Passing of George Lee of Ten Times Better

“With deep sorrow, I share the news of the passing of George Lee, the pioneering Chinese American ballet dancer who was the subject of our documentary Ten Times Better. He passed away over the Easter weekend after struggling with a number of health challenges. He was 90.

Ten Times Better revealed his extraordinary life story: A teenaged refugee from China, he would later wow American audiences with his leaps and twirls in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker and Rodgers & Hammerstein’s groundbreaking Flower Drum Song. After a long career in dance, he became a blackjack dealer in Las Vegas, which is where film director Jennifer Lin discovered a quiet and humble 88-year-old man who had an extraordinary and almost unbelievable story.

Like his dancing, Ten Times Better has inspired audiences across the country, first at New York’s Lincoln Center and then at film festivals, universities, and community venues, including most recently San Francisco’s Chinese Historical Society of America.

We all grew from knowing him.”

Jon Funabiki