Bill Lee (singer)

Bill Lee (21 August 1916 – 15 November 1980) was an American playback singer who provided a voice or singing voice in many films, for actors in musicals and for many Disney characters. He was born in Johnson, Nebraska and died in 1980 in Los Angeles, California, of a brain tumor.

Lee was part of a popular singing quartet known as The Mellomen. In The Jungle Book's soundtrack, it was mistaken that fellow Melloman member, Thurl Ravenscroft, provided the singing voice of Shere Khan in the song, "That's What Friends Are For". However, Richard Sherman confirmed on the audio commentary on its 2007 DVD release, that it was Lee who provided Shere Khan's singing as George Sanders, Khan's voice actor in the film, though an accomplished singer, was not available during the finalized recording of the song.^[1] However, during the film all the singing was done live and Khan's singing voice was provided by Sanders.

Partial filmography

• Alice in Wonderland (1951) - a member of The Mellomen
• Peter Pan (1953) - Pirates (singing voice)
• Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) - Caleb Pontipee (singing voice)
• Lady and the Tramp (1955) - Dog, as a member of The Mellomen
• South Pacific (1958) - Lieutenant Joseph Cable (singing voice)
• One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) - Roger (singing voice)
• Gay Purr-ee (1962) - Hench Cat (singing voice)
• Hey There, It's Yogi Bear! (1964) - Yogi Bear (singing voice)
• Cinderella (1965) - Father
• Tom and Jerry (1965–1972) - uncredited voice
• The Sound of Music (1965) - Captain von Trapp (singing voice)
• Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967) - Trevor Graydon (singing voice) (uncredited)
• The Jungle Book (1967) - Singing elephant(alongside his fellow Mellomen)
• Horton Hears a Who! (1971) - Wickersham Brother (singing voice)
• The Hobbit (1977) - Goblin (singing voice)

References

External links

• Bill Lee at the Internet Movie Database