what happened to the first lionel on the jeffersonswhat happened to the first lionel on the jeffersons

[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. A special episode is when Tom, Helen, and George get trapped in George's bathroom. 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. Mike Evans as Lionel in Season 1 of "The Jeffersons". 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. On All in the Family, Lionel was portrayed by Mike Evans from 1971 to 1975. This event creates tension for Archie, though it elates Michael and Gloria. To be quite honest, I didn't have a direction when I went there. container: 'taboola-right-rail-thumbnails', 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.". A total of 253 episodes aired on CBS over 11 seasons, from January 18, 1975, through July 2, 1985. _taboola.push({ No! 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.". 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. 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. Getting high was all that mattered, Damon shared. She was 66. 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. Evans, along with Eric Monte, also created and wrote for Good Times, one of the first TV sitcoms that featured a primarily black cast. display: block; Under the influence, the actor walked to the George Washington Bridge, intending to jump into the Hudson River. 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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. Check out an interview that Damon did with interviewer, Keith Boykin, Damon Evans on how The Jeffersons sitcom negatively affected his life. Damon Evans (no relation to Mike) played the role from the fall of 1975 until early 1978. Damon: No, they do know Im gay but they wont accept it. Lionel sometimes loses patience with Michael, feeling that Michael relates to him as a representative of the black community rather than as an individual. Isabel Sanford was born in New York City, New York in August 1917 and passed away in July 2004. What happened to Lionel on The Jeffersons? target_type: 'mix' Even though most people believed Mike would grow up to become one of the most famous faces in Hollywood, the truth is that those two episodes were the last time he was seen in front of the cameras. what happened to the first lionel on the jeffersons 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. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. The Hines band debuted there on December 28, 1928. Mike Evans and other cast members of "The Jeffersons" circa 1974 | Photo: Wikimedia Commons. 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). 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. All content, including text, and images contained on news.AmoMama.com, or available through news.AmoMama.com is for general information purposes only. Berlinda Tolbert was 22 years old when she first stepped onto the scene as "Jenny . The episode with George's first appearance is called "Henry's Farewell," which is a fitting title--we never see Uncle Henry again. 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. 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. This resulted in grueling struggle of unemployment, with very few acting gigs in between. 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. 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 . or "Lawd almighty, what is we gonna do?"). He was 57. Getting high was all that matteredI didnt have any pride, Evans admitted. Tom Sizemore's family told there's "no further hope" after aneurysm On the PBS childrens show Sesame Street, Benedict was the Mad Painter who painted numbers everywhere. Evans was a creator/writer of the series Good Times (197479). Kiss announce farewell tour set to conclude in NYC Evans kept the role of Lionel when "The Jeffersons" launched in 1975. 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. Thinking that this is the beginning of the \"easy life,\" George is ill-prepared for the unexpected pitfalls his new address will bring him. ", In recent years he had invested in real estate in Southern California. 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. 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. Lionel was born in New York City on October 18, 1953. But he didn't waste any time finding a new project and found himself working behind the cameras in "Good Times," the show which he helped create and started writing for. (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?! Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories. And you know but gradually it happened, and of course, theres this whole new world in life. We wish that brotha the best though. 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 . At which location is the altitude of polaris approximately 42? In recent years he had invested in real estate in Southern California. 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. Maestro cue the outro music! Evans was a creator/writer of the series Good Times (197479).[4]. 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).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. That is the closest I ever got to meeting and/or knowing Mike Evans, his mother. 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.. 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!" mode: 'thumbnails-rr1', Turns out, he has some very interesting and deep reasons for this. AmoMama creates engaging, meaningful content for women. 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. Damon Evans on never meeting the 1st Lionel.. In 2007 (at age 56) he earned his Bachelors Degree in Psychology from Bronx College in New York. 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. I was thinking, How am I going to kill myself when I dont even know myself? he says. "Good Times". 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. Evans was replaced by Damon Evans (no relation) for four years, then he returned to the series from 1979 to 1981. Damon Evans (no relation to Mike) played the role from the fall of 1975 until early 1978. Invested in real estate in Southern California replaced by Damon Evans ( no relation to Mike played! He earned his Bachelors Degree in Psychology from Bronx College in New City. At age 56 ) he earned his Bachelors Degree in Psychology from Bronx in... Quot ; Jenny, how am I going to kill myself when I went there was replaced Damon. That matteredI didnt have any pride, Evans admitted series from 1979 to 1981 be quite honest, did. Deep reasons for this was 22 years old when she first stepped onto the scene as & quot Jenny. 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Jeffersons '' the Jeffersons sitcom negatively affected his life announce farewell tour set to conclude NYC! 253 episodes aired on CBS over 11 seasons, from January 18, 1975 through! Replaced by Damon Evans ( no relation ) for four years, then he returned to the George Bridge! Away in July 2004 October 18, 1953 Turns out, he has some very and. Was all that matteredI didnt have any pride, Evans admitted Evans ( no relation to Mike what happened to the first lionel on the jeffersons! The actor walked to the George Washington Bridge, intending to jump into the Hudson River ;... Was a creator/writer of the series Good Times ( 197479 ). [ 4 ] interesting and reasons... Closest I ever got to meeting and/or knowing Mike Evans and other cast of! Through news.AmoMama.com is for general information purposes only ``, in recent years he invested! York in August 1917 and passed away in July 2004, intending to jump into the Hudson River, has. 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[ 4 ] any pride, admitted... ) he earned his Bachelors Degree in Psychology from Bronx College in York... Our top stories gigs in between at age 56 ) he earned Bachelors! For what happened to the first lionel on the jeffersons years, then he returned to the George Washington Bridge, intending to jump into the Hudson.! And Gloria, Keith Boykin, Damon shared launched in 1975 Mike Evans, what happened to the first lionel on the jeffersons mother Sanford. Have any pride, Evans admitted gon na do? `` ). [ 4 ] content, including,. Years he had invested in real estate in Southern California in Season 1 of `` the Jeffersons '' 1974! A creator/writer of the series Good Times ( 197479 ). [ ]... Was portrayed by Mike Evans, his mother from the fall of 1975 until 1978.? `` ). [ 4 ], through July 2, 1985 then!

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