Eugene Lee

Eugene Lee may refer to:

See also

Eugene Gordon Lee

Eugene Gordon Lee (October 25, 1933 – October 16, 2005) was an American child actor, most notable for appearing in the Our Gang (Little Rascals) comedies as Porky from 1935 to 1939. During his tenure in Our Gang, Porky originated the catchphrase "O-tay!", though it is commonly attributed to Buckwheat.

Biography

Lee was born in Fort Worth, Texas as Eugene Lee, and was adopted.

Our Gang

Lee got his break in motion pictures in 1935, after producer Hal Roach noted how much the eighteen-month-old toddler looked like Our Gang star Spanky McFarland, also from Texas. The Lee family traveled from Texas to Culver City, California, and Eugene Lee, nicknamed "Porky" by the studio, joined the cast as Spanky's little brother. Porky appeared in forty-two Our Gang comedies over four years. Lee, McFarland, and Our Gang co-stars Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas, and Darla Hood constituted what is today the most familiar incarnation of Our Gang.

This group moved from Hal Roach Studios to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1938 after Roach sold the series. When Lee grew several inches in height during early 1939 (to the point that the five-year-old was the same height as ten-year-old McFarland), MGM replaced him with Mickey Gubitosi, later better known by the stage name of Robert Blake.

Eugene Lee (designer)

Eugene Lee (Scenic Designer) was born in Beloit, Wisconsin, in 1939. He attended Beloit Memorial High School. He has been resident designer at Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, Rhode Island, since 1967. He has BFA degrees from the Art Institute of Chicago and Carnegie Mellon University, an MFA from Yale Drama School and three honorary Ph.Ds. Mr. Lee has won Tony Awards for Bernstein’s Candide, Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd, and Wicked, as well as the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Set Design. He is the production designer for NBC’s Saturday Night Live. Other New York theatre work includes Alice in Wonderland, The Normal Heart, Agnes of God, Ragtime, Uncle Vanya, Ruby Sunrise, Bounce, and A Number. Film credits include Coppola’s Hammett, Huston’s Mr. North and Malle’s Vanya on 42nd Street. Mr. Lee is an adjunct professor at Brown University, resident set designer at Trinity Repertory Company, and lives with his wife Brooke in Providence, where they raised their two sons.