Ann Lee

Ann Lee (August 8, 1918 – August 19, 2003) was an American businesswoman and actress.

Early years Born August 8, 1918, in Amarillo, Texas, Lee was the daughter of James William Lee and DeMetres Thacker Lee. She grew up on the family's ranch north of Amarillo and was educated in Amarillo schools. She attended Amarillo Senior High High School She attended Amarillo College and graduated from Northwestern University with a bachelor of science degree in speech. Lee made her film debut in Boots Malone (1952). The Millionaire, Pepsi-Cola Playhouse, and Our Miss Brooks.

Business After visiting Texas on a vacation and New Mexico on a holiday, Lee created two stock companies Actors who performed in one or both of Lee's theaters included William Bendix, Diana Lynn, Guy Madison, Zasu Pitts, Cesar Romero, and Mickey Rooney.

Marriage led to Lee's involvement in the restaurant business. In 1977, her husband, Jack Harris, provided $1 million to build the Harris Ranch Restaurant on Interstate 5, midway between Sacramento and Los Angeles. Lee selected the architect who designed the facility, and she hired the chef away from a restaurant in San Francisco. By 1982, the restaurant was feeding 2,000 people daily and grossing $3.8 million per year. It specialized in serving beef, fruits, and vegetables that had been raised on Harris's 20,000-acre farm. Lee provided daily oversight of the operation, including interaction with customers. Her involvement ended following her husband's death, when she resigned after full control was transferred to his son and the son's wife.

Personal life and death In 1959, Lee married farmer and rancher Jack Harris. She died on August 19, 2003, in Scottsdale, Arizona.