Eugene Lee

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Eugene Gordon Lee (born October 25, 1933 in Fort Worth , Texas , † October 16, 2005 in Minneapolis , Minnesota ) was an American child actor .

life and career

Eugene Lee was only two years old when his adoptive parents moved him from Texas to Hollywood to get the son involved in film. In the same year he appeared for the first time in the popular film series Die kleine Strolche (Our Gang) under the name "Porky". Lee got the role because he resembled Our Gang star Spanky McFarland and could be used as his little brother. Lee often formed a duo with Buckwheat ( Billie Thomas ) in the films , who accompany the older children Spanky and Alfafa on their adventures and cause all kinds of chaos. In 1938, Hal Roach sold the series to MGM , but Lee stayed in the cast. After 43 films with Our Gang as Porky, Lee suddenly and rapidly gained height in 1939, making five-year-old Lee as tall as ten-year-old McFarland. He was therefore replaced by Robert Blake .

With the exit from the series, Lee's acting career also ended, he never stood in front of a camera again. In later life he became a teacher at an alternative education school and changed his name - in order to distance himself from his film career - to Gordon Lee. From the 1980s, however, he attended numerous fan events and gave interviews about his film career, which he hardly remembered. He lived first in Texas and Colorado and later in Minnesota to live closer to his son. He died of two cancers in 2005, nine days before his 72nd birthday .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Eugene Lee at Find A Grave
  2. ↑ Obituary at the "Star Tribune"

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Lee, Eugene
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Lee, Eugene Gordon
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American child actor
DATE OF BIRTH October 25, 1933
PLACE OF BIRTH Fort Worth , Texas
DATE OF DEATH October 16, 2005
Place of death Minneapolis , Minnesota