death_place death_date years_active birth_place birth_name birth_date article_title name
beaumont , california , u.s. 17 november 1989 1937 -- 1943 nelson , indiana/west terre haute , indiana , u.s. william lee schlensker 12 march 1929 billy lee
 billy lee
billy lee

billy lee -lrb- william lee schlensker -rrb- -lrb- march 12 , 1929 -- november 17 , 1989 -rrb- was a child actor who appeared in many films from the mid-1930s through the early 1940s .
lee 's first role was in the `` our gang '' comedy `` mike fright '' 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 '' .
he also did the voice of `` the boy '' character in the animated portion of the disney film , `` the reluctant dragon '' .
in addition to being an actor , he was also a singer and dancer , appearing and singing with bobby breen 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 , charles boyer , randolph scott , olivia de havilland , john boles , and broderick crawford .
in the 1941 film , `` reg ` lar fellers '' , he starred with co-star carl switzer .
lee retired from film in 1943 .
lee died on november 17 , 1989 , of a sudden heart attack .
