I guess you can say that we all learn something new everyday, dont we? He has appeared in all 253 episodes of The Jeffersons . Paul Benedict (September 17, 1938 December 1, 2008) was an American actor who made numerous appearances in television and films, beginning in 1965. She was 66. On the PBS childrens show Sesame Street, Benedict was the Mad Painter who painted numbers everywhere. Mike Evans was known for being a bright and funny individual. 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. In 1975, a spin-off of the series titled "The Jeffersons" was created, and Mike kept on portraying Lionel. placement: 'Right Rail Thumbnails', Maddie Brown Shares Her Postpartum Journey Weeks after Giving Birth to Third Child, Jamie Lee Curtis Admits 'Saying Goodbye' to James Corden Was Harder than She Thought as His Show Ends, Man Finds Out His Fiance Is Pregnant, Forces Her to Choose between Abortion or Marriage, Charlie Sheen Could Not Understand the Chaos He Created in His Life Because of His Addictions, Widowed Mom Learns Her Son Escapes Home Every Night, He Returns One Day with Bag Full of Cash Story of the Day, 'Family Affair's' Johnny Whitaker's Family Threatened to 'Divorce' Him after He Became Penniless, The information in this article is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content, including text, and images contained on. Damon: No, they do know Im gay but they wont accept it. Sometimes I wouldnt show up at all, he recalled. 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 . *Singing* Well were moving on up! Evans died of throat cancer. Mike drew his last breath at his home his mothers home in Twentynine Palms in 2006, as announced by his niece, Chrystal Evans, following a battle with throat cancer. The hit show was a spinoff featuring bigoted Archie Bunkers black neighbors in Queens who move on up to the East Side of Manhattan. Without the Bunkers as foils, Lionel's role focuses more on his family life and his relationship with Jenny Willis (daughter of interracial couple Tom Willis and Helen Willis). The actor who gave life to Lionel Jefferson for more than a decade lost his life after a long battle with cancer. And I think, for me, that was the hardest thing was that I was so afraid to give up my identity as a performer. placement: 'Right Rail Thumbnails', Actor Mike Evans. "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. Show developer Norman Lear preferred Cleavon Little for the role, but Rich lobbied to cast an actor who would appear less threatening. A few of us were at the ILOSM office today, having one of our brainstorm idea sessions, and someone randomly blurted out the name Damon Evans a.k.a. Mike Evans and other cast members of "All In the Family" in August 1975 | Photo: Wikimedia Commons. Evans played Lenny in the cast of the 197677 Danny Thomas situation comedy The Practice during its second and final season. She was 86. Little did fans know back then though, Damon was unhappy and would soon be headed down a years long battle with himself and drug addiction. Evans is also a successful stage performer, and is currently attending . Kiss announce farewell tour set to conclude in NYC 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. In 1979, Mike came back for one more season, but eventually left again, forcing the creators to write Lionel and his wife Jenny (played by actress Berlinda Tolbert) out of the script, claiming that they faced marital problems. 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. His new drug-heavy life would lead Damon to almost ending his life sometime in 1997. 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. I started loving it, I mean, started knowing that I could even write. Now 90, and with dozens of film and TV appearances under her belt, Gibbs is still working since 2021, shes been a regular on Days of Our Lives. It really was the verbal autobiography that brought this attention to the fact of what Ive done and I and for I talked to the students about what it meant about learning to let go of family, about, you know, following your own course in life, and about confronting the fear of change. He reportedly had a huge crush on a girl who was older than him. Michael Jonas Evans was born November 3, 1949, in Salisbury, North Carolina. 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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. The Hines band debuted there on December 28, 1928. We wish that brotha the best though. To this very day, I dont think they have a clue as to who I really am, and thats there loss. Evans attended the Interlochen Academy on a Reader's Digest Scholarship. Lionel Jefferson is a supporting character from the hit sitcoms All in the Family and The Jeffersons. target_type: 'mix' George, opposed to miscegenation, calls Helen and Tom "zebras" or "chocolate and . On the first two seasons of All in the Family, Lionel has an uncle named Henry. Franklin Cover, Paul Benedict, Sherman Hemsley, Marla Gibbs, Ned Wertimer, Berlinda Tolbert, Roxie Roker, Isabel Sanford, and Mike Evans from "The Jeffersons" in 1975 in Los Angeles, California | Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images. Damon Evans (no relation to Mike) played the role from the fall of 1975 until early 1978. I uprooted myself from a role as a classical music student and was thrust in the publics eye overnight. 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!" 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. There was such a marked difference in our interpretations of the role. Not wanting to settle, he remained jobless for many years and eventually turned to drugs to deal with his frustration. On All in the Family, Lionel was portrayed by Mike Evans from 1971 to 1975. Under the influence, the actor walked to the George Washington Bridge, intending to jump into the Hudson River. *Singing*. He was 57. With Isabel Sanford, Sherman Hemsley, Roxie Roker, Franklin Cover. Lets just say this, Ive taken detours but I always come back home. When Lionel's father finally shows up, someone apparently has to leave to make room. Although he was born in North Carolina, Mike eventually moved with his family to Los Angeles, California, where he decided that he wanted to try his luck in show business, having studied acting at Los Angeles City College. Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories. TWENTYNINE PALMS, California Actor Mike Evans, best known as Lionel Jefferson in the TV sitcoms "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons," has died. The show touched on issues that were taboo on TV at the time such as homosexuality, abortion, racism, rape, religion and more. 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). What happened to the first Lionel on The Jeffersons show? Not only that, but she believes that she felt his spirit asking her to save his house, which was bound to be foreclosed. Dont forsake values. container: 'taboola-right-rail-thumbnails', In the sitcom's storyline, Stewart posed as "George Jefferson" when he joined "George's" wife, "Louise" (played by Isabel Sanford), for dinner at the 'Bunker' home. However, that said, the first year on the show was quite a heady experience. ", Mike Evans' daughter Carlena Harris | Photo: YouTube/Carlena Harris. In one of the early episodes, the Jeffersons move into a house down the block from the Bunkers (later, the house is said to be next door). I was thinking, How am I going to kill myself when I dont even know myself? he says. news.AmoMama.com does not take responsibility for any action taken as a result of reading this article. ! After the original Lionel Jefferson actor, Mike Evans (no relation to Damon), left the show, Damon replaced him in 1975. Mike EvansAll in the Family Biography. } 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. Turns out, he has some very interesting and deep reasons for this. We humbly honor the old school soul music era and will keep pushing forward to keep it alive. I didnt have any pride.. (FYI: He is not related to Mike Evans, who played the first Lionel on the show). He admitted his drug addiction to his therapist and joined Narcotics Anonymous. But while we were getting to know Mike Evans, the actor, his daughter, Carlena Harris, was apparently getting to know him as her dad, whom she says . Evans died of throat cancer Dec. 14 at his mother's home in Twentynine Palms, said his niece, Chrystal Evans. Unfortunately, when Damon's 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 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. 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). 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. 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. KB: Wow. No! Damon Evans (no relation to Mike) played the role from the fall of 1975 until early 1978. And you know but gradually it happened, and of course, theres this whole new world in life. 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. For the second time in recent months, Sony has screwed up on the episode guide and listed episodes as being on the wrong disc. 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. He was 57. What happened to the first Lionel on Jeffersons? He attended Palmer Memorial Institute, a private school for young black Americans in Sedalia, North Carolina. I guess you can say that we all learn something new everyday, dont we? On All in the Family, Lionel was portrayed by Mike Evans from 1971 to 1975. Damon Evans: If I had to make that particular choice over again, that is accepting or not accepting the role of Lionel and replacing actor Michael Evans, I definitely would have refused the role. I thought, I cant go on like this anymore, Damon recalled, but then another thought crept in that stopped him from ending his life: I was thinking, How am I going to kill myself when I dont even know myself?. Talk about stress and adjustment issues., In a 2001 PEOPLE interview, the actor further revealed that his dissatisfaction caused him to act out. Evans died of throat cancer Dec. 14 at his mother's home in . Lionel Gets the Business: Directed by Bob Lally. 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. His father, Theodore Evans Sr., was a dentist while his mother, Annie Sue Evans, was a school teacher. We collect and tell stories of people from all around the world. 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. Evans kept the role of Lionel when "The Jeffersons" launched in 1975. And to be quite honest, I didnt have a direction when I went there. Berlinda Tolbert was 22 years old when she first stepped onto the scene as "Jenny . 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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.". TWENTYNINE PALMS, California Actor Mike Evans, best known as Lionel Jefferson in the TV sitcoms "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons," has died. He studied acting at Los Angeles City College before getting the role of Lionel Jefferson in the 1970s situation comedy "All in the Family.". Today Damon Evans is 72 years young and has made great strides in his life. On the show, Bentleys disappearance is explained away like this: Bentley works as a Russian interpreter for the United Nations. Its really been pretty phenomenal. #TheJeffersons #LionelJefferson #BreakupThe Jeffersons | Lionel and Jenny Are Splitting Up! Although popularly known as one of the actors who portrayed "Lionel Jefferson" on the long-running sitcom The Jeffersons (1975), Damon Evans is an accomplished singer and stage performer. He also portrayed the young Alex Haley (ages 17-25) in the ABC television miniseries Roots: The Next Generations.. She has been married to Tom Willis, a white man, for 34 years. or "Lawd almighty, what is we gonna do?"). Damon revealed that his sexual preference became an issue for him on . 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. He is the son of George and Louise Jefferson. 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He was also a guest celebrity panelist on the TV game show Match Game . Actor Mike Evans, best known as Lionel Jefferson in the TV comedy series "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons," has died. But his big break was his Jeffersons character of Tom Willis, a great foil to George. 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. Away from the world of entertainment, Damon bagged his Bachelors Degree in Psychology from Bronx Community College in 2007. At which location is the altitude of polaris approximately 42? window._taboola = window._taboola || []; Sometimes, that is still not enough for some people to differentiate us apart. 2006 / 9:42 am action taken as a classical music student and was thrust in the Family Lionel. An actor who would appear less threatening Family '' in August 1975 | Photo: YouTube/Carlena Harris portrayed Mike. 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