Tee Hee Johnson – Dr. Kananga’s Claw-Handed Man
Tee Hee Johnson, commonly known as Tee Hee, serves as the ruthless right-hand man of Dr. Kananga. He has a prosthetic metal arm with a claw, a replacement for the one bitten off by a crocodile named “Albert”.
As the secondary antagonist in the 1973 James Bond film Live and Let Die, Tee Hee is loosely inspired by a minor character in Ian Fleming’s 1953 novel of the same name. In the film, Tee Hee is portrayed by American actor Julius Harris.
Tee Hee Johnson
Tee Hee Johnson accompanies Dr. Kananga to New York, where they’re pursued by James Bond. Aware of Bond’s pursuit, Kananga lures him into a trap at his Fillet O Soul restaurant in Harlem.
Bond is captured and introduced to Kananga, who’s disguised as gang boss Mr. Big. During their encounter, Tee Hee uses his metal claw to crush Bond’s gun, rendering it useless. Bond is then brought before Mr. Big but manages to escape.
Later in San Monique, Tee Hee and Solitaire are tracked by Bond. Forewarned by Solitaire, Kananga sets a trap for Bond, but Kananga’s CIA Agent, Rosie Carver, is inadvertently killed instead.
In New Orleans, Bond, Tee Hee, Mr. Big, and Solitaire confront each other. Mr. Big reveals himself as Kananga and shares his plan to distribute free heroin to eliminate competition and double the number of addicts before selling the remaining heroin at a high price.
Kananga questions Bond on whether he slept with Solitaire or not, but 007 refuses to answer. He then orders Tee Hee to remove Bond’s watch and threatens to sever Bond’s finger if Solitaire answers incorrectly, and he will sever more vital organs as they go on.
She answers correctly so Kananga lets Bond go, but Tee Hee knocks him unconscious and is told to take Bond to the farm. Tee Hee takes Bond to the crocodile farm, which doubles as a heroin facility, and introduces him to them, pointing out “Albert” the crocodile that severed his arm, and the reason he has to wear a prosthetic arm.
As they’re talking, Tee Hee leaves Bond stranded on an island in the middle of a crocodile-infested lake, expecting him to be killed. Bond manages to escape by jumping across the backs of the crocodiles, and sets the heroin facility on fire.
After Bond has killed Kananga and ended his empire, Bond and Solitaire head off on a train, unaware that Tee Hee has snuck onboard. Tee Hee sneaks into the train cabin and shoves Solitaire’s bed up agains tthe wall before attacking Bond.
They then engage in a fight, and Tee Hee looks to be overpowering Bond and is just about to kill him, before Bond snips wires in his arm, which causes it to malfunction. Bond then grabs him and throws him out of the window and to his death.
Julius W. Harris
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on August 17, 1923, Julius W. Harris was a versatile actor with a career spanning over four decades.
Before achieving fame, Harris led a varied life as a nurse, a bouncer at New York City jazz clubs, and a medic in the United States Army during World War II. His acting career began with a small part in the 1964 film Nothing But a Man.
Harris quickly gained recognition for his menacing roles, such as claw-handed henchman Tee Hee Johnson in Live and Let Die. Among his 70 other roles, Harris starred as the ruthless Scatter in Super Fly and played significant parts in Let’s Do It Again, Shaft’s Big Score, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, Islands in the Stream, and the TV movie Victory at Entebbe, where he portrayed Ugandan President Idi Amin.
Throughout his career, Harris made guest appearances on numerous popular American television shows, including The Incredible Hulk, Cagney and Lacey, The Golden Girls, Murder She Wrote, and his final on-screen appearance in the hit show ER in 1997.
