Mike Evans died in 2006 in his mothers house. To get her attention, he called her Weezy, and it stuck. On All in the Family, Lionel was portrayed by Mike Evans from 1971 to 1975. On the PBS childrens show Sesame Street, Benedict was the Mad Painter who painted numbers everywhere. I started loving it, I mean, started knowing that I could even write. 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. There I was Lionel which was to them the epitome of what they wanted me to be, but Lionel was just a role I played as an actor. The Hines band debuted there on December 28, 1928. I always tell people that I am the one without the fro and the one who married Jenny on TV. Who played the original Lionel Jefferson? Isabel Sanford net worth and salary: Isabel Sanford was an American actress and comedian who had a net worth of $3 million at the time of her death. 134K views 1 year ago #TheJeffersons #Breakup The Jeffersons (Isabel Sanford and Sherman Hemsley) get the news that Lionel and Jenny (Mike Evans and Berlinda Tolbert) are separating, so they. One could say Mike was quite successful in the entertainment industry for a little more than a decade. What happened to the first Lionel on The Jeffersons show? I started loving it, I mean, started knowing that I could even write. Lionel is introduced in the first episode (and, in fact, appears on screen before Archie Bunker does). Work would take him to London, where he gained quite the reputation for his brilliance onstage. Mike Evans was known for being a bright and funny individual. 22 (AP) Mike Evans, an actor best known for playing Lionel Jefferson on the 1970s sitcom All in the Family and its popular spinoff The Jeffersons, died at his mothers home here on Dec. 14. 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. 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. Michael Jonas Evans was born November 3, 1949, in Salisbury, North Carolina. In a prior People Magazine article, Damon explained how his lack of jobs, led to depression, then to years of drug addiction. Mike Evans and other cast members of "The Jeffersons" circa 1974 | Photo: Wikimedia Commons. She has a career that has included television, movies and live performances. He admitted his drug addiction to his therapist and joined Narcotics Anonymous. He was later played by Damon Evans, while Mike was working with Monte co-creator of Good Times writing scripts for the series. He was 57. 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?. It sounds like you didnt enjoy doing the show. That was not the case. mode: 'thumbnails-rr1', The nickname came about when Hemsley was still a teenager back in Philadelphia. Damon Evans (no relation to Mike) played the role from the fall of 1975 until early 1978. His last role was in a 2000 episode of "Walker, Texas Ranger. Damon Evans on never meeting the 1st Lionel.. 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. There was such a marked difference in our interpretations of the role. In 1975, a spin-off of the series titled "The Jeffersons" was created, and Mike kept on portraying Lionel. Evans was born in Salisbury, North Carolina. No! Mike Evans as Lionel in Season 1 of "The Jeffersons". The family moved to Los Angeles when Evans was a child. When Boykin asked if he didnt enjoy being on the show, Damon did not mince words: Not really. Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories! On the first two seasons of All in the Family, Lionel has an uncle named Henry. Lets just say this, Ive taken detours but I always come back home. (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?! But his big break was his Jeffersons character of Tom Willis, a great foil to George. Getting high was all that matteredI didnt have any pride, Evans admitted. The actor, who was 57 at the time of his passing, was famous for playing the role of Lionel Jefferson first in "All in the Family," and later in "The Jeffersons.". He was originally portrayed by D'Urville Martin for two unaired pilots, before the role was recast with Mike Evans. Early life [ edit] Evans was born in Salisbury, North Carolina. 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. Check out an interview that Damon did with interviewer, Keith Boykin, Damon Evans on how The Jeffersons sitcom negatively affected his life. 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). He was originally portrayed by D'Urville Martin for two unaired pilots, before the role was recast with Evans . What happened to Hines during that decade is the stuff legends are made of. 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. Damon Evans (no relation to Mike) played the role from the fall of 1975 until early 1978. 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 . He was survived by his two daughters (Carlena and Tammie), his mother (Annie Sue), a brother, a cousin, and a niece. Evans, along with Eric Monte, also created and wrote for Good Times, one of the first TV sitcoms that featured a primarily black cast. Gibbs, who played the Jeffersons housekeeper Florence, is still alive today. Ebonie Smith, also known as Ebony Smith (born Negra Candalaria-Smith; September 16, 1978) is a Puerto Rican-born American former child actress known for her role as Jessica Jefferson in the sitcom The Jeffersons in four episodes in Seasons 10 and 11. Lionel #2 from The Jeffersons. Im learning a lot today. Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day. 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. Evans kept the role of Lionel when The Jeffersons launched in 1975. Trending News 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. The next day, Damon began taking steps to make his life better. 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. He was 57. With Isabel Sanford, Sherman Hemsley, Roxie Roker, Franklin Cover. She was sometimes credited as Ebony Smith. He left in 1981 to pursue other projects but returned in 1983. 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.". I just sort of just said well, let me just see where this goes. 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In recent years he had invested in real estate in Southern California. what happened to the first lionel on the jeffersons Evans died of throat cancer December 14 at his mother's home. is for general information purposes only. 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. Lionel sometimes loses patience with Michael, feeling that Michael relates to him as a representative of the black community rather than as an individual. *Singing*. 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.. 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. 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. Evans kept the role of Lionel when "The Jeffersons" launched in 1975. And things start evolving and I started tutoring. Show developer Norman Lear preferred Cleavon Little for the role, but Rich lobbied to cast an actor who would appear less threatening. 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Both Weezy and George were cast later. Unfortunately, when Damons work permit in the UK expired, and he returned to the United States, the actor discovered he had been typecast as a comedic character. 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. He also portrayed the young Alex Haley (ages 17-25) in the ABC television miniseries Roots: The Next Generations.. Of those in the Bunker household, Lionel is closest to Archie's son-in-law Michael Stivic. For other people named Michael Evans, see, "Mike Evans, 57; Lionel in 'Jeffersons' created 'Good Times', E! Damon Evans: Not really. window._taboola = window._taboola || []; Born in Baltimore, he graduated from the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, USA on a Reader's Digest Scholarship. Is mr. bentley from the jeffersons still alive, Is florence from the jeffersons still alive, The jeffersons actress, Is jenny from the jeffersons still alive, How old is marla gibbs, The jeffersons cast now, Cast of the jeffersons dead or alive, Is any of the cast from gilligans island still alive. Start Today. Tom Sizemore's family told there's "no further hope" after aneurysm Maestro cue the outro music! For the second time in recent months, Sony has screwed up on the episode guide and listed episodes as being on the wrong disc. He was 57. All Rights Reserved. He reportedly had a huge crush on a girl who was older than him. Damon sure had all of us fooled. We humbly honor the old school soul music era and will keep pushing forward to keep it alive. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Without the Bunkers as foils, Lionel's role focuses more on his family life and his relationship with Jenny Willis (daughter of interracial couple Tom Willis and Helen Willis). On what advice he would tell others who want to follow in his footsteps and pursue an acting career. And I think, for me, that was the hardest thing was that I was so afraid to give up my identity as a performer. He was known for his roles as The Number Painter on the PBS childrens show Sesame Street and as the English neighbor Harry Bentley on the CBS sitcom The Jeffersons. } Damon Evans and Berlinda Tolbert ( who played Lionels wife Jenny) on TV's The Jeffersons. | Photo: Wikimedia Commons. Just say this, Ive what happened to the first lionel on the jeffersons detours but I always come back.! Your inbox every day did not mince words: not really not be published, broadcast, rewritten, redistributed! As Lionel in Season 1 of `` Walker, Texas Ranger recent years he had invested in real estate Southern... 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what happened to the first lionel on the jeffersons