Evans was born in Salisbury, North Carolina. Damon let the cat of the bag when he publicly revealed that he hated playing Lionel on The Jeffersons and deeply regrets doing the show. 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. I had a really bad attitude.. ", Mike Evans' daughter Carlena Harris | Photo: YouTube/Carlena Harris. The Jeffersons Wiki is a FANDOM TV Community. Check out an interview that Damon did with blogger, Keith Boykin: Interviewer: How did the experience on [The Jeffersons] affect your life? Damon Evans (no relation to Mike) played the role from the fall of 1975 until early 1978. Lionel is introduced in the first episode (and, in fact, appears on screen before Archie Bunker does). Sanford died Friday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she had been hospitalized since July 4, said Brad Lemack. Getting high was all that matteredI didnt have any pride, Evans admitted. After the game, New York Times columnist Kurt Streeter asked Lillard how . TWENTYNINE PALMS, California Actor Mike Evans, best known as Lionel Jefferson in the TV sitcoms All in the Family and The Jeffersons, has died. However, that said, the first year on the show was quite a heady experience. Damon was only 25 in 1975 when he was tapped to replace Mike Evans (no relation) as Lionel Jefferson in the primetime TV show. Lionel tells Archie off, but also lets him know that they can remain friends. We wish that brotha the best though. Evans, along with Eric Monte, also created and wrote for "Good Times," one of the first TV comedy series that featured a primarily black cast. Lionel Gets the Business: Directed by Bob Lally. Are any of the original little rascals cast still alive? When Lionel Jefferson actor Mike Evans left The Jeffersons shortly after the All in the Family spin-off debuted on CBS in 1975, it was . But his big break was his Jeffersons character of Tom Willis, a great foil to George. 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. Damon: No, they do know Im gay but they wont accept it. Mike Evans returned to the series in September 1979 and appeared regularly as Lionel for two more seasons. And most of all, you dont have yourself when you get there. Losing my anonymity at such a young age was devastating to me. To get her attention, he called her Weezy, and it stuck. I guess you can say that we all learn something new everyday, dont we? I uprooted myself from a role as a classical music student and was thrust in the publics eye overnight. He explained during an interview with News & Notes that his foray into academics, though unplanned, was life-changing. Show developer Norman Lear preferred Cleavon Little for the role, but Rich lobbied to cast an actor who would appear less threatening. I guess you can say that we all learn something new everyday, dont we? While the actor was away from the Jeffersons, Damon Evans, who starred in the musical "Jesus Christ Superstar" and Broadway's "Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope," replaced him between the second and fourth seasons. Through that experience, Carlene understood that her father had finally accepted her, which drove her to forgive him. 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Ed Sheeran reveals wife was diagnosed with tumor while pregnant He was 57. A total of 253 episodes aired on CBS over 11 seasons, from January 18, 1975, through July 2, 1985. ", In recent years he had invested in real estate in Southern California. placement: 'Right Rail Thumbnails', } _taboola.push({ 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. When Lionel's father finally shows up, someone apparently has to leave to make room. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Lionel Jefferson, who appeared in seasons 1-5 of All In The Family is the son of George and Louise Jefferson, On the AITF series, the part was played by Mike Evans, who would go on to co-create another Norman Lear produced sitcom, Good Times in 1975, the same season his character Lionel, George and Louise were spun off themselves into a series, titled The Jeffersons. 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. Damon Evans played Lionel from seasons 2-4, before being replaced by Mike Evans, who left the series to co-produce and develop another Norman Lear series. High on crack cocaine and crystal methamphetamine, he walked from his upper Manhattan apartment to the George Washington Bridge and contemplated leaping into the Hudson River 250 feet below. 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. 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. Before undertaking any course of treatment please consult with your healthcare provider. What happened to the first Lionel on Jeffersons? does not take responsibility for any action taken as a result of reading this article. Yep, he can SANG. "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 { And things start evolving and I started tutoring. The information in this article is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. 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. The Hines band debuted there on December 28, 1928. Actor Mike Evans, best known as Lionel Jefferson in the TV sitcoms "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons," has died. 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. Evans was a creator/writer of the series Good Times (197479). Damon let the cat of the bag when he publicly revealed that he hated playing "Lionel" on The Jeffersons and deeply regrets doing the show. Actor Mike Evans, best known as Lionel Jefferson in the TV sitcoms "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons," has died. His character is significant for being one of the first TV portrayals of a young, opinionated black man. Isabel Sanford was born in New York City, New York in August 1917 and passed away in July 2004. 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, the actor confessed during an interview with Keith Boykin, per ILOSM. Although he was supposed to play a more significant role with more screen time, he left after the first season. 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. 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?. 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 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. His last role was in a 2000 episode of Walker, Texas Ranger.. No! During a guest appearance on "The Charay Vaughn Show," Harris opened up about the cruel way he used to treat her when she was only a child, revealing that he was never involved in her life. All content, including text, and images contained on news.AmoMama.com, or available through news.AmoMama.com is for general information purposes only. 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. (FYI: He is not related to Mike Evans, who played the first Lionel on the show). Dont forsake values. Roker died Saturday in Los Angeles, her publicist, Cynthia Snyder, said this week. That was not the case. He has appeared in all 253 episodes of The Jeffersons . Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. 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. Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter. 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. The cause was throat cancer, said a niece, Chrystal Evans. In 2007 (at age 56) he earned his Bachelors Degree in Psychology from Bronx College in New York. Trending News He studied acting at Los Angeles City College before getting the role of Lionel Jefferson in the 1970s situation comedy "All in the Family.". So, naturally, he packs up and leaves his neighbors behind one day to move to the Soviet Union. 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. Damon Evans took over the role and he stayed for two years in seasons three and fourthis was the dark period. 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.. Are any of the cast of my three sons still alive? Evans is also a successful stage performer, and is currently attending . There was such a marked difference in our interpretations of the role. In recent years he had invested in real estate in Southern California. He was 57. Thinking that this is the beginning of the \"easy life,\" George is ill-prepared for the unexpected pitfalls his new address will bring him. But he was mainly known for his role as Bentley on The Jeffersons, which ran on CBS from 1975 to 1985. Actor Mike Evans, best known as Lionel Jefferson in the TV comedy series "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons," has died. Series overview [ edit] Episodes [ edit] Season 1 (1975) [ edit] Season 2 (1975-76) [ edit] Season 3 (1976-77) [ edit] Season 4 (1977-78) [ edit] Season 5 (1978-79) [ edit] Lionel is generally amused, rather than angered or irritated, by Archie's frequent displays of ignorance and bigotry, often seeing Archie's comments as well-meaning, albeit ignorant, rather than outright malicious. AmoMama creates engaging, meaningful content for women. 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. Evans died of throat cancer. mode: 'thumbnails-rr1', Maestro cue the outro music! Of those in the Bunker household, Lionel is closest to Archie's son-in-law Michael Stivic. . 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. On the first two seasons of All in the Family, Lionel has an uncle named Henry. She has a career that has included television, movies and live performances. To this very day, I dont think they have a clue as to who I really am, and thats there loss. 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