However, that said, the first year on the show was quite a heady experience. _taboola.push({ When the series ended, Gibbs took on other TV roles including portraying Mary Jenkins on the sitcom 227. https://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-celebrities/actors/sherman-hemsley-net-worth/, https://the-jeffersons.fandom.com/wiki/Florence_Johnston, Georges Weezy nickname was based off on a real-life romance. We all remember "Jenny Willis," "Tom's" and "Helen's" daughter on The Jeffersons, but many of us didn't hear much from her outside of a few other roles in films like Harlem Knights, Goodfellas, and such. To get her attention, he called her Weezy, and it stuck. 2006 The Associated Press. Im learning a lot today. She was sometimes credited as Ebony Smith. According to him, he wanted to educate America in the sense that Lionel was a black married man who was working on his masters and was ready to have a family, which was something America hadn't seen yet. He was later played by Damon Evans, while Mike was working with Monte co-creator of Good Times writing scripts for the series. Turns out, he has some very interesting and deep reasons for this. The actor who gave life to Lionel Jefferson for more than a decade lost his life after a long battle with cancer. .component--type-recirculation .item:nth-child(5) { Roxie Roker, the elegant and beautiful actress best known for her role as Helen Willis on the long-running hit CBS television series The Jeffersons, has died. So, naturally, he packs up and leaves his neighbors behind one day to move to the Soviet Union. Damon Evans (no relation to Mike) played the role from the fall of 1975 until early 1978. Under the influence, the actor walked to the George Washington Bridge, intending to jump into the Hudson River. All Rights Reserved. Getting high was all that matteredI didnt have any pride, Evans admitted. It achieved the record of having topped the Nielsen ratings for five consecutive years. Can i register a car with export only title in arizona. Damon is referring to this fun fact about the shows beginning cast: From the characters first appearance on All in the Family, producer, Norman Lear, had pegged Sherman Hemsley to play George Jefferson. But when All in the Family became a hit, Hemsley was tied up on Broadway as the co-star of Purlie, and was understandably reluctant to break his contract. Because once you get there youll find out that there is no there there. Actor Mike Evans, best known as Lionel Jefferson in the TV sitcoms "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons," has died. placement: 'Right Rail Thumbnails', There was such a marked difference in our interpretations of the role. Evans, along with Eric Monte, also created and wrote for "Good Times," one of the first TV comedy series that featured a primarily black cast. He is the son of George and Louise Jefferson. Getting high was all that mattered, Damon shared. Maestro cue the outro music! In 1978, Damon quit "The Jeffersons" to pursue his opera career, reports PEOPLE. Evans also stated that he never had a chance to meet the first Lionel, played by Mike Evans, who was also the co-creator of the Good Times sitcom: Damon Evans: I was the second Lionel and I never met Mike, although I did meet his mother one Sunday in church during the first year I was doing the show. Check out an interview that Damon did with blogger, Keith Boykin: Interviewer: How did the experience on [The Jeffersons] affect your life? }); Copyright 2015 . Damon Evans: Dont forsake their values to their ultimate goal. Mike Evans and other cast members of "The Jeffersons" circa 1974 | Photo: Wikimedia Commons. Lionel was born in New York City on October 18, 1953. I always tell people that I am the one without the fro and the one who married Jenny on TV. Ebonie Smith, also known as Ebony Smith (born Negra Candalaria-Smith; September 16, 1978) is a Puerto Rican-born American former child actress known for her role as Jessica Jefferson in the sitcom The Jeffersons in four episodes in Seasons 10 and 11. Online (22 Dec 2006, 02:56:00 PM PST): ", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mike_Evans_(actor)&oldid=1125602728, People from San Bernardino County, California, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2021, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Main cast (34 episodes) (final appearance), This page was last edited on 4 December 2022, at 22:04. I didnt have any pride.. Michael Jonas Evans (November 3, 1949 December 14, 2006) was an American actor, best known as Lionel Jefferson on both All in the Family and The Jeffersons. I just sort of just said well, let me just see where this goes. Are any of the cast of my three sons still alive? Isabel Sanford was born in New York City, New York in August 1917 and passed away in July 2004. mode: 'thumbnails-rr1', To be quite honest, I didn't have a direction when I went there. His character is significant for being one of the first TV portrayals of a young, opinionated black man. By the time she was 13 years old, he requested a DNA test to learn the truth, and, as it turns out, he was indeed Harris' father. Jenny, however, became a regular guest throughout the series, unlike Lionel, who only appeared on the screen in the last two episodes of the eleventh and final season back in 1985. Damon Evans on never meeting the 1st Lionel.. TWENTYNINE PALMS, California Actor Mike Evans, best known as Lionel Jefferson in the TV sitcoms All in the Family and The Jeffersons, has died. . Evans gave life to the character through all of the seasons of "All in The Family" but when it came to playing the role on the spin-off show that was centered on the life of the black family, he took a break for three years and was replaced by actor Damon Evans. Check out an interview that Damon did with interviewer, Keith Boykin, Damon Evans on how The Jeffersons sitcom negatively affected his life. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Work would take him to London, where he gained quite the reputation for his brilliance onstage. } AmoMama creates engaging, meaningful content for women. Its great that Damon sought the help he desperately needed, but in the beginning the sudden reality of him having to go from Lionel the superstar, back to the everyday civilian, working in the mail room, had to a tough adjustment. Lets just say this, Ive taken detours but I always come back home. But they're far from happy; in fact, they're so happy they've agreed to a separation. Years after his passing, Harris claimed that God asked her to go to Los Angeles and stay at her paternal grandmother's home, where slept in the same room that her father died in. Evans appeared infrequently after that, and made his final appearance as Lionel in the two-part episode "Sayonara" in 1985. Isabel Sanford, (born August 29, 1917, New York, New York, U.S.died July 9, 2004, Los Angeles, California), American actress best known for her role as Louise (Weezy) Jefferson in the long-running television situation comedy The Jeffersons (197585). Evans was replaced by Damon Evans (no relation) for four years, then he returned to the series from 1979 to 1981. He was survived by his two daughters (Carlena and Tammie), his mother (Annie Sue), a brother, a cousin, and a niece. Actor Mike Evans, best known as Lionel Jefferson in the TV comedy series "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons," has died. Maestro cue the outro music! Mike Evans, the actor who portrayed Lionel Jefferson on the TV series "All In The Family" and "The Jeffersons," passed away at the age of 57 years old following a short-lived career. Damon Evans (no relation to Mike) played the role from the fall of 1975 until early 1978. container: 'taboola-right-rail-thumbnails', Yep, he can SANG. But he was mainly known for his role as Bentley on The Jeffersons, which ran on CBS from 1975 to 1985. The actor, who was 57 at the time of his passing, was famous for playing the role of Lionel Jefferson first in "All in the Family," and later in "The Jeffersons.". I had a really bad attitude.. TWENTYNINE PALMS, California Actor Mike Evans, best known as Lionel Jefferson in the TV sitcoms "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons," has died. Evan's character, Lionel, was one of the first characters that showcased an opinionated black young man, and even though he had to deal with his neighbor Archie's constant ignorant and racist comments, Lionel usually played along, remaining unfazed about the demonstrations of bigotry displayed by Archie. Posted On : May 14, 2015. Through that experience, Carlene understood that her father had finally accepted her, which drove her to forgive him. Evans died of throat cancer December 14 at his mother's home in Twentynine Palms, said his niece, Chrystal Evans. The late star was born in Salisbury, North Carolina in 1949, son to father Theodore Evans Sr., who made a living as a dentist, and to mother Annie Sue Evans, who . Mike EvansAll in the Family Damon Evans: Not really. Damon sure had all of us fooled. window._taboola = window._taboola || []; He was 57. Mike Evans left The Jeffersons after its first season in order to devote more time to writing for Maude spin-off Good Times, which he had helped create. #inline-recirc-item--id-9e2ec6fa-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d ~ .item:nth-child(5) { Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories. Mike Evans as Lionel in Season 1 of "The Jeffersons". We believe that every person's story is important as it provides our community with an opportunity to feel a sense of belonging, share their hopes and dreams. She has been married to Tom Willis, a white man, for 34 years. He was also a guest celebrity panelist on the TV game show Match Game. His new drug-heavy life would lead Damon to almost ending his life sometime in 1997. target_type: 'mix' is for general information purposes only. We collect and tell stories of people from all around the world. Both Weezy and George were cast later. Mike Evans and other cast members of "All In the Family" in August 1975 | Photo: Wikimedia Commons. Isabel Sanford, who played Louise Weezy Jefferson on The Jeffersons for a decade, died Friday of natural causes at Los Angeles Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, her publicist told the Associated Press. He explained during an interview with News & Notes that his foray into academics, though unplanned, was life-changing. Unfortunately, that didn't make their relationship any better. Damon let the cat of the bag when he publicly revealed that he hated playing Lionel on The Jeffersons and deeply regrets doing the show. That was not the case. For the second time in recent months, Sony has screwed up on the episode guide and listed episodes as being on the wrong disc. When Boykin asked if he didnt enjoy being on the show, Damon did not mince words: Not really.