Davey Lee

Who was Davey Lee?

Davey Lee was an American child actor. He was born in Hollywood, California, USA. He appeared in six feature films between 1928 and 1930.

At the age of three he made his screen debut in one of the early talkies The Singing Fool starring Al Jolson, in which he played the part of Sonny Boy. The Singing Fool remained the most successful film until Gone with the Wind, produced by MGM. It was Warner Bros.' most successful film for more than ten years. The theme song "Sonny Boy" became the first film song to sell over a million copies.

Davey Lee also played the title role in the film Sonny Boy, starring Betty Bronson. He returned to play opposite Al Jolson in Say It With Songs.

His other films were Frozen River, in which he played opposite a dog Rin Tin Tin, Skin Deep as the son of John Bowers, and The Squealer as the son of Jack Holt. This was Lee's last film.

Brother of another child actor, Frankie Lee, Davey was taken out of films by his mother so that he could have a normal childhood.

After suffering a stroke, he was admitted to Windsor Gardens Healthcare Centre in Van Nuys, California, and died from natural causes in Los Angeles on June 17, 2008.