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. 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. He also portrayed the young Alex Haley (ages 17-25) in the ABC television miniseries Roots: The Next Generations.. 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. Maestro cue the outro music! .component--type-recirculation .item:nth-child(5) { That was not the case. Lionel was born in New York City on October 18, 1953. Michael Jonas Evans was born November 3, 1949, in Salisbury, North Carolina. He attended Palmer Memorial Institute, a private school for young black Americans in Sedalia, North Carolina. He is the son of George and Louise Jefferson. Can i add someone to my wells fargo account online? In 1975, a spin-off of the series titled "The Jeffersons" was created, and Mike kept on portraying Lionel. 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. 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. Check out an interview that Damon did with blogger, Keith Boykin: Interviewer: How did the experience on [The Jeffersons] affect your life? Born in Baltimore, he graduated from the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, USA on a Reader's Digest Scholarship. It would be almost a decade before they were free to leave that venue. Before undertaking any course of treatment please consult with your healthcare provider. Damon Evans and Berlinda Tolbert ( who played Lionels wife Jenny) on TV's The Jeffersons. | Photo: Wikimedia Commons. | The Norman Lear Effecthttps://bit.ly/NormanLearEffect Posted On : May 14, 2015. "Good Times". Under the influence, the actor walked to the George Washington Bridge, intending to jump into the Hudson River. Four years after her death, Evans died of throat cancer at his mother's home in Twentynine Palms, California, at the age of 57.[5]. In recent years he had invested in real estate in Southern California. Damon Evans (no relation to Mike) played the role from the fall of 1975 until early 1978. [3] Actor and opera singer Damon Evans (no relation to Michael) then took the role of Lionel, but Mike Evans returned in the role for the sixth through eighth seasons. 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. Did you? 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. 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. 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. #TheJeffersons #LionelJefferson #BreakupThe Jeffersons | Lionel and Jenny Are Splitting Up! Publicity photo of Mike Evans during his time on "All in the Family" circa 1971 | Photo: Getty Images. On the first two seasons of All in the Family, Lionel has an uncle named Henry. She was sometimes credited as Ebony Smith. Evans died of throat cancer Dec. 14 at his mother's home in . I started loving it, I mean, started knowing that I could even write. 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. "The Jeffersons" cast His Addictions & Suicide Attempt. Actor Mike Evans, who played Lionel Jefferson in the television comedy series All in the Family and The Jeffersons, has died. Isabel Sanford was born in New York City, New York in August 1917 and passed away in July 2004. 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. The next day, Damon began taking steps to make his life better. 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. Unfortunately, that didn't make their relationship any better. / AP. We wish that brotha the best though. 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Damon sure had all of us fooled. 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.". Jane Fonda announces her cancer is in remission 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. #inline-recirc-item--id-9e2ec6fa-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d, #right-rail-recirc-item--id-9e2ec6fa-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d { Damon Evans: Not really. She was 86. 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. 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. AmoMama creates engaging, meaningful content for women. 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." No! Berlinda Tolbert was 22 years old when she first stepped onto the scene as "Jenny . '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. 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. I uprooted myself from a role as a classical music student and was thrust in the publics eye overnight. The Jeffersons was easily one of the top shows at the time, and anyone might have imagined Damon would be overjoyed for the opportunity. 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. To get her attention, he called her Weezy, and it stuck. 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. All in the Family's CBS spinoff series, The Jeffersons premiered in 1975. Evans kept the role of Lionel when "The Jeffersons" launched in 1975. George (front) with wife Louise and son Lionel. On the show, Bentleys disappearance is explained away like this: Bentley works as a Russian interpreter for the United Nations. I just sort of just said well, let me just see where this goes. It happened after a stinging loss to LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, in which Portland coughed up a 25-point lead. 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. But they're far from happy; in fact, they're so happy they've agreed to a separation. It was later revealed that he was actually "Henry Jefferson," "George's" brother. [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. Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter. But he was mainly known for his role as Bentley on The Jeffersons, which ran on CBS from 1975 to 1985. Turns out, he has some very interesting and deep reasons for this. It's really been pretty phenomenal., Although Damon has been out of the spotlight for a long time, the actor/opera singer is remembered for his works in productions like Operas Porgy And Bess, Broadways Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope, and Jesus Christ Superstar, and as a young Alex Haley in the ABC TV miniseries Roots: The Next Generations.. Lets just say this, Ive taken detours but I always come back home. This resulted in grueling struggle of unemployment, with very few acting gigs in between. 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. Relation to Mike ) played the role from the fall of 1975 until early 1978 3, 1949 in. Wells fargo account online the Jeffersons, which ran on CBS from 1975 to 1985, they far! 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