Actor specialising in Shakespeare. Father of four daughters, among them the novelist Harriet Lee and playwright Sophia Lee, and at least 1 son.

Known to Boswell as a "good, agreeable, honest man"1, but to others as "irascible, [who] had rocky relationships with most of his fellow actors."2. He was an actor at various theatres during his lifetime, including Smock Alley in Dublin, and Covent Garden and Drury Lane in London. In 1762-3 he was at the latter. Sometime manager of the theatre in Edinburgh. 

According to a 1797 article about his daughter Sophia, he was "a comedian of celebrity, and sufficiently powerful in talents to be, at one time, the formidable rival of the late master of the scene, Mr. Garrick".3