Sondra Lee

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Sondra Lee
Sondra Lee 1967 PBS publicity.jpeg
Lee in 1967
Born
Sondra Lee Gash

(1928-09-30)September 30, 1928
Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedFebruary 23, 2026(2026-02-23) (aged 97)
New York City, U.S.
Education Studio 61
OccupationsActress, dancer, teacher
Years active1946–2025
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1953;died 2002)​

Sondra Lee Gash (September 30, 1928 – February 23, 2026) was an American actress, teacher and dancer who performed on Broadway. She was known for her theatrical musical appearances, most notably appearing in the original productions of Peter Pan (1954) and Hello, Dolly! (1964). Aside from acting, she also taught acting courses at New York University and at the Stella Adler Conservatory.

Contents

Early life

The daughter of David and Belle Gash, [1] [2] Lee was born in Newark, New Jersey on September 30, 1928, [a] and grew up there. [3] [4] As a child, she received growth hormone shots and frequently had pneumonia. [5]

She desired to be an actress from childhood, tracing those yearnings to watching Greta Garbo in the film Camille (1936). Although her mother wanted her to pursue training for a career in business, Lee persisted in her desires. She also began taking dancing lessons in her mid-teens, [6] studying at Studio 61 at Carnegie Hall. [5]

Career

Stage

Lee's early experience in theater included acting with the YMHA Players in Newark and performing at the Walnut House on the Hill in the Catskills. [5] At age 16, she danced professionally in a night club in Washington, D.C. [6]

Lee with Mary Martin (left) in a publicity photo for Peter Pan (1954) Mary Martin and Sondra Lee in Peter Pan 1954 (cropped).jpg
Lee with Mary Martin (left) in a publicity photo for Peter Pan (1954)

She began performing on Broadway in 1947 in High Button Shoes . Other Broadway credits included Peter Pan (1954), Hotel Paradiso (1957), Jerome Robbins' Ballet: U.S.A. (1958), Sunday in New York (1961), and Hello Dolly (1964). [4] She also performed in Peter Pan in San Francisco in 1954. [7] In 1953, Lee portrayed Daisy, a maid, in a production of Bloomer Girl by the St. Louis Municipal Opera Theatre, [6] and in 1954, she relocated to France to be the co-star of Ballets de Paris. [5]

She directed Hillbilly Women at the ArcLight Theater in 2011. Based on Kathy Kahn's book of the same name, the production focused on six women of Appalachia, each of whom presented highlights of her life story. [8] Lee taught at the New York University Drama School and at the Stella Adler Conservatory. [5]

For one month in 1965, she worked with members of a newly created touring division of the Metropolitan Opera to ensure that their death scenes evoked an appropriate response from the audience. [9]

After a few decades on hiatus, Lee made her final appearance at Carnegie Hall in 2025 as part of the Transport Group's concert performance of Hello, Dolly! [10]

Television

Lee was a member of the casts of three DuMont Television Network programs. The S.S. Holiday (1950) was a two-hour variety program that was converted to a one-hour program and retitled Starlit Time , featuring performances at night clubs in New York City. [11] : 1008  Once Upon a Tune (1951), was a musical anthology series that presented a complete musical (usually adapted from a Broadway show) in each episode. [11] She also developed choreography for The Voice of Firestone and adapted children's stories that she wrote into dances for television. [6] She performed in NBC productions of Hansel and Gretel (1958) [12] and Peter Pan (1959). [13]

Personal life and death

Lee married Sidney Armus on October 16, 1953. [14] He died in 2002. [15]

She made a hobby of using items that she described as mostly "just junk" to decorate her apartment in New York City. [16] Some items were gifts, including a Victorian sofa that someone anonymously left at her door and she reupholstered and an old clock that her parents gave her and she gilded. In other instances, she used her acting skills to obtain used items from shop owners at the lowest possible price. [16]

Lee's memoir, titled I've Slept With Everybody, was published in September 2009. [17]

Lee died at her New York City apartment on February 23, 2026, at the age of 97. [3] [18] [19]

Selected stage works

YearTitleRole(s)NotesRef.
1947 High Button Shoes Corps de ballet; playmate of the boy at the picnicBroadway debut [20]
1954 Peter Pan Tiger Lily [21]
1957Hotel ParadisoVictoire, the maid [22]
1961 Sunday in New York Woman [23]
1964 Hello, Dolly! Minnie Fay [24]
2005The AudienceMaddy [25]

Notes

  1. ↑ According to her obituary from The Hollywood Reporter and Playbill , Lee was 97 years old when she died, with The Hollywood Reporter stating that Lee was born in 1928 with the acknowledgement that some internet databases list her year of birth as 1930. [3]

References

  1. ↑ "Oct 19, 1953". The Star-Ledger. p. 21. Retrieved January 25, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ "Sondra Lee". The Official Masterworks Broadway Site. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 "Sondra Lee, Star of 'Peter Pan' and 'Hello, Dolly!' on Broadway, Dies at 97". Yahoo. February 25, 2026. Retrieved February 25, 2026.
  4. 1 2 "Sondra Lee". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on August 15, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Sondra Lee". Masterworks Broadway. Sony Music Entertainment. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Kimbrough, Mary (June 16, 1953). "Verbal Compliment Sent by Freight". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 36. Retrieved August 15, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Sondra Lee In 'Peter Pan'". Oakland Tribune. July 26, 1954. p. 24. Retrieved August 15, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ Genzlinger, Neil (January 14, 2011). "Scraping By in Appalachia". The New York Times. p. C 12. ProQuest   1634192138 . Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  9. ↑ Calta, Louis (July 31, 1965). "Actress Teaches Met Singers How to 'Die' in Proper Style". The New York Times. p. 10. ProQuest   116938205 . Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Sondra Lee, a veteran Broadway dancer with roles in 'Peter Pan' and 'Hello Dolly!' dies at 97". The Associated Press. February 25, 2026. Retrieved February 25, 2026.
  11. 1 2 Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 788. ISBN   978-0-7864-6477-7.
  12. ↑ Crosby, John (April 30, 1958). "'Dial M' Was Expert Theater; Critic Tired of TV Fairy Tales". The Times-Tribune. Pennsylvania, Scranton. New York Herald Tribune. p. 31. Retrieved August 15, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ "Mary Martin Flies Again in 'Peter Pan'". The Times Recorder. Ohio, Zanesville. March 23, 1989. p. 19. Retrieved August 15, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ "Oct 19, 1953, page 21 - The Star-Ledger at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  15. ↑ "Sidney Armus". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on November 14, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  16. 1 2 Warren, Virginia Lee (October 5, 1966). "The Tag on the Sofa Said 'Love and Kisses'". The New York Times. p. 34. ProQuest   117388674 . Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  17. ↑ Bacalzo, Dan (August 25, 2009). "Sondra Lee's I've Slept With Everybody Set for September 15 Release | TheaterMania". TheaterMania. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  18. ↑ "Original Hello, Dolly! Star Sondra Lee Dies at 97". Playbill. February 25, 2026. Retrieved February 25, 2026.
  19. ↑ Barnes, Mike (February 24, 2026). "Sondra Lee, Star of 'Peter Pan' and 'Hello, Dolly!' on Broadway, Dies at 97". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 25, 2026.
  20. ↑ "High Button Shoes – Broadway Musical – Original | IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  21. ↑ "Peter Pan – Broadway Musical – Original | IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  22. ↑ "Hotel Paradiso – Broadway Play – Original | IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  23. ↑ "Sunday in New York – Broadway Play – Original | IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  24. ↑ "Theater: 'Hello, Dolly!' Has Premiere; Carol Channing Star of Musical at St. James". The New York Times. January 17, 1964. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  25. ↑ Stasio, Marilyn (April 11, 2005). "The Audience". Variety. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
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