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Post by Forum Administrator on Jul 24, 2012 16:41:09 GMT -5
Sherman Hemsley, star of the 1970s sitcom, The Jeffersons, passed away today at the age of 74.  |
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Post by daniela on Jul 24, 2012 17:37:52 GMT -5
R.I.P. Sherman Hemsley. He was a great actor.
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Post by goodnight on Jul 24, 2012 22:11:30 GMT -5
I would have thought him older than that. Was he only in his forties when he was on The Jeffersons?
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Post by ForeverWaltons on Jul 24, 2012 22:59:40 GMT -5
Sherman Hemsley was born 2/1/1938 and the Jeffersons went on air in 1975, so he was 37 years old at the time. Isabel Sanford who played his wife, Louise, was nearly 20 1/2 years older than him! She was born 8/29/1917 and died 7/9/2004.
Sherman who played George, Isabel (Louise), Roxie Roker (Helen Willis), Franklin Cover (Tom Willis) & Paul Benedict (Mr. Bentley) are all dead now.
Marla Gibbs who played their maid Florence is 81 & she is slated to appear at Kami's Walton Celebration in September.
As a side note: Esther Rolle (11/8/1920 - 11/17/1998) who played Florida Evans on "Good Times," was 19 years older than John Amos (12/27/1939) who played her husband James Evans, Sr.
Also on "I Love Lucy," William Frawley (Fred) (2/26/1887 - 3/3/1966), was 22 years older than Vivian Vance (Ethel) (7/26/1909 - 8/17/1979).
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Post by Marilyn on Jul 25, 2012 1:05:09 GMT -5
Isabel Sanford sure didn't look older than him!
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Post by Heather on Jul 25, 2012 13:10:04 GMT -5
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Post by goodnight on Jul 25, 2012 13:14:01 GMT -5
Didn't Sherman appear in a few episodes of All in the Family to establish their characters as The Jeffersons was a spinoff of All in the Family.
And a question about Marla Gibbs. She was in a series called 227, right?
Wasn't her characters husband played by the one that played Harley Foster on the Waltons?
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Post by ForeverWaltons on Jul 25, 2012 13:44:27 GMT -5
Actually All in the Family established a character named "Henry Jefferson" played by Mel Stewart. But when the Bunkers gave Henry a farewell party because he was leaving to open a cleaning store....Henry's brother George (played by Sherman Hemsley) shows up. And somehow from there "The Jeffersons" starred Sherman instead of Mel. Isabel Sanford played Louise Jefferson & Mike Evans played Lionel Jefferson on All in the Family & of course they then starred in the Jeffersons as those characters.
Yes, Hal Williams (Harley Foster from the Waltons) played Marla Gibbs husband on "227", which ran from 1985 to 1990.
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Post by grtgzu on Jul 25, 2012 14:23:03 GMT -5
What's really eerie is that me and my SO were JUST talking about him the day before he died....What a shock...
He was really funny on the "Amen" show too....
RIP George....
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Post by ForeverWaltons on Jul 25, 2012 14:56:46 GMT -5
grtgzu That's weird because I too was thinking about him the day before he died.
I am attending Kami's Walton event in California. Marla Gibbs is going to be there & I was thinking about asking Miss Gibbs if she knew how I could get in touch with him to get his autograph! How strange that we both thought of him the day before.
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Post by grtgzu on Jul 26, 2012 6:33:27 GMT -5
You too Foreverwaltons?? Let the eerie "twilight-zone-music" begin to play...  ....Guess the question for Ms. Gibbs is off the table now... 
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Post by wmfan/waltonsportwriter on Jul 26, 2012 18:50:48 GMT -5
Interesting facts and another celebrity actor lost to soon. RIP George Jefferson. Weezie and Archie Bunker are waiting for a shouting match in heaven lol. Best wishes waltonsportwriter ;D
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Post by Honeybee on Jul 27, 2012 22:30:49 GMT -5
RIP George
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....Guess the question for Ms. Gibbs is off the table now... 
