Lionel Jefferson is a supporting character from the hit sitcoms All in the Family and The Jeffersons. what happened to the first lionel on the jeffersons Not wanting to settle, he remained jobless for many years and eventually turned to drugs to deal with his frustration. 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No! 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 worked as a school teacher. } Tom Sizemore's family told there's "no further hope" after aneurysm container: 'taboola-right-rail-thumbnails', That was not the case. 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). I uprooted myself from a role as a classical music student and was thrust in the publics eye overnight. 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. Evans died of throat cancer Dec. 14 at his mother's home in . The actor who gave life to Lionel Jefferson for more than a decade lost his life after a long battle with cancer. 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. 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!" He was also a guest celebrity panelist on the TV game show Match Game . 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. (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?! Franklin Cover first began acting in 1960 and was on The Jackie Gleason Showa couple of times in 1967 as a police officer. He was not a crucial part of the show by any means, but he was still considered to be an important member of the cast. Through that experience, Carlene understood that her father had finally accepted her, which drove her to forgive him. Turns out, he has some very interesting and deep reasons for this. His character is significant for being one of the first TV portrayals of a young, opinionated black man. So in 1978, he left the show and decided to pursue other acting roles, as well as his first passion of singing in the opera. And most of all, you dont have yourself when you get there. Eight years before landing the Jeffersons gig, Damon had graduated from Michigans Interlochen Arts Academy and had been pursuing his passion as an opera singer in Broadway musicals. He was originally portrayed by D'Urville Martin for two unaired pilots, before the role was recast with Evans . Born in Baltimore, he graduated from the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, USA on a Reader's Digest Scholarship. 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. Show developer Norman Lear preferred Cleavon Little for the role, but Rich lobbied to cast an actor who would appear less threatening. Damon Evans: Dont forsake their values to their ultimate goal. Start Today. We humbly honor the old school soul music era and will keep pushing forward to keep it alive. 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. In 2007 (at age 56) he earned his Bachelors Degree in Psychology from Bronx College in New York. Not only that, but she believes that she felt his spirit asking her to save his house, which was bound to be foreclosed. Damon Evans (born November 24, 1949) is an American actor, best known as the second of two actors who portrayed Lionel Jefferson on the The Jeffersons. Can i add someone to my wells fargo account online? Sometimes, that is still not enough for some people to differentiate us apart. Id be late a lot. Damon Evans and Berlinda Tolbert ( who played Lionels wife Jenny) on TV's The Jeffersons. | Photo: Wikimedia Commons. I guess you can say that we all learn something new everyday, dont we? mode: 'thumbnails-rr1', Getting high was all that mattered, Damon shared. Jane Fonda announces her cancer is in remission Mike Evans and other cast members of "All In the Family" in August 1975 | Photo: Wikimedia Commons. He was known for his roles as George Jefferson on the CBS television series All in the Family and The Jeffersons, Deacon Ernest Frye on the NBC series Amen, and B.P. Thankfully, Mike Evans decided to return midway during season four, so all was well again. 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. _taboola.push({ Found Her! Upon recovering she returned for a few episodes, noticeably thinner and frailer. ", 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. I started loving it, I mean, started knowing that I could even write. My family, on the other hand, couldnt have been happier. To the east si-i-ide!. It achieved the record of having topped the Nielsen ratings for five consecutive years. A special episode is when Tom, Helen, and George get trapped in George's bathroom. She was 86. Are any of the members of peter, paul and mary still alive? All content, including text, and images contained on. According to him, he wanted to educate America in the sense that Lionel was a black married man who was working on his masters and was ready to have a family, which was something America hadn't seen yet. He was survived by his two daughters (Carlena and Tammie), his mother (Annie Sue), a brother, a cousin, and a niece. Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories! Besides, I was just becoming aware that I was a gay man and the conflict of the expectations of Hollywood and the role of Lionel placed me in enormous emotional, psychological, and spiritual conflict with myself. Biography. Evans was replaced by Damon Evans (no relation) for four years, then he returned to the series from 1979 to 1981. Damon Evans took over the role and he stayed for two years in seasons three and fourthis was the dark period. Lionel is introduced in the first episode (and, in fact, appears on screen before Archie Bunker does). This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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. She has been married to Tom Willis, a white man, for 34 years. I just sort of just said well, let me just see where this goes. October 11, 2022September 27, 2022by John Groove 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. *Singing* Well were moving on up! Lionel #2 from, Damon is referring to this fun fact about the shows beginning cast: From the characters first appearance on, Wow! I heard Gladys Knight say this, that we all get lost in the maze of materialism, but theres a greater force if you believe in it, that brings us back home. What happened to Hines during that decade is the stuff legends are made of. [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. Ed Sheeran reveals wife was diagnosed with tumor while pregnant He was 57. 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. The Jeffersons was easily one of the top shows at the time, and anyone might have imagined Damon would be overjoyed for the opportunity. He has appeared in all 253 episodes of The Jeffersons . I started loving it, I mean, started knowing that I could even write. Because once you get there youll find out that there is no there there. I thought, I cant go on like this anymore, Evans recalls. "Good Times". 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 took small roles on series like "Rich Man, Poor Man and made guest appearances on the series Love, American Style and The Streets of San Francisco. His last role was in an episode of Walker, Texas Ranger in 2000. Damon Evans (no relation to Mike) played the role from the fall of 1975 until early 1978. iloveoldschoolmusic.com, 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. Lionel tells Archie off, but also lets him know that they can remain friends. }); Copyright 2015 . 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 was 57. 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. Lionel was born in New York City on October 18, 1953. What happened to the first Lionel on The Jeffersons show? 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. Talk about stress and adjustment issues. Evans was also a real estate investor and owned properties in California's Inland Empire.[5]. 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. The nickname came about when Hemsley was still a teenager back in Philadelphia. 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." Instead of apologizing for not taking care of her for years, never being there for her when she needed him the most while growing up, or even trying to make amends, the actor kept his distance. There was such a marked difference in our interpretations of the role. (FYI: He is not related to Mike Evans, who played the first Lionel on the show). The show touched on issues that were taboo on TV at the time such as homosexuality, abortion, racism, rape, religion and more. Father and daughter stopped talking for good when she was 21 years old, and he kept on denying that he was Harris' biological father, claiming that his brother a man that nobody ever knew was her real dad. Michael Jonas Evans was born Nov. 3, 1949, in Salisbury, N.C. His father, Theodore Evans Sr., was a dentist while his mother, Annie Sue Evans, was a school teacher. Mike Evans eventually returned to the role in 1979, appearing in several episodes before the end of the series in 1985. His character is significant for being one of the first TV portrayals of a young, opinionated black man. The next day, Damon began taking steps to make his life better. Early life [ edit] Evans was born in Salisbury, North Carolina. Damon revealed that his sexual preference became an issue for him on The Jeffersons as well. Mike Evans was known for being a bright and funny individual. But they're far from happy; in fact, they're so happy they've agreed to a separation. I was afraid of change.. 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". And things start evolving and I started tutoring. Unfortunately, in the years that followed, Damon soon realized Hollywood had mostly typecast him as the comedic character, Lionel. However, he wanted to prove his diversity. Ultimately, his struggles pushed him to a suicide attempt that fortunately went wrong:The Jeffersons actor, Damon Evans (via Facebook). #inline-recirc-item--id-9e2ec6fa-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d, #right-rail-recirc-item--id-9e2ec6fa-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d { 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. Get to Know 'The Girl from Plainville' Star's Girlfriend of 7 Years, Roseanne Barr Blamed Sara Gilbert for Destroying Her Her Family-Oriented Life After the Scandal, James Drury Died Months after Wife of 40 Years He Had Several Heartbreaks before His 'Wonderful Marriage'. Are any of the cast of my three sons still alive? The family moved to Los Angeles when Evans was a child. Lear improvised and hired Mel Stewart as a sort of placeholder. In the sitcoms storyline, Stewart posed as George Jefferson when he joined Georges wife, Louise (played by Isabel Sanford), for dinner at the Bunker home. 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