Jason Holliday (né Aaron Payne, 1924-1998). In 2015, the United States Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the ...
'' (1967, off-screen voice; director
Shirley Clarke Shirley Clarke (née Brimberg; October 2, 1919 – September 23, 1997) was an American filmmaker. Life Born Shirley Brimberg in New York City, she was the daughter of a Polish-immigrant father who made his fortune in manufacturing. Her mother w ...
) * ''
The Landlord ''The Landlord'' is a 1970 American comedy-drama film directed by Hal Ashby, adapted by Bill Gunn from the 1966 novel by Kristin Hunter. The film stars Beau Bridges in the lead role of a privileged and ignorant white man who selfishly becomes ...
'' (1970) as Carl * '' Pound'' (1970) as Thief * '' Werewolves on Wheels'' (1971) * '' Super Fly'' (1972) as Eddie * '' Gordon's War'' (1973) as Bee Bishop * '' Exposed'' (1983) as Duke (final film role) ;Television * ''The Nurses'' (1963) as Lonnie Hill * '' The Defenders'' (1965) as Philip Dunning * ''Caribe'' (1975) as Haines * '' Mannix'' (1975) as Ginger * '' Barbary Coast'' (1975) as Currier * ''
Serpico ''Serpico'' is a 1973 American neo-noir biographical crime drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Al Pacino in the title role. The screenplay was adapted by Waldo Salt and Norman Wexler from the book of the same name written by ...
'' (1976) as Carothers * '' Good Times'' (1977) as Ray Woods * ''Keeping On'' (1981) as Davis


References


External links

*
Actor Carl Lee reference at LA Broadway World.com site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Carl 1926 births 1986 deaths American people of West Indian descent African-American male actors American male film actors American male television actors Male actors from New York City 20th-century American male actors People with HIV/AIDS Deaths by heroin overdose in New York (state) Drug-related deaths in New York City 20th-century African-American people