what happened to the first lionel on the jeffersons

His father, Theodore Evans Sr., was a dentist, and his mother, Annie Sue Evans, a teacher. Lionel tells Archie off, but also lets him know that they can remain friends. Via People: A depressed and unemployed Evans came close to ending his own life. They eventually marry and gave birth to a daughter, Jessica. For his part, Lionel remains unfazed by Archie's racism and unrelenting condescension. He was 57. Evans was a creator/writer of the series Good Times (197479). *Singing* Well were moving on up! 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. Franklin Cover first began acting in 1960 and was on The Jackie Gleason Showa couple of times in 1967 as a police officer. Mike Evans left The Jeffersons after its first season in order to devote more time to writing for Maude spinoff Good Times, which he had helped create. Damon Evans (no relation to Mike) played the role from the fall of 1975 until early 1978. 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. Mike Evans and other cast members of "All In the Family" in August 1975 | Photo: Wikimedia Commons. "Good Times". Trending News Gibbs was born Margaret Theresa Bradley on June 14, 1931, in Chicago, Illinois. The nickname came about when Hemsley was still a teenager back in Philadelphia. Damon Evans was a cast member on the CBS hit 70s sitcom The Jeffersons, but while everyone must have thought he had the best life, Evans was battling personal demons that would lead him down a drug-fueled path and near-suicide. 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 Hollywood Reporter is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Publicity photo of Mike Evans during his time on "The Jeffersons" circa 1975 | Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain. 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. 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. At which location is the altitude of polaris approximately 42? 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. I uprooted myself from a role as a classical music student and was thrust in the publics eye overnight. Damon: No, they do know Im gay but they wont accept it. Sometimes, that is still not enough for some people to differentiate us apart. 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. Evans kept the role of Lionel when "The Jeffersons" launched in 1975. Turns out, he has some very interesting and deep reasons for this. Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day. Damon sure had all of us fooled. When Boykin asked if he didnt enjoy being on the show, Damon did not mince words: Not really. When Lionel gets laid off from his job, George hires him to work in his office. Actor Mike Evans, who played Lionel Jefferson in the television comedy series All in the Family and The Jeffersons, has died. Lionel was born in New York City on October 18, 1953. This resulted in grueling struggle of unemployment, with very few acting gigs in between. 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. He has appeared in all 253 episodes of The Jeffersons . She was 86. For the second time in recent months, Sony has screwed up on the episode guide and listed episodes as being on the wrong disc. *Singing*. And you know but gradually it happened, and of course, theres this whole new world in life. TWENTYNINE PALMS, California Actor Mike Evans, best known as Lionel Jefferson in the TV sitcoms "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons," has died. In recent years he had invested in real estate in Southern California. Id be late a lot. 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(FYI: He is not related to Mike Evans, who played the first Lionel on the show). 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. All Rights Reserved. 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. #inline-recirc-item--id-9e2ec6fa-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d ~ .item:nth-child(5) { 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. He was 57. Tom Sizemore's family told there's "no further hope" after aneurysm 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?. [citation needed] Evans's body was cremated. 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. }, First published on December 22, 2006 / 9:42 AM. Damon Evans (no relation to Mike) played the role from the fall of 1975 until early 1978. display: none; 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). 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. He was originally portrayed by D'Urville Martin for two unaired pilots, before the role was recast with Mike Evans. 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. They married on January 10, 1976. 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. Through that experience, Carlene understood that her father had finally accepted her, which drove her to forgive him. Evans is also a successful stage performer, and is currently attending . Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories. He was also a guest celebrity panelist on the TV game show Match Game. Before undertaking any course of treatment please consult with your healthcare provider. In 1978, Damon quit The Jeffersons to pursue his opera career, reports PEOPLE. The actor who gave life to Lionel Jefferson for more than a decade lost his life after a long battle with cancer. Damon Evans (no relation to Mike) played the role from the fall of 1975 until early 1978. 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. Found Her! 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. What happened to the first Lionel on Jeffersons? Evans kept the role of Lionel when The Jeffersons launched in 1975. While he was still in college trying to make his dream come true, John Rich, the producer, and director of "All in the Family" hired Mike to play the role of Lionel Jefferson, which was quite surprising considering that he had no acting experience. I thought, I cant go on like this anymore, Evans recalls. He opened up about his drug addiction to a therapist and reportedly joined Narcotics Anonymous. As we previously reported, Damon Evans absolutely hated being a part of The Jeffersons and had several problems going on behind the scenes and internally (you can read about that HERE). Lionel Gets the Business: Directed by Bob Lally. 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. Evans, along with Eric Monte, also created and wrote for Good Times, one of the first TV sitcoms that featured a primarily black cast. Wow! 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. news.AmoMama.com does not take responsibility for any action taken as a result of reading this article. 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. 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