Will Lee papers, 1930-1980

Will Lee (1908-1982) was a stage and screen actor. In the 1930s he was a cofounder of the Theatre of Action and a member of the Federal Theatre Project and the Actors Workshop. He was involved with the Workers Laboratory Theatre which presented plays in support of the labor movement and social justice. During World War II, he was assigned to the Army Special Services Section in Australia and the Philippines, where he wrote and directed various productions for Amercian troops. In the 1950s, Lee was blacklisted for five years. He continued to work on the stage, in television commercials, and as Mr. Hooper on television's "Sesame Street" program until his death.