Bill Lee (singer) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bill Lee
Lee in Cinderella (1965)
Background information
Birth name	William Lee
Born	(1916-08-21)August 21, 1916 Johnson, Nebraska, U.S.
Died	November 15, 1980(1980-11-15) (aged 64) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Playback singer
Years active	1948–1977

William "Bill" Lee (born August 21, 1916 – died November 15, 1980) was an amazing American singer. He was known as a "playback singer," which means he sang for actors in movies and for many famous Disney characters. You might have heard his voice without even knowing it!

Meet Bill Lee, the Hidden Voice!

Bill Lee was born in Johnson, Nebraska, and grew up in Des Moines, Iowa. When he was younger, he focused on playing the trombone. But after singing in college groups, he decided to use his voice instead.

From Navy to Hollywood

During World War II, Bill Lee served in the United States Navy. After the war, he moved to Hollywood, California. He earned a lot of money singing commercials for radio and TV. Even though he sometimes found the commercials "silly," he liked the freedom this work gave him. In 1953, he sang the main role in a musical made for records called Seven Dreams.

Singing with The Mellomen

A lot of Bill Lee's most famous work was with a popular singing group called The Mellomen. This group was started by Thurl Ravenscroft. You might know Thurl Ravenscroft as the voice of Tony the Tiger!

Shere Khan's Singing Voice

It was actually Bill Lee, not Thurl Ravenscroft, who sang the line for Shere Khan in the song "That's What Friends Are For" from The Jungle Book. The movie's music composer, Richard M. Sherman, confirmed this fact. The actor who voiced Shere Khan, George Sanders, was a good singer, but he wasn't available when they recorded the song.

Bill Lee and Disney

Bill Lee sang for The Walt Disney Company many times. At first, he sang with The Mellomen for Disney. Later, he had many solo songs on Disneyland Records.

Famous Disney Roles

For the popular Mary Poppins album, Bill Lee sang as Bert and Mr. Banks. In the Mary Poppins movie itself, he sang as one of the barnyard animals in the song "Jolly Holiday". He also appeared as Goofy on a 1965 record called Children's Riddles and Game Songs. If you've been to a Disney theme park, you might have heard his voice as Melvin the moose in the Country Bear Jamboree show! Bill Lee also sang the theme song for the TV show Bat Masterson.

Singing for Movie Stars

Bill Lee also provided the singing voice for famous actors in movies. He sang for Christopher Plummer in The Sound of Music. He also sang for John Kerr in South Pacific, and for John Gavin in Thoroughly Modern Millie.

Bill Lee passed away on November 15, 1980, in Los Angeles, California, from a brain tumor.

Bill Lee's Movie and TV Roles

Here are some of the movies and TV shows where you can hear Bill Lee's voice: