---
name: "Lee Wallace"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/lee-wallace"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "15 July 1930"
died: "20 December 2020"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 2
average_fi1m_score: 82
updated: "2026-09-16T21:20:23.424974+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Lee Wallace

Actor. Born 15 July 1930 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. Died 20 December 2020.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 15 July 1930, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
- **Died:** 20 December 2020
- **Active:** 1965–1989

## Biography

Lee Wallace was an American actor. Born Leo Melis on 15 July 1930 in Brooklyn, New York, he died on 20 December 2020 in New York City.

He studied at New York University and with acting teachers including Lee Strasberg and Michael Howard, following service in the US Army. Wallace appeared on Broadway in productions including *A Teaspoon Every Four Hours*, *Zalmen or The Madness of God*, *Grind* and *The Cemetery Club*.

His film roles include *Klute* (1971), *The Hot Rock* (1972), *The Taking of Pelham One Two Three* (1974) as the Mayor of New York City, *Private Benjamin* (1980) as Mr Waxman and *Batman* (1989) as Mayor Borg of Gotham City. He also appeared in television series including *Law & Order* and was married to actress Marilyn Chris.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, playbill.com.*

## On Fi1m (2)

- *Batman* (1989), Fi1m 77, as Mayor — [page](https://film.one/film/batman.md)
- *The Sound of Music* (1965), Fi1m 86, Casting — [page](https://film.one/film/the-sound-of-music.md)

## Also known for

- *Law & Order* (1990), Judge Thomas Simon
- *The Taking of Pelham One Two Three* (1974), Mayor
- *Klute* (1971), Goldfarb Jr. (uncredited)
- *Private Benjamin* (1980), Mr. Waxman
- *The Hot Rock* (1972), Dr. Strauss
- *The Equalizer* (1985), Whitney

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/lee-wallace