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

Canada Lee 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 ...

(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 ''American Inventory'' was a thirty-minute weekly filmed educational series that first aired as a summer replacement Sunday nights during 1951 on NBC. It was funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation with NBC donating the broadcast time and facil ...

''. His father starred in the episode as

George Washington Carver George Washington Carver ( 1864 – January 5, 1943) was an American agricultural scientist and inventor who promoted alternative crops to cotton and methods to prevent soil depletion. He was one of the most prominent black scientists of the ea ...

. 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 The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards originally given by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City. In September 2014, the awards were jointly presented and administered with the A ...

-winning play '' The Connection''. He appeared in the

film version A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dia ...

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 ''Mannix'' is an American detective television series that ran from 1967 to 1975 on CBS. It was created by Richard Levinson and William Link, and developed by executive producer Bruce Geller. The title character, Joe Mannix, is a private inves ...

'', and ''

Good Times ''Good Times'' is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was television's first African ...

'' ("Willona's Surprise", 1977) in which he portrayed Willona Woods' ex-husband Ray, who makes sexual advances towards

Thelma Evans ''Good Times'' is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was television's first African ...

( 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 Aw ...

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 Sidney Poitier ( ; February 20, 1927 – January 6, 2022) was an American actor, film director, and diplomat. In 1964, he was the first black actor and first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. He received two competitive ...

was for mainstream people."

Acting filmography

;Films * ''

'' (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

) * ''

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 ''Werewolves on Wheels'' is a 1971 American exploitation film directed by Michel Levesque and starring Stephen Oliver, D.J. Anderson, and Deuce Barry. It blends two genres: the outlaw biker film and the traditional horror film. Plot "As it is, ...

'' (1971) * '' Super Fly'' (1972) as Eddie * ''

Gordon's War ''Gordon's War'' is a 1973 action film written by Howard Friedlander and Ed Spielman, and directed by Ossie Davis. It stars Paul Winfield as Gordon Hudson. Plot A Vietnam veteran returns home to find drug dealers and addicts now rule his old neig ...

'' (1973) as Bee Bishop * ''

Exposed Expose, exposé, or exposed may refer to: News sources * Exposé (journalism), a form of investigative journalism * '' The Exposé'', a British conspiracist website Film and TV Film * ''Exposé'' (film), a 1976 thriller film * ''Exposed'' (1932 ...

'' (1983) as Duke (final film role) ;Television * ''The Nurses'' (1963) as Lonnie Hill * '' The Defenders'' (1965) as Philip Dunning * ''Caribe'' (1975) as Haines * ''

'' (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 Peter ...

'' (1976) as Carothers * ''

'' (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