Trivia

Victim of the blacklisting era of the 1950s.

Compiled a professional boxing record of 33-31-7 with 13 knockouts.

Fought as a professional boxer from 1926-1933.

Father of Carl Lee.

Lost to world champions Jack Britton, Tommy Freeman, and Lou Brouillard.

Boxed a 10 round draw with Middleweight champion Vince Dundee in 1928.

In 1943, Lee was signed by 20th Century-Fox to appear in an upcoming screen version of George Gershwin's opera "Porgy and Bess"; he was slated to play Crown, Bess' no-good boyfriend. This project was canceled due to conflicts with the intended leads, Paul Robeson and Lena Horne. Lee went on to do Lifeboat (1944) for Fox instead.

During his boxing career Lee earned about $90,000 (over $2 million in today's dollars), but when he retired in 1933 he was broke. "Just threw it all away", he said.

Began acting with the Federal Theatre Project of New York in 1935. The young Orson Welles helped Lee's career by casting him in two famous productions: as Banquo in the controversial "Voodoo Macbeth" (1936) and in the title role of "Native Son" (1941), adapted from Richard Wright's novel.

As a young amateur boxer he fought as Lee Canegata. He was given the moniker "Canada Lee" by a ring announcer who couldn't pronounce his last name. He liked it and kept it.

Studied piano and violin as a child. He briefly led his own jazz band in the mid-1930s.

In 1946, Lee portrayed the villain Daniel de Bosola in a production of John Webster's 17th century tragedy "The Duchess of Malfi". This marked the first time an African American actor had played a white role on the Broadway stage. The producers hedged their bets by having him appear in whiteface, but a precedent was set.

Lost the sight in his right eye due to an untreated boxing injury. This forced him to quit the sport at age 26.