{{short description|British actor (1916–1995)}} {{for|the American badminton player|Benny Lee (badminton)}} {{Use British English|date=May 2015}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}} {{Infobox person | name = Benny Lee | image = Singer_Benny_Lee.jpg | caption = | birth_name = Ben Levy | birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1916|08|11}} | birth_place = Glasgow, Scotland | death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1995|12|09|1916|08|11}} | death_place = Portsmouth, Hampshire, England | resting_place = | other_names = Ben Lee | occupation = {{hlist | Actor | singer}} | years_active = | spouse = | website = | awards = }} '''Ben Lee''' (born '''Ben Levy'''; 11 August 1916 – 9 December 1995)<ref name="Gifford">{{cite news|last=Gifford|first=Denis|author-link=Denis Gifford|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituaries-benny-lee-1527812.html|title=Obituary: Benny Lee|work=The Independent|date=30 December 1995|access-date=6 December 2020}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{London Gazette |issue=37417 |date=1 January 1946}}</ref><ref name=":1">https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/ Ref: 644 / 17 / 1078</ref> was a British actor and singer. He started his career in stage roles, subsequently developing a television and film career.
==Early life== Lee was born on 11 August 1916 to a Jewish family in The Gorbals, Glasgow, and originally named Ben Levy.<ref name=theo>{{Cite web|url=http://people.theiapolis.com/actor-1QSY/benny-lee/|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20150419092034/http://people.theiapolis.com/actor-1QSY/benny-lee/|url-status=dead|title=Benny Lee – Scottish actor -Theiapolis|archivedate=19 April 2015}}</ref><ref name="Hrld19960113">{{cite news|last=Young|first=Andrew|url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12054159.benny-lee/|title=Benny Lee|work=The Herald|location=Glasgow|date=13 January 1996|access-date=6 December 2020}}</ref><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> He began his singing career as tenor in the school choir. Leaving school at 14, he became a tailor's apprentice, but soon left to join an all-purpose act, which sang, danced and performed acrobatics all around one of the main variety circuits of Britain.<ref name="Gifford"/>
Lee's acrobatic days lasted for only one evening on account of a nose injury. He was back in Glasgow, tailoring shirts and in his spare time playing drums for his own semi-professional dance-band. He also worked as a song-plugger for Essex Music Publishers. Wishing to return to the stage full-time, he joined the Princess's Theatre (now the Citizens Theatre) in the Gorbals), where he gained experience in straight acting. This led to his first BBC Radio audition in 1938.<ref name="Gifford" /><ref name="Hrld19960113" />
==Music==
From 1939 to 1941, Lee made several records with Lew Stone's dance band, one of the most notable in Europe. In 1941, Lee was heard singing by Johnny Claes, a trumpeter who had recently formed a swinging dance-band called the "Claepigeons". He liked the sound of Lee's voice, and signed him on as a vocalist. Soon Lee was singing and recording with many bands of the day, including that of Sid Phillips. He was frequently heard on the radio, and not only as a band singer.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/f4c035a9338643b9b3638638c3dd09d5|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107230516/https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/f4c035a9338643b9b3638638c3dd09d5|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 November 2020|title=Bedtime with Braden|date=16 June 1951|issue=1439|pages=34|publisher=BBC Genome Project}}</ref> He played the part of Eddie Cantor in a radio version of the film ''Show Business'' (1944). His other radio series included ''Top Ten'' (1944) and ''Music from the Movies'' (1946).<ref name="Gifford"/>
Lee became sufficiently popular for him to be featured as a solo singer, rather than only fronting a band. As a crooner, he performed in over 2,000 broadcasts.<ref name="Hrld19960113" /> In 1948, he was supported by the close-harmony group the Keynotes on "Rambling Rose". A 1948 review in ''Billboard'' for "You're in Kentucky" said, "Poor recording balance, bad song submerges the work of a fine English singer named Benny Lee."<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Record Reviews |magazine=Billboard |date=8 May 1948 |volume=60 |issue=19 |page=33 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jPUDAAAAMBAJ&q=%22benny+lee%22+comedy&pg=PA38 |access-date=6 December 2020}}</ref>
The following year, he duetted with Joy Nichols, the star of ''Take It From Here'', singing "On the 5.45".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/on-the-545-mt0046915238|title=On the 5.45 – Benny Lee, Joy Nicholls | Song Info | AllMusic|publisher=AllMusic}}</ref> The Decca company came in with a contract and from 1950 he recorded such hits of the time as "Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think)", and "Down at the Ferry Boat Inn" with the Stargazers. Every type of pop song seemed to suit Lee, and he covered Guy Mitchell's hit "Pretty Little Black-Eyed Susie", and the Hank Williams hillbilly hit, "Your Cheatin' Heart".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.45worlds.com/78rpm/record/f10091|title=78 Record: Benny Lee – Pretty Little Black-Eyed Susie (1953)|via=45worlds.com}}</ref> Lee enjoyed comedy numbers, and sang "Close the Door" with a chorus of young children on a special series made for Christmas 1955 entitled ''Benny Lee's Children's Party''.<ref name="Gifford"/>
==Radio and television== Starting in January 1950, Lee appeared on Bernard Braden's radio shows, including ''Breakfast with Braden'' and ''Bedtime with Braden''.<ref name="Gifford" /><ref>{{cite book |last1=Took |first1=Barry |title=Laughter in the Air: An Informal History of British Radio Comedy|location=London|publisher=Robson Books|date=1976|isbn=9780903895781}}</ref> Lee worked as both singer and comedian in these series.<ref name="Hrld19960113" />
Lee's television career began when he was cast as the host of the BBC's first ever series for teenagers. Cautiously subtitled "a fortnightly magazine for under 21s", ''Teleclub'' on its first outing introduced the pop star Teddy Johnson and radio's "Man in Black" with Valentine Dyall.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/1793cb8d6ce049c6b3dbae2573eaec49|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201104113620/https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/1793cb8d6ce049c6b3dbae2573eaec49|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 November 2020|title=Teleclub|date=4 December 1953|issue=1568|pages=44|publisher=BBC Genome Project}}</ref> This was in 1953, the same year that Lee played Mr Pegg, the myopic tailor to Terry-Thomas in the fifth series of ''How Do You View?'' His short-sighted measuring of the elegant "Master Terry" Denis Gifford described as a highspot.<ref name="Gifford"/>
The following year, Lee was cast as Arthur Honeybee in ''Friends and Neighbours'', an early sitcom, with Peter Butterworth in the other lead playing George Bird. They recorded the programme's theme tune with their screen wives, Avril Angers and Janet Brown.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/4ee628d7c0ce4e34a5c96c8c455bf645|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250222224428/https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/4ee628d7c0ce4e34a5c96c8c455bf645|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 February 2025|title=Friends and Neighbours|date=27 January 1954|issue=1576|pages=32|publisher=BBC Genome Project}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.45worlds.com/78rpm/artist/benny-lee-avril-angers-janet-brown-and-peter-butterworth|title=Benny Lee, Avril Angers, Janet Brown And Peter Butterworth 78 RPM – Discography – UK – 78 RPM|website=45worlds.com}}</ref> It became a chart hit, not for the actors, but for Billy Cotton and his band.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/5/billy-cotton-and-his-band/|title=BILLY COTTON AND HIS BAND | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company|publisher=Official Charts Company}}</ref> Lee was later regular support for Michael Bentine in his series ''It's a Square World'' (1960), along with Clive Dunn, Dick Emery, and Bruce Lacey, the madcap inventor.<ref name="Gifford"/> Much later, he portrayed Mr. Klein in the British sitcom, ''Are You Being Served?'' (1981) for four episodes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007bcfm|title = BBC One – Are You Being Served?, Series 8, Closed Circuit}}</ref>
==Films== Lee also appeared in the films ''Keep It Clean'' (1956), ''My Wife's Family'' (1956), ''The Girl Hunters'' (1963) and ''Mahler'' (1974), portraying Tarbottom, Arnold, Nat Drutman and Uncle Arnold respectively.<ref name=theo/><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hollywood.com/celebrities/benny-lee-58006849/|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160221041502/http://www.hollywood.com/celebrities/benny-lee-58006849/|archive-date = 21 February 2016|title = Benny Lee | Biography and Filmography | 1916}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/1144276%7C19197/Benny-Lee/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150927233452/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/1144276%7C19197/Benny-Lee/|url-status=dead|archive-date=27 September 2015|title=Overview for Benny Lee|publisher=Turner Classic Movies|access-date=29 July 2020}}</ref>
==Stage== Lee's stage appearances included the musical ''Two Gentlemen from Verona'' (1973) and ''Windy City'' (1983).<ref name="Gifford"/>
==Personal life and death== Lee married his wife, Ettie (née Berman), in Glasgow in 1941.<ref>https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/ Ref: 644 / 18 / 93</ref> He died in Portsmouth on 9 December 1995, at the age of 79. He was survived by his wife and two daughters.<ref name="Gifford"/><ref name=theo/><ref>General Register Office; United Kingdom</ref>
==Select filmography== *''Keep It Clean'' (1956) *''My Wife's Family'' (1956) *''Carry On Sergeant'' (1958; uncredited) *''Night of the Prowler'' (1962) *''The Girl Hunters'' (1963) *''A Stitch in Time'' (1963; uncredited) *''Mahler'' (1974)
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{IMDb name|0496861|Benny Lee}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Benny}} Category:1916 births Category:1995 deaths Category:Male actors from Glasgow Category:Scottish Jews Category:Scottish male radio actors Category:Scottish male television actors Category:20th-century Scottish male actors Category:20th-century Scottish male singers Category:Musicians from Glasgow Category:British male comedians Category:Scottish male comedians Category:Comedians from Glasgow