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.
Movies & TV Shows
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Miami Vice (1984) — Shango
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Lifeboat (1944) — Joe Spencer
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Body and Soul (1947) — Ben Chaplin
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Cry, the Beloved Country (1951) — Stephen Kumalo
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Lost Boundaries (1949) — Lt. 'Dixie' Thompson
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Henry Browne, Farmer (1942) — Narrator (voice)
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Scandalize My Name: Stories from the Blacklist (1998) — Stephen Kumalo (archive footage)
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Keep Punching (1939) — Speedy Joe Williams (Henry's Trainer)