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. In recent years he had invested in real estate in Southern California. Yep, he can SANG. 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. She was 86. 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. Away from the world of entertainment, Damon bagged his Bachelors Degree in Psychology from Bronx Community College in 2007. 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. When Lionel's father finally shows up, someone apparently has to leave to make room. At which location is the altitude of polaris approximately 42? All Quiet on the Western Front, Elvis, Empire of Light Cinematographers on Their Oscar-Nominated Work: The Camera Had to Be Dancing, Dilbert Comic Strip Creator Dropped From Several Publications After Racist Comments, R. 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Ready for Tolkien Battle, How the Landscape of Native-Led Stories Has Changed Between Avatars: Were Flexing Our Sovereignty, The Definitive Voice of Entertainment News. The Jeffersons Wiki is a FANDOM TV Community. what happened to the first lionel on the jeffersons Show developer Norman Lear preferred Cleavon Little for the role, but Rich lobbied to cast an actor who would appear less threatening. 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. Mike Evans, the actor who portrayed Lionel Jefferson on the TV series "All In The Family" and "The Jeffersons," passed away at the age of 57 years old following a short-lived career. is for general information purposes only. Then came the help he needed, but also a very humbling experience: The next day Damon Evans started getting to know Damon Evans. 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. On the PBS childrens show Sesame Street, Benedict was the Mad Painter who painted numbers everywhere. All in the Family's CBS spinoff series, The Jeffersons premiered in 1975. Mike Evans returned to the series in September 1979 and appeared regularly as Lionel for two more seasons. ", Mike Evans' daughter Carlena Harris | Photo: YouTube/Carlena Harris. 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. 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. Four years after her death, Evans died of throat cancer at his mother's home in Twentynine Palms, California, at the age of 57.[5]. Not wanting to settle, he remained jobless for many years and eventually turned to drugs to deal with his frustration. The Jeffersons was easily one of the top shows at the time, and anyone might have imagined Damon would be overjoyed for the opportunity. Actor Mike Evans, best known as Lionel Jefferson in the TV sitcoms "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons," has died. Franklin Cover first began acting in 1960 and was on The Jackie Gleason Showa couple of times in 1967 as a police officer. 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] AmoMama creates engaging, meaningful content for women. To this very day, I dont think they have a clue as to who I really am, and thats there loss. 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. In 1978, Damon quit "The Jeffersons" to pursue his opera career, reports PEOPLE. does not take responsibility for any action taken as a result of reading this article. I uprooted myself from a role as a classical music student and was thrust in the publics eye overnight. For the second time in recent months, Sony has screwed up on the episode guide and listed episodes as being on the wrong disc. Via People: A depressed and unemployed Evans came close to ending his own life. Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories! The information in this article is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. 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He reportedly had a huge crush on a girl who was older than him. container: 'taboola-right-rail-thumbnails', .component--type-recirculation .item:nth-child(5) { His character is significant for being one of the first TV portrayals of a young, opinionated black man. news.AmoMama.com does not take responsibility for any action taken as a result of reading this article. I uprooted myself from a role as a classical music student and was thrust in the publics eye overnight. He was 57. 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. 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 the east si-i-ide!. 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. Evans, along with Eric Monte, also created and wrote for Good Times, one of the first TV sitcoms that featured a primarily black cast. 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. But they're far from happy; in fact, they're so happy they've agreed to a separation. And things start evolving and I started tutoring. 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. 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. Trending News AmoMama creates engaging, meaningful content for women. That was not the case. 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. 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. 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[2], Evans continued to play the role on the spinoff The Jeffersons, but left after the first season to pursue other aspects of his career. He was 57. 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. All content, including text, and images contained on news.AmoMama.com, or available through news.AmoMama.com is for general information purposes only. He has appeared in all 253 episodes of The Jeffersons . 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. He was 57. 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. mode: 'thumbnails-rr1', He studied acting at Los Angeles City College before getting the role of Lionel Jefferson in the 1970s situation comedy "All in the Family.". 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. I had a really bad attitude.. She has a career that has included television, movies and live performances. The cause was throat cancer, said a niece, Chrystal Evans. Archie considers himself to be Lionel's good friend and even mentor. Although he was supposed to play a more significant role with more screen time, he left after the first season. Lionel #2 from, Damon is referring to this fun fact about the shows beginning cast: From the characters first appearance on, Wow! That didn't stop him from doing a fantastic job in front of the cameras and winning over the audience. It was later revealed that he was actually "Henry Jefferson," "George's" brother. Actor Mike Evans, best known as Lionel Jefferson in the TV comedy series "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons," has died. I thought, I cant go on like this anymore, Evans recalls. Gibbs was born Margaret Theresa Bradley on June 14, 1931, in Chicago, Illinois. George, opposed to miscegenation, calls Helen and Tom "zebras" or "chocolate and . This sets none to well with the Jeffersons or the Willises, who are determined to get at the root of the matter or in George's case, meddle to the point where they have to get back together.Available on Prime Video: https://amzn.to/3oYSG9XSubscribe to The Norman Lear Effect channel: https://bit.ly/NormanLearEffectFollow us on social: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheNormanLearEffectAbout The Jeffersons: His cleaning business booming, scrappy George Jefferson decides it's time to move on up to the deluxe apartments on New York's posh east side. However, that said, the first year on the show was quite a heady experience. 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. 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. 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. In 1978, Damon quit The Jeffersons to pursue his opera career, reports PEOPLE. Also, Sherman Hemsley was not the original George Jefferson. (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?! Publicity photo of Mike Evans during his time on "All in the Family" circa 1971 | Photo: Getty Images. He was 57. We wish that brotha the best though. Sometimes, that is still not enough for some people to differentiate us apart. Actor Mike Evans. He admitted his drug addiction to his therapist and joined Narcotics Anonymous. Sometimes I wouldnt show up at all, he recalled. Evans was a creator/writer of the series Good Times (197479).[4]. Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day. She was sometimes credited as Ebony Smith. She was 86. Jane Fonda announces her cancer is in remission Evan's character, Lionel, was one of the first characters that showcased an opinionated black young man, and even though he had to deal with his neighbor Archie's constant ignorant and racist comments, Lionel usually played along, remaining unfazed about the demonstrations of bigotry displayed by Archie. placement: 'Right Rail Thumbnails', I started loving it, I mean, started knowing that I could even write. Check out an interview that Damon did with interviewer, Keith Boykin, Damon Evans on how The Jeffersons sitcom negatively affected his life. When Lionel gets laid off from his job, George hires him to work in his office. Mike Evans died in 2006 in his mothers house. Mike EvansAll in the Family Id be late a lot. Evans is also a successful stage performer, and is currently attending . Can i register a car with export only title in arizona. 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. Ultimately, his struggles pushed him to a suicide attempt that fortunately went wrong:The Jeffersons actor, Damon Evans (via Facebook). On All in the Family, Lionel was portrayed by Mike Evans from 1971 to 1975. 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