Davey Lee (December 29, 1924 – June 17, 2008) was an American child actor. He was born in

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

, United States. He appeared in six feature films between 1928 and 1930.

Biography

The younger brother of actor

Frankie Lee Frankie Lee (December 31, 1911 – July 29, 1970), was an American child actor. He appeared in 56 films between 1916 and 1925. Best remembered in the 1919 film '' The Miracle Man'', he was the little boy on crutches healed by the phony fait ...

(19111970), at the age of three, Davey Lee made his screen debut in one of the early talkies, ''

The Singing Fool ''The Singing Fool'' is a 1928 American musical drama part-talkie motion picture directed by Lloyd Bacon which was released by Warner Bros. The film stars Al Jolson and is a follow-up to his previous film, ''The Jazz Singer''. It is credited wit ...

'' (1928) starring

Al Jolson Al Jolson (born Eizer Yoelson; June 9, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-American Jews, Jewish singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. He was one of the United States' most famous and highest-paid stars of the 1920s, and was self-bi ...

, in which he played the part of "Sonny Boy". ''The Singing Fool'' remained the most successful film until ''

Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * Gone with the Wind (novel), ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * Gone with the Wind (film), ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Win ...

'' (1939), produced by

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...

. It was

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...

' most successful film for more than ten years. The theme song " Sonny Boy" became the first film song to sell over a million copies. Lee also played the title role in the film '' Sonny Boy'' (1929), starring

Betty Bronson Elizabeth Ada Bronson (November 17, 1906 – October 19, 1971) was an American film and television actress who began her career during the silent film era. Early years Bronson was born in Trenton, New Jersey, to Frank and Nellie Smith Bronso ...

. He returned to play opposite

in ''

Say It With Songs ''Say It with Songs'' is a 1929 American pre-Code musical drama film, directed by Lloyd Bacon and released by Warner Bros. The film stars Al Jolson and Davey Lee and was a follow-up to their previous film, ''The Singing Fool'' (1928). Plot Joe ...

'' (1929). Other films in which he appeared were ''

Frozen River ''Frozen River'' is a 2008 American crime drama film written and directed by Courtney Hunt. The screenplay focuses on two working-class women who smuggle illegal immigrants from Canada to the United States. The film received two Oscar nominations: ...

'' (1929), in which he played opposite canine film star

Rin Tin Tin Rin Tin Tin or Rin-Tin-Tin (September 1918 – August 10, 1932) was a male German Shepherd born in Flirey, France, who became an international star in motion pictures. He was rescued from a World War I battlefield by an American soldier, L ...

, '' Skin Deep'' (1929) as the son of John Bowers, and ''

The Squealer ''The Squealer'' is a 1930 American pre-Code crime film directed by Harry Joe Brown and starring Jack Holt, Dorothy Revier and Davey Lee.Stumpf, p. 129 The film's sets were designed by the art director Edward C. Jewell. Cast * Jack Holt as ...

'' (1930) as the son of Jack Holt. This was Lee's last film. Davey was taken out of films by his mother reportedly so he could have a normal childhood. In 1986, Davey was brought over to the Piccadilly Theatre in London's West End to participate in the unveiling of a memorial bronze bust of

to commemorate the official centenary of his birth. This theatre was chosen because, to the best of anyone's knowledge, it was the only UK stage which Jolson ever stood on, although he did not perform, he merely appeared to promote his film. The evening was presented by UK impresario David Lee, a Jolson devotee who had, many years before, chosen "David Lee" as his stage name without knowing of the connection to Jolson. The show featured tributes to Jolson from Clive Baldwin, David Jacobs and, of course, Davey Lee himself. After suffering a stroke, Davey Lee was admitted to Windsor Gardens Healthcare Centre in

Van Nuys, California Van Nuys () is a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Home to Van Nuys Airport and the Valley Municipal Building, it is the most populous neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley. History In 1909, ...

, and died from natural causes in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

on June 17, 2008, aged 83.

Bibliography

* Holmstrom, John. ''The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995'', Norwich, Michael Russell, 1996, pp. 130–131. * Best, Marc. ''Those Endearing Young Charms: Child Performers of the Screen'', South Brunswick and New York: Barnes & Co., 1971, pp. 155–160.

External links

*
The International Al Jolson SocietyDavey Lee
at Virtual History {{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Davey 1924 births 2008 deaths American male child actors Male actors from Hollywood, Los Angeles American male film actors 20th-century American male actors