Lee, Canada (1907-152)

US actor. He took up acting in 1934 and played several important stage roles, including the controversial Bigger Thomas in Native Son (1941). He was the first African-American to play a ‘white’ role on stage (in The Tempest, 1946) and he achieved success in four movies including Body and Soul (1947) and Cry, The Beloved Country (1952). He was blacklisted from radio, television, and films in the communist purge of the entertainment industry in the 1950s, primarily because of his associations with communists and left-wing organizations. Lee was born in New York City. He grew up in Harlem and left home at age 14, seeking to be a jockey. Failing in that, he took up boxing and won over 200 bouts (1925-30) until his eyesight was impaired.