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, U.S. |
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| Died | July 9, 2004 (aged 86) Los Angeles, California, U.S. Height- 5' 3" (1.60 m) |
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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.
For her contribution to the television industry, Isabel Sanford has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7080 Hollywood Boulevard.
[edit] Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Other notes |
| 1967 | Guess Who's Coming to Dinner | Tillie | |
| 1968 | The Young Runaways | Sarah | |
| 1969 | Pendulum | Effie | |
| The Comic | Woman | ||
| 1970 | The Red, White, and Black | Isabel Taylor | |
| 1972 | The New Centurions | Wilma | |
| Hickey & Boggs | Nyona's Mother | ||
| Lady Sings the Blues | The Madame | ||
| Up the Sandbox | Maria | ||
| 1974 | The Photographer | Mrs. Slade | |
| 1979 | Love At First Bite | Judge R. Thomas | |
| 1981 | Desperate Moves | Dottie Butz | |
| 1990 | Pucker Up and Bark Like a Dog | Joanna | |
| 1992 | South Beach | Mama | |
| 1996 | Original Gangstas | Gracie Bookman | |
| 1997 | Sprung | Sista #1 | |
| 1998 | Jane Austen's Mafia! | Mrs. Louise Jefferson | Uncredited |
| 2000 | Click Three Times | Dorothy | |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1968 | Bewitched | Aunt Jenny | 1 episode |
| The Mod Squad | Lillian | 1 episode | |
| 1970 | Daniel Boone | Maybelle | 1 episode |
| 1971 | The Bill Cosby Show | Bertha | 1 episode |
| The Interns | Dr. Hearn | 1 episode | |
| 1971-1972 | Love, American Style | 2 episodes | |
| 1971-1979 | All in the Family | Louise Jefferson | 26 episodes |
| 1972 | The Mary Tyler Moore Show | Mrs. Wilson | 1 episode |
| 1973 | Temperatures Rising | 1 episode | |
| 1974 | Kojak | Grace | 1 episode |
| 1978 | Vega$ | Mae | 1 episode |
| 1975-1985 | The Jeffersons | Louise Jefferson | 251 episodes |
| 1979 | Supertrain | Reba | 1 episode |
| 1980-1983 | The Love Boat | Tanya, Isaac's Aunt | 2 episodes |
| 1986 | Crazy Like a Fox | 1 episode | |
| The New Mike Hammer | Mama Vibes | 1 episode | |
| 1987 | Isabel's Honeymoon Hotel | Isabel Scott | Unknown episodes |
| 1988 | A Pup Named Scooby-Doo | Additional voices | Episode A Bicycle Built for Boo! |
| 1993 | Dream On | Judge Isabel Kohner | 1 episode |
| Living Single | Eunetta Ryan | 1 episode | |
| 1994 | Hangin' with Mr. Cooper | Judge | 1 episode |
| Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman | Ms. Duffy | 1 episode | |
| 1995 | Roseanne | Louise Jefferson, TV Mom #3 | 1 episode |
| In the House | Nanna | 2 episodes | |
| 1995-1996 | The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | Louise 'Weezy' Jefferson | 2 episodes |
| 1996 | The Steve Harvey Show | Mother Hightower | 1 episode |
| 1997 | Teen Angel | Laurie | 1 episode |
| 1998 | Pepper Ann | Bernice | 1 episode |
| 2001 | The Parkers | Evelyn 'Nana' Smith | 1 episode |
| 2002 | The Young and the Restless | Sylvia | 1 episode |
| 2004 | Candid Camera | Mrs. Jefferson | 1 episode |
[edit] Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Film or series |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Emmy Award | Nominated | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series | The Jeffersons |
| 1980 | Nominated | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series | The Jeffersons | |
| 1981 | Won | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series | The Jeffersons | |
| 1982 | Nominated | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series | The Jeffersons | |
| 1983 | Nominated | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series | The Jeffersons | |
| 1984 | Nominated | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series | The Jeffersons | |
| 1985 | Nominated | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series | The Jeffersons | |
| 1977 | Golden Globe Award | Nominated | Best TV Actress - Musical/Comedy | The Jeffersons |
| 1978 | Nominated | Best TV Actress - Musical/Comedy | The Jeffersons | |
| 1983 | Nominated | Best Performance by an Actress in a TV-Series - Comedy/Musical | The Jeffersons | |
| 1984 | Nominated | Best Performance by an Actress in a TV-Series - Comedy/Musical | The Jeffersons | |
| 1985 | Nominated | Best Performance by an Actress in a TV-Series - Comedy/Musical | The Jeffersons | |
| 2004 | TV Land Awards | Won | Favorite Cantankerous Couple | The Jeffersons (Shared with Sherman Hemsley) |
[edit] References
Kathryn Shattuck (13 July 2004). "Isabel Sanford, 86, Actress Who Portrayed Mrs. Jefferson, Dies". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C06E6D81E3BF930A25754C0A9629C8B63&sec=&spon=. Retrieved on 2008-03-19.
[edit] External links
- Isabel Sanford at the Internet Movie Database
- Isabel Sanford at TV.com
- Isabel Sanford at Find A Grave
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Sanford, Isabel |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Sanford, Eloise Gwendolyn |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Actress |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 29, 1917 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | New York City, New York, USA |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 9, 2004 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Los Angeles, California, USA |
