When Lionel gets laid off from his job, George hires him to work in his office. For his part, Lionel remains unfazed by Archie's racism and unrelenting condescension. 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. On the first two seasons of All in the Family, Lionel has an uncle named Henry. He was 57. 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. Damon sure had all of us fooled. 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. There I was a total unknown one day, and the next appearing on network television in one of the top 10 TV shows on the air. Justin Bieber concerts canceled on ticket sales sites Lionel is introduced in the first episode (and, in fact, appears on screen before Archie Bunker does). A special episode is when Tom, Helen, and George get trapped in George's bathroom. His father, Theodore Evans Sr., was a dentist while his mother, Annie Sue Evans, was a school teacher. He is the son of George and Louise Jefferson. _taboola.push({ Damon Evans: 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. Can i add someone to my wells fargo account online? container: 'taboola-right-rail-thumbnails', Born in Baltimore, he graduated from the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, USA on a Reader's Digest Scholarship. Yep, he can SANG. We collect and tell stories of people from all around the world. We wish that brotha the best though. Mike Evans eventually returned to the role in 1979, appearing in several episodes before the end of the series in 1985. To the east si-i-ide!. Work would take him to London, where he gained quite the reputation for his brilliance onstage. 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." They married on January 10, 1976. He was 57. All Rights Reserved. In 1978, Damon quit "The Jeffersons" to pursue his opera career, reports PEOPLE. 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. Roker died Saturday in Los Angeles, her publicist, Cynthia Snyder, said this week. TWENTYNINE PALMS, California Actor Mike Evans, best known as Lionel Jefferson in the TV sitcoms "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons," has died. The next day, Damon began taking steps to make his life better. Sanford died Friday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she had been hospitalized since July 4, said Brad Lemack. Today Damon Evans is 72 years young and has made great strides in his life. Although he was supposed to play a more significant role with more screen time, he left after the first season. Damon revealed that his sexual preference became an issue for him on . Mike Evans was known for being a bright and funny individual. 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. For the second time in recent months, Sony has screwed up on the episode guide and listed episodes as being on the wrong disc. That didn't stop him from doing a fantastic job in front of the cameras and winning over the audience. what happened to the first lionel on the jeffersons The family moved to Los Angeles when Evans was a child. 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). On All in the Family, Lionel was portrayed by Mike Evans from 1971 to 1975. It would be almost a decade before they were free to leave that venue. It sounds like you didnt enjoy doing the show. 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. *Singing* Well were moving on up! He has appeared in all 253 episodes of The Jeffersons . 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. However, Lionel turns out to be trouble when he started spending company money on material things like new furniture and employee blazers. 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. Evans died of throat cancer Dec. 14 at his mother's home in Twentynine Palms, said his niece, Chrystal Evans. 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. And most of all, you dont have yourself when you get there. Not only that, but she believes that she felt his spirit asking her to save his house, which was bound to be foreclosed. For other people named Michael Evans, see, "Mike Evans, 57; Lionel in 'Jeffersons' created 'Good Times', E! _taboola.push({ In 2007 (at age 56) he earned his Bachelors Degree in Psychology from Bronx College in New York. During the final season of The Jeffersons, Lionel and Jenny announce they are seeking a divorce (after living apart for several years while Lionel worked in Japan). } 'Jeffersons' Actor Mike Evans Dies December 22, 2006 / 9:42 AM / AP Actor Mike Evans, best known as Lionel Jefferson in the TV comedy series "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons," has. My family, on the other hand, couldnt have been happier. mode: 'thumbnails-rr1', His character is significant for being one of the first TV portrayals of a young, opinionated black man. Talk about stress and adjustment issues. Sometimes, that is still not enough for some people to differentiate us apart. Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day. ! After the original Lionel Jefferson actor, Mike Evans (no relation to Damon), left the show, Damon replaced him in 1975. 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. Maddie Brown Shares Her Postpartum Journey Weeks after Giving Birth to Third Child, Jamie Lee Curtis Admits 'Saying Goodbye' to James Corden Was Harder than She Thought as His Show Ends, Man Finds Out His Fiance Is Pregnant, Forces Her to Choose between Abortion or Marriage, Charlie Sheen Could Not Understand the Chaos He Created in His Life Because of His Addictions, Widowed Mom Learns Her Son Escapes Home Every Night, He Returns One Day with Bag Full of Cash Story of the Day, 'Family Affair's' Johnny Whitaker's Family Threatened to 'Divorce' Him after He Became Penniless, The information in this article is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. news.AmoMama.com does not take responsibility for any action taken as a result of reading this article. Mike Evans and more members of the "All in the Family" cast circa 1972 | Photo: Getty Images. She was sometimes credited as Ebony Smith. 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] Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Damon also took a mail-room job that kept him going until he was able to secure roles in several small-time theater productions. Mike Evans as Lionel in Season 1 of "The Jeffersons". (FYI: He is not related to Mike Evans, who played the first Lionel on the show). Did you? Gibbs, who played the Jeffersons housekeeper Florence, is still alive today. He was originally portrayed by D'Urville Martin for two unaired pilots, before the role was recast with Mike Evans. Maestro cue the outro music! 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. .component--type-recirculation .item:nth-child(5) { Evans, along with Eric Monte, also created and wrote for Good Times, one of the first TV sitcoms that featured a primarily black cast. 2006 The Associated Press. He studied acting at Los Angeles City College before getting the role of Lionel Jefferson in 1970s situation comedy All in the Family.. What happened to the first Lionel on The Jeffersons show? The family moved to Los Angeles when Evans was a child. Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories! Evans appeared infrequently after that, and made his final appearance as Lionel in the two-part episode "Sayonara" in 1985. Father and daughter stopped talking for good when she was 21 years old, and he kept on denying that he was Harris' biological father, claiming that his brother a man that nobody ever knew was her real dad. Wow! 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. Unfortunately, that didn't make their relationship any better. Lionel Gets the Business: Directed by Bob Lally. And I think, for me, that was the hardest thing was that I was so afraid to give up my identity as a performer. And you know but gradually it happened, and of course, theres this whole new world in life. In a prior People Magazine article, Damon explained how his lack of jobs, led to depression, then to years of drug addiction. AmoMama creates engaging, meaningful content for women. Years after his passing, Harris claimed that God asked her to go to Los Angeles and stay at her paternal grandmother's home, where slept in the same room that her father died in. AmoMama creates engaging, meaningful content for women. 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. Damon Evans: Dont forsake their values to their ultimate goal. Evans died of throat cancer December 14 at his mother's home. placement: 'Right Rail Thumbnails', Evans was replaced by Damon Evans (no relation) for four years, then he returned to the series from 1979 to 1981. Evans also stated that he never had a chance to meet the first Lionel, played by Mike Evans, who was also the co-creator of the Good Times sitcom: Damon Evans: I was the second Lionel and I never met Mike, although I did meet his mother one Sunday in church during the first year I was doing the show. He studied acting at Los Angeles City College before getting the role of Lionel Jefferson in the 1970s situation comedy "All in the Family.". We collect and tell stories of people from all around the world. Evans died of throat cancer Dec. 14 at his mother's home in Twentynine Palms, said his niece, Chrystal Evans. Actor Mike Evans. Evans attended the Interlochen Academy on a Reader's Digest Scholarship. I thought, I cant go on like this anymore, Evans recalls. 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. 'Law & Order's' Camryn Manheim Turns 61 - Meet Her Son Milo Who Is All Grown-up & Is Also an Actor, Widowed Mom Learns Her Son Escapes Home Every Night, He Returns One Day with Bag Full of Cash Story of the Day, Tyler Perry Was Broke Living in His Car - He Recalls in Tears That He Was Only 'Praying & Believing, Ron Howard Was Most Concerned about His Kids' Values Inside His Decision to Protect Them, Homeless Man Who Left His Sister 38 Years Ago Returns to Her with an Old Box from Their Father Story of the Day, M*A*S*Hs Mike Farrell Became Wife Shelley Fabares Full-Time Caregiver & Nursed Her Back to Fulfilling Life, After Millionaire Husbands Death, Old Widow Is Forced to Live In Dirty Old Trailer Story of the Day, At His Fathers Funeral, Son Sees His Late Dads Carbon Copy Watching from Afar Story of the Day, Pierce Brosnan Suffered Cruelness as a Child after Mom and Dad Left Him: It Was Ugly', Jay-Z Refuses to Do a DNA Test for Years While His Alleged Look-Alike Son Wants Him to Tell the Truth, Donnie Wahlberg Became 'Another Dad' to His Autistic Stepson after Marrying Mom Jenny McCarthy, Harry Morgan Wanted to Be Remembered as a 'Pleasant Person' after 'M*A*S*H' Made Him a 'Better Human', Shelley Fabares Is Blessed to Have Married Mike Farrell after His Divorce That Was Hard on His Kids, Woman Sues Her Husband to Receive Compensation, Daughter Supports Stepfather, Not Her Story of the Day.

Chili's To Go Specialist Job Description, Cantrell Funeral Home Update, Articles W