Biography

David Lee's first decade of his career saw him working in South Africa, where he worked extensively in theatre and television, earning multiple nominations for his outstanding stage performances throughout Southern Africa. In 1995, he completed a post graduate drama course at Drama Studio London, receiving a nomination for Actor of the Year for his powerful portrayal of "Othello."

His feature film debut, "Paljas," was an official selection for the Academy Awards in 1998. Beginning his work in the United States in 2003, Lee has built an impressive Hollywood career. In 2017, he joined the Marvel universe as the villainous "Limbani" in the 2018 record-setting "Black Panther," working alongside Michael B. Jordan and Andy Serkis. 2020 saw him appear opposite Karl Urban in a breakaway short film for Amazon Prime's acclaimed dark action-comedy, "The Boys."

His Hollywood career includes notable collaborations with Warner Brothers and director Dean Devlin, appearing alongside Gerard Butler, Andy Garcia, and Ed Harris in "Geostorm." Lee has worked with numerous Academy Award winners and nominees, including Anne Hathaway, Steve Carrel, Alan Arkin, and Terence Stamp in "Get Smart," where his scene-stealing performance caught the attention of both producers and fans. He also appeared with Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly, and Djimon Hounsou in the Oscar-nominated "Blood Diamond."

His television work on US soil was jump started with notable recurring guest appearances in "N.C.I.S:Los Angeles", "Lost", "Nikita", "General Hospital" and season 2 of "The Librarians", where he brought to life the charming and villainous character of James Moriarty, working alongside multi award-winning actors Rebecca Romijn and Noah Wyle.

Most recently, Lee wrote, executive produced and acted in his first short film "The Last Ranger," which has garnered multiple accolades including Best Short Narrative, Best Screenplay, and Audience Awards and is now an Oscar Nominated Narrative Short Film for the 97th Academy Awards in 2025.

Lee is bilingual (English/Afrikaans) with expertise in numerous dialects, ranging from Russian to Italian, German, British, and American English. A qualified skydiver with a passion for adventure and dirt motorcycle riding, he is also skilled in skiing, horsemanship, dancing, and singing. His versatility as an actor spans both comedy and drama, making him a truly multifaceted performer.
- IMDb mini biography by: Kyle Fritz (Kyle Fritz Management)