Johnny Lee Davenport
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July 24, 1950 – February 2, 2020
Actor Johnny Lee Davenport passed away on February 2, 2020, from complications caused by acute myeloid leukemia. He was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, cousin, and friend. Johnny Lee was a prolific actor, with credits in television, film and theatre. He attended Southern Illinois University, where he started an acting company, and served in the US army in Viet Nam. He went on to perform in Chicago with such theatre companies as Steppenwolf, Victory Gardens, Court Theatre and Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. He was a respected Shakespearean actor who appeared in many works of Shakespeare, including Hamlet, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Othello. Johnny Lee was also a stalwart of the Boston Theatre scene, where he was named Best Actor in Boston Magazine for his body of work during the 2010-2011 season. He was also a recipient of Washington, D.C.’s Helen Hayes Award. He had many screen credits to his name, including television roles in Law and Order and Empire. He appeared in the films The Fugitive, US Marshals, Chain Reaction, and Ted. In his final years, he toured the country in the one-man show Thurgood, about Thurgood Marshall, the first African American Supreme Court justice. Johnny Lee is survived by his wife, Kelly Cook, daughter Celia Davenport, sister Richea Dougherty, a grandson, four nieces and three nephews. He is sorely missed by all those who loved him. |