Canada Lee

Biography

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 in the Federal Theatre Project, including the 1936 production of Macbeth adapted and directed by Orson Welles. A champion of civil rights in the 1930s and 1940s, Lee was blacklisted and died shortly before he was scheduled to appear before the House Un-American Activities Committee. He advanced the African American tradition in theatre pioneered by such actors as Paul Robeson. Description above from the Wikipedia article Canada Lee , licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Most Known For

Miami Vice

as Shango

Lifeboat

as Joe Spencer

Body and Soul

as Ben Chaplin

Scandalize My Name: Stories from the Blacklist

as Stephen Kumalo (archive footage)

Cry, the Beloved Country

as Stephen Kumalo

Lost Boundaries

as Lt. 'Dixie' Thompson

Keep Punching

as Speedy Joe Williams (Henry's Trainer)

Henry Browne, Farmer

as Narrator (voice)