Actor Mike Evans, best known as Lionel Jefferson in the TV sitcoms "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons," has died. Evans was replaced by Damon Evans (no relation) for four years, then he returned to the series from 1979 to 1981. The actor who gave life to Lionel Jefferson for more than a decade lost his life after a long battle with cancer. The Jeffersons Wiki is a FANDOM TV Community. mode: 'thumbnails-rr1', 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. 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. Work would take him to London, where he gained quite the reputation for his brilliance onstage. Zara Cully, who played Mother Jefferson, had been absent from the first 17 episodes of Season Three due to a serious case of pneumonia caused by a collapsed lung. The hit show was a spinoff featuring bigoted Archie Bunkers black neighbors in Queens who move on up to the East Side of Manhattan. The Hollywood Reporter is a part of Penske Media Corporation. 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. Damon Evans (born November 24, 1949) is an American actor best known as the second of two actors who portrayed Lionel Jefferson on the CBS sitcom The Jeffersons. Damon sure had all of us fooled. KB: Wow. I was thinking, How am I going to kill myself when I dont even know myself? he says. He studied acting at Los Angeles City College before getting the role of Lionel Jefferson in the 1970s situation comedy "All in the Family.". Damon revealed that his sexual preference became an issue for him on The Jeffersons as well. Lionel was born in New York City on October 18, 1953. Gibbs was born Margaret Theresa Bradley on June 14, 1931, in Chicago, Illinois. Ed Sheeran reveals wife was diagnosed with tumor while pregnant Lionel is introduced in the first episode (and, in fact, appears on screen before Archie Bunker does). The family moved to Los Angeles when Evans was a child. He explained to NPR, why he decided to go to college at an older age: Damon Evans- I am useless when I am not active. "All in The Family" was one of the first television series of the '80s to present an all-black cast, and the premise of the series followed the life of an interracial couple. [2], Evans continued to play the role on the spinoff The Jeffersons, but left after the first season to pursue other aspects of his career. There I was a total unknown one day, and the next appearing on network television in one of the top 10 TV shows on the air. The hit show was a spinoff featuring bigoted Archie Bunker's black neighbors in Queens who "move on up to the East Side" of Manhattan. 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. Turns out, he has some very interesting and deep reasons for this. Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories. container: 'taboola-right-rail-thumbnails', Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day. George Jefferson is a fictional character played by Sherman Hemsley on the American television sitcoms All in the Family (1973-1975, 1978) and its spin-off The Jeffersons (1975-1985), in which he serves as the program's protagonist. Lionel is introduced in the first episode (and, in fact, appears on screen before Archie Bunker does). She was 66. Actor Mike Evans, who played Lionel Jefferson in the television comedy series All in the Family and The Jeffersons, has died. Jane Fonda announces her cancer is in remission And I think, for me, that was the hardest thing was that I was so afraid to give up my identity as a performer. He also acted in the 1976 TV miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man and made guest appearances on the TV series Love, American Style and The Streets of San Francisco. His last role was in a 2000 episode of Walker, Texas Ranger.. Damon Evans: Not really. I didnt have any pride.. Then came the help he needed, but also a very humbling experience: The next day Damon Evans started getting to know Damon Evans. Sherman Alexander Hemsley (February 1, 1938 July 24, 2012) was an American actor and musician. While Carlene suffered a lot at his hands, she eventually forgave him. We came to know him as the character, "Lionel," from "The Jeffersons" and it was he and his friend, Eric Monte's, creative genius that gave us their sitcom creation, "Good Times.". In 2007 (at age 56) he earned his Bachelors Degree in Psychology from Bronx College in New York. Also, Sherman Hemsley was not the original George Jefferson. On the first two seasons of All in the Family, Lionel has an uncle named Henry. *Singing*. Evans was a creator/writer of the series Good Times (197479). } There I was Lionel which was to them the epitome of what they wanted me to be, but Lionel was just a role I played as an actor. It achieved the record of having topped the Nielsen ratings for five consecutive years. 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. Actress Marla Gibbs, best known for her roles on shows like The Jeffersons and 227 is now 90 years of age and still going strong. Thankfully, Mike Evans decided to return midway during season four, so all was well again. It happened after a stinging loss to LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, in which Portland coughed up a 25-point lead. 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 support himself, he took a job in the mail room of Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, where he gamely replied Yes whenever coworkers asked, Werent you Lionel? Evans also joined a church and began taking singing lessons. Upon recovering she returned for a few episodes, noticeably thinner and frailer. display: none; Evans died of throat cancer Dec. 14 at his mother's home in Twentynine Palms, said his niece, Chrystal Evans. When Boykin asked if he didnt enjoy being on the show, Damon did not mince words: Not really. To this very day, I dont think they have a clue as to who I really am, and thats there loss. One could say Mike was quite successful in the entertainment industry for a little more than a decade. Start Today. His new drug-heavy life would lead Damon to almost ending his life sometime in 1997. He has appeared in all 253 episodes of The Jeffersons . In 1978, Damon quit The Jeffersons to pursue his opera career, reports PEOPLE. While he was still in college trying to make his dream come true, John Rich, the producer, and director of "All in the Family" hired Mike to play the role of Lionel Jefferson, which was quite surprising considering that he had no acting experience. This resulted in grueling struggle of unemployment, with very few acting gigs in between. Evans died of throat cancer December 14 at his mothers home in Twentynine Palms, said his niece, Chrystal Evans. They eventually marry and gave birth to a daughter, Jessica. Gibbs, who played the Jeffersons housekeeper Florence, is still alive today. Actor Mike Evans, best known as Lionel Jefferson in the TV sitcoms "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons," has died. Series overview [ edit] Episodes [ edit] Season 1 (1975) [ edit] Season 2 (1975-76) [ edit] Season 3 (1976-77) [ edit] Season 4 (1977-78) [ edit] Season 5 (1978-79) [ edit] The cause was throat cancer, said a niece, Chrystal Evans. Show developer Norman Lear preferred Cleavon Little for the role, but Rich lobbied to cast an actor who would appear less threatening. We wish that brotha the best though. He admitted his drug addiction to his therapist and joined Narcotics Anonymous. He was 57. The information in this article is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories. Mike Evans left The Jeffersons after its first season in order to devote more time to writing for Maude spinoff Good Times, which he had helped create. His last role was in a 2000 episode of "Walker, Texas Ranger. The Grand Terrace was located at 317 East 35th Street, on the south side of Chicago. Id be late a lot. Posted On : May 14, 2015. He was 57. Actor Mike Evans, best known as Lionel Jefferson in the TV comedy series "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons," has died. 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. Talk about stress and adjustment issues. Damon: No, they do know Im gay but they wont accept it. Found Her! The question asked of me will always be Which Lionel are you, the first or the second? In retrospect, I think it was actually an impossible task to undertake because most people dont seem to remember that Michael Evans was the first Jefferson to appear on All in the Family. It was later revealed that he was actually Henry Jefferson, Georges brother. 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. Evans died of throat cancer Dec. 14 at his mother's home in . Today Damon Evans is 72 years young and has made great strides in his life. container: 'taboola-right-rail-thumbnails', Did you? 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.". He attended Palmer Memorial Institute, a private school for young black Americans in Sedalia, North Carolina. 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. AmoMama creates engaging, meaningful content for women. 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