Biography

Lee’s professional career spans over fifty years in theatre, film and television. A four-time Emmy nominee, her television directing credits include over 500 episodes of prime-time comedies. She is the recipient of three BET awards for outstanding direction in comedy, two Humanitas Awards and two GLAAD Awards.

An English Lit magna cum laude graduate of Lawrence University, Lee received an M.A. in Asian Theatre and an M.A. in Education from the U. of Wisconsin and an M.F.A. from U. of Washington’s Professional Acting Training Program.  Lee was an East Asian Languages Fellow at the University of Michigan. She taught in the inner-city public schools in Norwalk, CT, Racine, Wisconsin and Seattle, Washington before entering the theatre.

Her theatre directing credits include productions at Seattle Rep, ACT Seattle, Empty Space Theatre, South Coast Repertory, Mark Taper Forum, Trinity Rep (Providence), Alley Theatre (Houston), and the Matrix Theatre in L.A.

She was co-artistic director of the Grove Shakespeare Festival where she directed Shakespeare productions for three years.

Lee was a Resident Director and Conservatory Director at South Coast Repertory 1975-1985.

She received an honorary doctorate in Humanities from her alma mater, Lawrence University, where she was the keynote speaker at the 2019 graduation ceremony.