target_type: 'mix' 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. 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. That didn't stop him from doing a fantastic job in front of the cameras and winning over the audience. 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.". For the second time in recent months, Sony has screwed up on the episode guide and listed episodes as being on the wrong disc. 2006 The Associated Press. Evans played Lenny in the cast of the 197677 Danny Thomas situation comedy The Practice during its second and final season. | The Norman Lear Effecthttps://bit.ly/NormanLearEffect Evans, along with Eric Monte, also created and wrote for Good Times, one of the first TV sitcoms that featured a primarily black cast. Mike Evans and other cast members of "The Jeffersons" circa 1974 | Photo: Wikimedia Commons. Damon Evans (no relation to Mike) played the role from the fall of 1975 until early 1978. 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. Work would take him to London, where he gained quite the reputation for his brilliance onstage. Check out an interview that Damon did with blogger, Keith Boykin: Interviewer: How did the experience on [The Jeffersons] affect your life? 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. 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. No! Mike EvansAll in the Family Im learning a lot today. 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. He was 57. Damon also took a mail-room job that kept him going until he was able to secure roles in several small-time theater productions. Sometimes I wouldnt show up at all, he recalled. Not only that, but she believes that she felt his spirit asking her to save his house, which was bound to be foreclosed. Lionel Jefferson is a supporting character from the hit sitcoms All in the Family and The Jeffersons. My family, on the other hand, couldnt have been happier. I was thinking, How am I going to kill myself when I dont even know myself? he says. Are any of the members of peter, paul and mary still alive? Damon revealed that his sexual preference became an issue for him on . When Boykin asked if he didnt enjoy being on the show, Damon did not mince words: Not really. Maestro cue the outro music! Yep, he can SANG. He studied acting at Los Angeles City College before getting the role of Lionel Jefferson in the 1970s situation comedy "All in the Family.". 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. The family moved to Los Angeles when Evans was a child. Evans was a creator/writer of the series Good Times (197479). Evans kept the role of Lionel when "The Jeffersons" launched in 1975. 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). Early life [ edit] Evans was born in Salisbury, North Carolina. 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. 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." She has a career that has included television, movies and live performances. In 1979, Mike came back for one more season, but eventually left again, forcing the creators to write Lionel and his wife Jenny (played by actress Berlinda Tolbert) out of the script, claiming that they faced marital problems. I didnt have any pride.. 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. I uprooted myself from a role as a classical music student and was thrust in the publics eye overnight. He has appeared in all 253 episodes of The Jeffersons . Jane Fonda announces her cancer is in remission .component--type-recirculation .item:nth-child(5) { The actor who gave life to Lionel Jefferson for more than a decade lost his life after a long battle with cancer. On the PBS childrens show Sesame Street, Benedict was the Mad Painter who painted numbers everywhere. container: 'taboola-right-rail-thumbnails', 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. On the show, Bentleys disappearance is explained away like this: Bentley works as a Russian interpreter for the United Nations. 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. Lionel tells Archie off, but also lets him know that they can remain friends. I was afraid of change.. Evans was replaced by Damon Evans (no relation) for four years, then he returned to the series from 1979 to 1981. Actor Mike Evans. He was 57. We believe that every person's story is important as it provides our community with an opportunity to feel a sense of belonging, share their hopes and dreams. Evans was also a real estate investor and owned properties in California's Inland Empire.[5]. I just sort of just said well, let me just see where this goes. Because once you get there youll find out that there is no there there. According to him, he wanted to educate America in the sense that Lionel was a black married man who was working on his masters and was ready to have a family, which was something America hadn't seen yet. Today Damon Evans is 72 years young and has made great strides in his life. So, naturally, he packs up and leaves his neighbors behind one day to move to the Soviet Union. What happened to the first Lionel on Jeffersons? 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. On the first two seasons of All in the Family, Lionel has an uncle named Henry. To be quite honest, I didn't have a direction when I went there. display: none; We believe that every person's story is important as it provides our community with an opportunity to feel a sense of belonging, share their hopes and dreams. 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. Talk about stress and adjustment issues., In a 2001 PEOPLE interview, the actor further revealed that his dissatisfaction caused him to act out. But they're far from happy; in fact, they're so happy they've agreed to a separation. Damon Evans: Not really. To this very day, I dont think they have a clue as to who I really am, and thats there loss. Are any of the cast of my three sons still alive? Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories! But his big break was his Jeffersons character of Tom Willis, a great foil to George. I guess you can say that we all learn something new everyday, dont we? 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. 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. Damon Evans (no relation to Mike) played the role from the fall of 1975 until early 1978. That is the closest I ever got to meeting and/or knowing Mike Evans, his mother. 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. Evans died of throat cancer December 14 at his mothers home in Twentynine Palms, said his niece, Chrystal Evans. Lionel Gets the Business: Directed by Bob Lally. Who played the original Lionel Jefferson? 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. 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Damon Evans took over the role and he stayed for two years in seasons three and fourthis was the dark period. Berlinda Tolbert was 22 years old when she first stepped onto the scene as "Jenny . George, opposed to miscegenation, calls Helen and Tom "zebras" or "chocolate and . [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. All Rights Reserved. His last role was in a 2000 episode of "Walker, Texas Ranger. Now 90, and with dozens of film and TV appearances under her belt, Gibbs is still working since 2021, shes been a regular on Days of Our Lives. And you know but gradually it happened, and of course, theres this whole new world in life. In July 1974, Evans met Helena Jefferson (19522002). Posted On : May 14, 2015. All Rights Reserved. He studied acting at Los Angeles City College before getting the role of Lionel Jefferson in 1970s situation comedy All in the Family.. 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what happened to the first lionel on the jeffersons