The actor who became famous as television’s quick-tempered name-caller George Jefferson has died, according to his publicist.
Sherman Hemsley, who was 74, died at his Texas home, his publicist told ABCNews.com. The cause of death was not immediately known.
Hemsley starred along with Isabel Sanford on “The Jeffersons” for 11 seasons on CBS beginning in 1975. The show, a spinoff of “All in the Family,” focused on a black family rising to affluence in New York City.
Hemsley later returned to TV as Deacon Ernest Frye on “Amen.” But it was his role as the quick-tongued businessman George Jefferson, with a swagger all his own, that made Hemsley a star.
People Magazine was among the media outlets reportingHemsley’s death. The actor was not married and had no children, the magazine reported. The entertainment news website TMZ also reported the death.
The Philadelphia native performed on Broadway before being approached to play the role of George Jefferson on television. On the spinoff show, Hemsley’s character owned a chain of dry-cleaning stores.
Some of “The Jeffersons” most memorable scenes involved Hemsley’s character disagreeing with wife Louise, played by the late Sanford, and maid Florence, played by Marla Gibbs. But the character George Jefferson didn’t spare words with the couple’s upstairs, interracial neighbors, Tom and Helen Willis, played by Roxie Roker and Franklin Cover.
via AJC.com
© 2012, Eldorado2452. All rights reserved.
