Isabel Sanford
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| Isabel Sanford | |||||||||||
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 Sanford With co-star Sherman Hemsley on The Jeffersons, 1975 |
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| Born | Eloise Gwendolyn Sanford August 29, 1917 New York City, New York, USA |
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| Died | July 9, 2004 (aged 86) Los Angeles, California, USA |
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| Occupation | Actress | ||||||||||
| Years active | 1967-2004 | ||||||||||
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Isabel Sanford (August 29, 1917 - July 9, 2004) was an Emmy Award-winning American actress most known for her role as Louise "Weezy" Jefferson on the CBS television sitcoms All in the Family (1971-1975) and The Jeffersons (1975-1985).
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Career
Born Eloise Gwendolyn Sanford in New York City, New York, Sanford was the first African-American actress to win a Lead Actress Emmy Award (for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1981), and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
During the 1960s, Sanford worked in the theatre industry, and in 1967 she made her film debut in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, playing the critically acclaimed role of the maid Tillie Binks. She caught the attention of major Hollywood players, including Norman Lear, who cast Sanford in the role of Louise Jefferson in All in the Family. She almost turned down the role after receiving a bucket of fried chicken in her dressing room. Norman Lear assured her that it was a genuine gift, and she eventually agreed to play the part. Sanford and her TV husband, Sherman Hemsley, were so popular that The Jeffersons was spun-off into its own series, but were mostly typecast by the roles. Such was their compatibility and credibility as a married couple that no one seemed to notice or care that Sanford was twenty years older than Hemsley.
After production of The Jeffersons ended in 1985, Sanford was mostly limited to guest TV appearances and cameo appearances in movies, appearing in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Dream On, Roseanne, Living Single, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, In the House and The Steve Harvey Show, as well as the extremely short-lived 1992 CBS Hearts Are Wild (similar to Love Boat). She also did voice acting for The Simpsons in her final television appearance before her death.
Sanford also appeared with Sherman Hemsley in a series of advertisements for Denny's and Old Navy.
[edit] Death
Sanford died on July 9, 2004 of cardiac arrest and heart disease at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. She was 86 years old and was interred at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles.
[edit] Filmography
[edit] Film
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[edit] Television
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Sanford played the voice of secretary of Harry Boyle on the cartoon Wait 'til Your Father Gets Home In Italy, the voice over dubbing in The Jeffersons was done by comedian Isa di Marzio.
[edit] References
Kathryn Shattuck. "Isabel Sanford, 86, Actress Who Portrayed Mrs. Jefferson, Dies", The New York Times, 13 July 2004. Retrieved on 2008-03-19.
[edit] External links
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