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. I had not even seen one episode of the show before I took over the part, and the producers discouraged me from ever watching any of the episodes in which Mike had appeared. The series lasted eight years and ran for eleven seasons, becoming the #1 comedy series in television with the highest rankings on its summer reruns. 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. No! We humbly honor the old school soul music era and will keep pushing forward to keep it alive. Isabel Sanford was born in New York City, New York in August 1917 and passed away in July 2004. Archie considers himself to be Lionel's good friend and even mentor. During the final season of The Jeffersons, Lionel and Jenny announce they are seeking a divorce (after living apart for several years while Lionel worked in Japan). | The Norman Lear Effecthttps://bit.ly/NormanLearEffect And things start evolving and I started tutoring. She was 66. Mike Evans eventually returned to the role in 1979, appearing in several episodes before the end of the series in 1985. Are any of the members of peter, paul and mary still alive? Lionel #2 from The Jeffersons. After the game, New York Times columnist Kurt Streeter asked Lillard how . 22 (AP) Mike Evans, an actor best known for playing Lionel Jefferson on the 1970s sitcom All in the Family and its popular spinoff The Jeffersons, died at his mothers home here on Dec. 14. Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories. On September 11, 2002, Helena Evans died of breast cancer after she was diagnosed in February 2001. He left in 1981 to pursue other projects but returned in 1983. Dont forsake values. As such, Lionel often enjoys patronizing Archie's attitudes by playing dumb in conversations and adopting a stereotypical speech pattern (saying things like "I'm gon' be a 'lectical engineer!" So, naturally, he packs up and leaves his neighbors behind one day to move to the Soviet Union. 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. He opened up about his drug addiction to a therapist and reportedly joined Narcotics Anonymous. According to her, she was raised by her mother and grandmother, and that, shockingly, Mike absolutely refused to believe that he was her biological father. Although he was supposed to play a more significant role with more screen time, he left after the first season. And to be quite honest, I didnt have a direction when I went there. (FYI: He is not related to Mike Evans, who played the first Lionel on the show). However, that said, the first year on the show was quite a heady experience. window._taboola = window._taboola || []; 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. 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 . It was later revealed that he was actually Henry Jefferson, Georges brother. We wish that brotha the best though. 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. Evans died of throat cancer Dec. 14 at his mother's home in . He was known for his roles as The Number Painter on the PBS childrens show Sesame Street and as the English neighbor Harry Bentley on the CBS sitcom The Jeffersons. He studied acting at Los Angeles City College before getting the role of Lionel Jefferson in 1970s situation comedy All in the Family.. Damon Evans (no relation to Mike) played the role from the fall of 1975 until early 1978. The Jeffersons (Isabel Sanford and Sherman Hemsley) get the news that Lionel and Jenny (Mike Evans and Berlinda Tolbert) are separating, so they team up with the Willises (Franklin Cover and Roxie Roker) to try and get the couple back together.From Season 8, Episode 1 'The Separation: Part 1' - With a young daughter and a job offer waiting in Japan, times should be happy for Lionel and Jenny Jefferson. For his part, Lionel remains unfazed by Archie's racism and unrelenting condescension. We humbly honor the old school soul music era and will keep pushing forward to keep it alive. No! Harris said: "I just had to live with the fact that I didn't have an earthly father who wanted me, but the thing with that is it certainly caused me to be closer to my heavenly father and got me to a point where I was content. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. What happened to the first Lionel on Jeffersons? Mike Evans and other cast members of "The Jeffersons" circa 1974 | Photo: Wikimedia Commons. To be quite honest, I didn't have a direction when I went there. The next day, Damon began taking steps to make his life better. } window._taboola = window._taboola || []; On what advice he would tell others who want to follow in his footsteps and pursue an acting career. The information in this article is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. I just sort of just said well, let me just see where this goes. The nickname came about when Hemsley was still a teenager back in Philadelphia. (L) Damon Evans, the actor who played Lionel Jefferson on The Jeffersons sitcom; (inset photo) The Jeffersons stars, Isabel Sanford (Weezy Jefferson) and Sherman Hemsley (George Jefferson) When most of us first saw actor, Damon Evans, pop up on The Jeffersons as Weezys and Georges son, we were like, Who dat?! Even though most people believed Mike would grow up to become one of the most famous faces in Hollywood, the truth is that those two episodes were the last time he was seen in front of the cameras. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 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. On All in the Family, Lionel was portrayed by Mike Evans from 1971 to 1975. 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. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Lionel Gets the Business: Directed by Bob Lally. On the first two seasons of All in the Family, Lionel has an uncle named Henry. 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.". It achieved the record of having topped the Nielsen ratings for five consecutive years. I was thinking, How am I going to kill myself when I dont even know myself? he says. Publicity photo of Mike Evans during his time on "The Jeffersons" circa 1975 | Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain. Losing my anonymity at such a young age was devastating to me. Gibbs, who played the Jeffersons housekeeper Florence, is still alive today. That was not the case. Actor Mike Evans, best known as Lionel Jefferson in the TV sitcoms "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons," has died. Lionel tells Archie off, but also lets him know that they can remain friends. LOS ANGELES Actress Isabel Sanford, best known as Weezie, Louise Jefferson on the television sitcom The Jeffersons, died of natural causes, her publicist said Monday. Jane Fonda announces her cancer is in remission Unfortunately, when Damons work permit in the UK expired, and he returned to the United States, the actor discovered he had been typecast as a comedic character. 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. 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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. [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. When Lionel's father finally shows up, someone apparently has to leave to make room. On All in the Family, Lionel was portrayed by Mike Evans from 1971 to 1975. Lionel's patience runs out when Archie tells him not to see his niece socially because "white ought to stay with white and colored ought to stay with colored". Evans was born in Salisbury, North Carolina. Mike Evans returned to the series in September 1979 and appeared regularly as Lionel for two more seasons. Evans was also a real estate investor and owned properties in California's Inland Empire.[5]. 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." In the second half of Wednesday's Live in Front of a This is a list of episodes of the American situation comedy The Jeffersons. It sounds like you didnt enjoy doing the show. "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. This resulted in grueling struggle of unemployment, with very few acting gigs in between. Franklin Cover first began acting in 1960 and was on The Jackie Gleason Showa couple of times in 1967 as a police officer. Damon: No, they do know Im gay but they wont accept it. Upon recovering she returned for a few episodes, noticeably thinner and frailer. He was originally portrayed by D'Urville Martin for two unaired pilots, before the role was recast with Evans . 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] Start Today. Through that experience, Carlene understood that her father had finally accepted her, which drove her to forgive him. Of those in the Bunker household, Lionel is closest to Archie's son-in-law Michael Stivic. The actor who gave life to Lionel Jefferson for more than a decade lost his life after a long battle with cancer. But he was mainly known for his role as Bentley on The Jeffersons, which ran on CBS from 1975 to 1985. / AP. He was also a guest celebrity panelist on the TV game show Match Game. Not only that, but she believes that she felt his spirit asking her to save his house, which was bound to be foreclosed. Maestro cue the outro music! KB: Wow. It would be almost a decade before they were free to leave that venue. Sometimes, that is still not enough for some people to differentiate us apart. I guess you can say that we all learn something new everyday, dont we? 'Jeffersons' Actor Mike Evans Dies December 22, 2006 / 9:42 AM / AP Actor Mike Evans, best known as Lionel Jefferson in the TV comedy series "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons," has. For other people named Michael Evans, see, "Mike Evans, 57; Lionel in 'Jeffersons' created 'Good Times', E! When Lionel Jefferson actor Mike Evans left The Jeffersons shortly after the All in the Family spin-off debuted on CBS in 1975, it was . 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