Last night’s episode of CBS’s sitcom, Mom, titled Big Sad Eyes and an Antique Hot Dog (Season 7, Episode 20), ended with a tribute to the show’s former prop master, Lee Lee Baird.
The memorial, which featured at the end of the show, read:
In Loving Memor of our Lee Lee: Lee Lee Baird 1954-2020
A second tribute from Chuck Lorre Productions, apparently written by Chuck Lorre and featuring a touching story, was also shown after the credits, alongside a second photo of Lee Lee.
It read, “Twenty-four years ago we were shooting a scene on Dharma & Greg. I don’t remember what it was about, but for some reason I decided the scene needed a Fender bass guitar.
“I turned to Lee Lee and said, ‘You wouldn’t happen to have a Fender bass guitar, would you?’ She thought for a second then said, ‘Give me five minutes.’
“Four minutes later she returned with a Fender bass guitar. She said, “You need a strap?” (She had one.)
“At that moment I realized, in addition to being a prop master, Lee Lee Baird was a leprechaun. Lee Lee, you’re in my heart forever.”
While she was evidently a huge part of Mom and many other TV shows behind the scenes, many viewers have likely never heard of Lee Lee Baird.
If you saw the tribute at the end of last night’s episode and wondered who she was, here is a rundown of her long and illustrious career.
Who was Lee Lee Baird?
Lee Lee Baird (Leanaora Lee Baird) was born on August 20, 1954, and died on March 10, 2020.
According to her LinkedIn page, she was based in the Greater Los Angeles area and started working as a property master for Warner Bros. TV in Burbank in July 2002.
She was an onset-dresser on The Shawshank Redemption (1994) and TV movies, such as Twilight Man (1996) and The Cherokee Kid (1996).
Baird was an assistant property master on Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (2003) and a property master on Starsky & Hutch (2004).
She worked as a property master on TV shows such as Fox’s Titus, TBS’s Clipped, ABC’s Donny and Marie (1977-1978), and ABC’s Dharma & Greg.
Baird also worked on CBS’s Charlie Lawrence, The Big Bang Theory, Mike and Molly, Rob, Two and a Half Men, and Mom.
She was property manager on 67 episodes of Mom, from 2013 to 2018. She was also property manager on 233 episodes of Two and a Half Men, from 2003 to 2015.
During her long career that spanned more than 40 years, she worked a set decorator, a second unit director, and an assistant director.
She worked in the sound department of TV and movie productions, and as a driver on Monte Markham’s post-apocalyptic sci-fi movie, Neon City.
She was the location manager for the western movie The Avenging (1982) and location assistant on the comedy-drama Empire Records (1995).
Lee Lee Baird is the latest in long line of recent deaths in the entertainment industry.
M*A*S*H actor Timothy Brown died from dementia last week. When Calls the Heart and Flash actor, Logan Williams, also passed away earlier this month at the age of 16.
Mom is a CBS sitcom created by Chuck Lorre, Eddie Gorodetsky, and Gemma Baker. The show premiered on CBS in September 2013 and follows the daughter and mother pair of Christy (Anna Faris) and Bonnie Plunkett (Allison Janney), struggling to recover from alcoholism and drug addiction.
Christy relocated to Napa Valley in the California wine country, where she works as a waitress at the Rustic Fig. She also attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
On last night’s episode of the show, the ladies’ friendships were tested when they lived in close quarters during a sober retreat.
Mom airs on Thursdays, at 9/8c on CBS.
Didn’t know of Lee Lee Baird but truly understand your loss. We have watched every episode of MOM since its inception and hats of to Chuck Lorre & Associates for creating a comedy that not only is every line funny but can make lite of serious situations & illness that can take the pain away frome those inflicted. If it is a Chuck Lorre & Associates Comedy I will watch it. PS My love to Christy (Ana Faris) & Bonnie Pruitt (Allison Jenny), they are fabulous together clearly a match made in your studio! We almost met Allison Jenny in 2012 when se filmed “The Way Way Back” with Steve Carell in Marshfield, MA as they did a scene in our Marina and walked by our boat!
Thanks, Chuck, for introducing us to Lee Lee, a person whom I wish I’d known thanks to your beautiful goodby and very impressive history of her life in TV. She sounded like a real great person. and I’m very sorry for your loss.