By Karen Lee and Eileen Hu

Funeral services for Chinese American actor and comedian Waymond Lee are set for Jan. 11, 2025 in Los Angeles, CA.  

Lee, 72, died on Dec 18, 2024, at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Irvine due to complications of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a degenerative neurological disorder that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. The fatal disease is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.  

According to his wife, Diane (戴新凤), 61, the comedian’s health spiraled downward after a fall in August 2024. On Dec. 13th, Lee was hospitalized due to difficulty with breathing and swallowing. Tests revealed and confirmed the actor had end-stage ALS.  In retrospect, Diane and his sister, Norine Lee, believe he  began to experience increasing difficulty with his balance and shortness of breath while walking – almost 2 years prior to his final diagnosis of ALS in December, but the good-natured actor remained independent and never complained.  

Lee is best known for his role as the mute character Waymond Womano in the seven-season Comedy Central sitcom Workaholics. During his acting career, Lee performed in more than 150 credited and uncredited TV roles, movies, commercials and videos. Many of his roles did not require any speech. His face was his asset. He became a recognizable Asian celebrity for his face, comical facial expressions and antics.  

Lee’s foray into the entertainment industry came late in his life. He honestly reflected that most of his decisions were made with his late father in mind. He was always striving to live up to his father’s wishes of being a respectful and responsible Chinese son. But after retiring from his state job in his early 50s, Lee was looking for something different, something adventurous and fun. This wish would prove to be an arduous journey…long months of constant calling for cast openings, applying, waiting and sporadic times of employment in the entertainment industry. But his Chinese work ethic, ingrained by his father’s memory, helped him persevere and succeed beyond his dreams. 

Lee was born on March 7,1952 in Los Angeles, CA to Howard 李开（杨华詠）and Florence  刘科伦 Lee. Lee’s father immigrated to California from the Pearl River Delta region near Canton, China. He started working as a farmhand before becoming a grocery store owner of Manna Market in 1957.

Lee and his sister, Norine, grew up in post-war 1950’s America. They lived in the less than affluent area of southeastern Los Angeles before moving to the Glassel Park area in 1957.  According to Norine, the hardworking Howard Lee wanted his son to pursue a prestigious career in engineering or law. But as hard as Lee tried to please his father, the actor said he felt that he fell short several times, especially since Lee himself was not interested in being an engineer or lawyer. However, Lee knew from a young age that he wanted a job that was fun; one that would make him happy. He already showed the skills of a natural comedian – always laughing, joking, willing to do the inane, not afraid to make a fool of himself for the fun of it. His childhood hobby of watching cartoons and The Three Stooges helped him hone his comedic skills.

Lee was a 1970 graduate of Eagle Rock High School. Being a short and light-weight Asian was not conducive to playing football, but the teen desperately wanted to become a member of the school’s football team. He recalled his intense struggle to convince his overly cautious father that his 5’3” frame could withstand the rigors of the sport, and that he wouldn’t get hurt…too much.  After many heated debates about the chances of being injured, his father finally relented. Lee remembers how elated and proud he was the day he was drafted for the division bee football team. Although he readily admits, he spent most of his one and only season warming the bench!  

Lee had better luck with tennis, where he won a trophy for the varsity tennis doubles team.

After high school, the actor attended Los Angeles City College and ventured into journalism. He was a sports and feature reporter for the college newspaper. He earned an AA degree in 1972. Then he graduated from California State University, Los Angeles in 1974 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Recreation Education. 

Despite his father’s opposition, in 1976 Lee joined the Navy and was based out of San Diego. Serving for four years, he was on The John Young (DD-973) as a Mess Management Specialist Third Class Seaman for two of his four years. While creating menus and meals for officers on ship, MS3 Lee traveled and visited many seaports in the Asia Pacific, including Hong Kong, where he visited relatives, whom he had never met.  

Finally, in 1980, Lee took on a position that his father approved – office assistant for the California State Board of Equalization. He worked his way up from tax technician I and II to a Business Tax Representative in 1984. During his 26.5 years of service with the state, he received several Merit Awards for his suggestions to improve efficiency in state government. 

The actor often felt the need to challenge himself, So, while working full time, he tasked himself to complete a Master’s of Arts Degree in Management from National University in July 1989. Still not content with studying and working, Lee also immersed himself in long-distance running. He completed 15 LA marathons between 1994 to 2007, before having to abandon the hobby due to painful leg cramps. The actor also had a purple belt in jujitsu.

2007 was also the year that Lee retired from state service. His coworkers encouraged him to stay with the state job for financial security, but the actor had the itch to be free. His sister, Norine, recalls him telling her, “In my next job, I don’t want to have to think too hard.” And so began his climb from obscure background actor/movie extra to being a recognized celebrity for his real-life persona. 

The roles Lee accepted didn’t stray far from his real persona. He didn’t need to act to be funny. He could make people laugh with just a quirky smile or an exaggerated smirk. His deadpan humor spoke volumes about the myth of the inscrutable Chinese. Typical Asians take saving face very seriously, but Lee was not afraid to make people laugh at his own expense. He loved being silly. He didn’t care about reputation. He loved the attention, and he loved being seen in movies with famous celebrities, such as Michelle Yeoh, William Shatner, Jennifer Lopez, etc. 

From homeless man or prisoner to restaurant chef or jury foreman, the actor was happy to take on any role. He challenged himself to make the best of each of his characters. Norine recalled that Waymond was especially proud of his 2015 Superbowl commercial.

Waymond or Raymond? Lee had often joked about people incorrectly/mistakenly calling him Raymond instead of Waymond. Actually his older cousin, Lucy Ko, helped bestow the name of Waymond upon him.  Lee’s father named him李杨辉民, which in Cantonese sounds like lee yaang way meng. From the pronunciation of his Chinese name way meng, Lucy created the Romanized name Waymond, which is similar to the English Raymond. The actor/comedian once quipped, “My father is Elmer Fudd because he says ‘wabbit, wabbit, wabbit…not rabbit, rabbit, rabbit. That’s why my name is Waymond, not Raymond.” Even during his Navy days, the easygoing seaman just went by the name Raymond rather than constantly correcting his shipmates.

Lee met and married Diane in 1990 while the actor was on a visit to Zhong Shan, China. They have no children.  Diane said that she and Waymond shared a love for fine cuisine. They would go to great lengths for good food. They also enjoyed meditating and strolling in the park, as well as traveling across the states and abroad. 

When asked which piece of work her husband enjoyed the most, she answered, Workaholics and the 2023 Academy Award winning best picture Everything, Everywhere All At Once. 

Lee was very proud of Diane, who also appeared in Everything, Everywhere All at Once. He gushed, “She’s really talented. She can sing AND dance.” 

Lee’s advice for youngsters  interested in being an actor is “give it your best shot.” But “you have to be lucky” to succeed in Hollywood.

The Chinese American actor/comedian will be remembered for his contributions to the entertainment industry as well as by generations of fans, who speak to his Asian culture and the comedy he shared with us. 

Karen Lee, a retired journalist, is a cousin to the actor and spent much of her of childhood with him. 

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