Billy Lee (March 12, 1929 – November 17, 1989) was a child actor

Child actor

The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor...

 who appeared in many films from the mid 1930s through the early 1940s.

Biography

Lee's first role was in the Our Gang

Our Gang

Our Gang, also known as The Little Rascals or Hal Roach's Rascals, was a series of American comedy short films about a group of poor neighborhood children and the adventures they had together. Created by comedy producer Hal Roach, the series is noted for showing children behaving in a relatively...

comedy Mike Fright

Mike Fright

Mike Fright is a 1934 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Gus Meins. It was the 130th Our Gang short that was released.-Plot:...

as a tap dancer in a sailor suit. His first significant role was in Wagon Wheels when he was just four years old, though he is probably best remembered for his performance in The Biscuit Eater

The Biscuit Eater

The Biscuit Eater is a 1972 Disney film released by Buena Vista Distribution based on a novel by James H. Street. It is the last 'One Boy and his Animal' themed movie made by Disney, as this subgenre would eventually grow out of fashion...

. He also did the voice of "The Boy" character in the animated portion of the Disney film, The Reluctant Dragon

The Reluctant Dragon

The Reluctant Dragon is an 1898 children's story by Kenneth Grahame , which served as the key element to the 1941 feature film with the same name from Walt Disney Productions. The story has also been set to music as a children's operetta by John Rutter, with words by David Grant...

. In addition to being an actor, he was also a singer and dancer, appearing and singing with Bobby Breen

Bobby Breen

Bobby Breen is a Canadian-born actor and singer of the 1930s. He made his professional debut at age four in a night club in Toronto and was an immediate sensation. He made his radio debut soon after. He played in vaudeville and his sister paid for his musical education. Breen went to Hollywood in...

 in Make A Wish. Lee continued acting throughout the 1930s, appearing in a number of movies and working alongside some of Hollywood's finest, including, Lon Chaney Jr., Roy Rogers

Roy Rogers

Roy Rogers, born Leonard Franklin Slye , was an American singer and cowboy actor, one of the most heavily marketed and merchandised stars of his era, as well as being the namesake of the Roy Rogers Restaurants franchised chain...

, Charles Boyer

Charles Boyer

Charles Boyer was a French actor who appeared in more than 80 films between 1920 and 1976. After receiving an education in drama, Boyer started on the stage, but he found success in movies during the 1930s. His memorable performances were among the era's most highly praised romantic dramas,...

, Randolph Scott

Randolph Scott

Randolph Scott was an American film actor whose career spanned from 1928 to 1962. As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in a variety of genres, including social dramas, crime dramas, comedies, musicals , adventure tales, war films, and even a few...

, Olivia de Havilland

Olivia de Havilland

Olivia Mary de Havilland is a British American film and stage actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1946 and 1949. She is the elder sister of actress Joan Fontaine. The sisters are among the last surviving leading ladies from Hollywood of the 1930s.-Early life:Olivia de Havilland...

, and Broderick Crawford

Broderick Crawford

Broderick Crawford was an Academy Award-winning American stage, film, radio and TV actor, often cast in tough-guy roles and best known for his starring role in the television series "Highway Patrol."-Early life:...

. Lee retired from film in 1943.

Lee died on November 17, 1989, of a sudden heart attack

Myocardial infarction

Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...

.