Sherman Hemsley
Date of birth: 1938-02-01
Place of birth: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Known for: Acting
Also known as:
Biography
Sherman Alexander Hemsley (February 1, 1938 – July 24, 2012) was an American actor, best known for his roles as George Jefferson on the CBS television series All in the Family and The Jeffersons, Deacon Ernest Frye on the NBC series Amen, and B.P. Richfield on the ABC series Dinosaurs. For his work on The Jeffersons, Hemsley was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award. He also won an NAACP Image Award. Hemsley was born and raised in South Philadelphia by his mother, who worked in a lamp factory.[1] He did not meet his father until he was 14. He attended Barrat Middle School, Central High School for 9th grade and Bok Technical High School for 10th, when he dropped out of school and joined the United States Air Force, where he served for four years. On leaving the Air Force, he returned to Philadelphia, where he worked for the United States Postal Service during the day while attending the Academy of Dramatic Arts at night. He then moved to New York, continuing to work for the Post Office during the day while working as an actor at night. He starred as Gitlow in the early 1970s Broadway musical Purlie. While Hemsley was on Broadway with Purlie, Norman Lear called him in 1971 to play the recurring role of George Jefferson in his new sitcom, All in the Family. Hemsley was reluctant to leave his theatre role, but Lear told him that he would hold the role open for him. Hemsley joined the cast two years later. The characters of Hemsley and co-star Isabel Sanford were supporting occasional roles on All in the Family, but were given their own spin-off, The Jeffersons, two years after Hemsley made his debut on the sitcom. The Jeffersons proved to be one of Lear's most successful series, enjoying a run of 11 seasons through 1985. Hemsley was a shy and intensely private man, described by some as reclusive. He avoided the Hollywood limelight and little of his personal life was public knowledge beyond the facts that he never married and he had no children.[9] In 2003, however, Hemsley granted a rare video interview to the Archive of American Television. "It [playing George Jefferson] was hard for me. But he was the character. I had to do it." On July 24, 2012, Hemsley died at his home in El Paso, Texas, at age 74. The cause of death was given as superior vena cava syndrome, a complication associated with lung and bronchial carcinomas. He had had a malignant mass on one of his lungs for which chemotherapy and radiation had been recommended, according to the El Paso County Texas Medical Examiner's report. CLR
Movie Credits
The Sensational Shocking Wonderful Wacky 70's
1980-01-04
A look back at the people, events, music, and trends of the 1970s.
Camp Cucamonga
1990-09-23
Standard camp shenanigans and romance amongst the counselors and the campers at a lake front summer
Love at First Bite
1979-04-26
Dracula and Renfield relocate to '70s era New York in search of Cindy Sondheim, the reincarnation of
Mr. Nanny
1993-04-02
A former pro-wrestler is hired to be the bodyguard/nanny for a couple of bratty kids whose inventor
Screwed
2000-05-12
A chauffeur kidnaps his rich boss's dog to hold it for ransom, but when she accidentally gets the do
Stewardess School
1986-08-01
A group of varied misfits (including a former prostitute/stripper and a bumbler who can't see more t
For the Love of a Dog
2008-03-01
When the family dog gets sick, the kids and their friends rally to earn the money to pay for the vet
American Pie Presents: The Book of Love
2009-12-02
Ten years after the first American Pie movie, three new hapless virgins discover the Bible hidden in
Ghost Fever
1987-03-27
Two policeman are sent on a routine assignment to serve an eviction notice. It becomes anything but
Club Fed
1990-08-09
A powerful gangster is murdered. However, All of his holdings were in his girlfriend's name. So she
Up, Up, and Away
2000-01-22
A boy is the only family member without superpowers in this Disney Film. The world depends on him sa
A Christmas Journey Home
1996-12-01
Young Billy sneaks his grandfather out of the nursing home for one last Christmas. On their way home
Combat Academy
1986-11-23
"Police Academy"-style comedy set in a military school. Two errant high-school students are ordered
Casper: A Spirited Beginning
1997-09-09
Before he met and befriended the other ghouls at Applegate Manor, friendly ghost Casper meets young
The Misery Brothers
1995-01-01
When two misfits set out on a journey to correct their cursed family's misfortunes, they encounter w
Purlie
1981-10-12
Purlie is a musical based on Ossie Davis' 1961 play Purlie Victorious. In the early days of the civ
Clunkers
2015-06-09
When an injury crushes Ritchie's dreams of playing Major League baseball, he is forced to join a dub
Sprung
1997-05-14
Two pairs of best friends - Montel & Clyde and Brandy & Adina meet at the party, where Clyde
Golden Anniversary of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
1987-05-22
In Disneyland, the Wicked Queen has cast a spell over the seven dwarfs that makes them feel they're
Home of Angels
1994-01-01
Jane Austen's Mafia!
1998-07-24
After growing up poor in Salmonella, Vincenzo Cortino installs himself as the preeminent, if bumblin
Who Shrunk Saturday Morning?
1989-10-02
A prime-time special previewing NBC's 1989-90 Saturday morning lineup, hosted by the cast members o
Senseless
1998-02-20
A student gets his senses enhanced by an experimental drug. But abuse is not an option.