One could say Mike was quite successful in the entertainment industry for a little more than a decade. They married on January 10, 1976. Harris said: "I just had to live with the fact that I didn't have an earthly father who wanted me, but the thing with that is it certainly caused me to be closer to my heavenly father and got me to a point where I was content. Thinking that this is the beginning of the \"easy life,\" George is ill-prepared for the unexpected pitfalls his new address will bring him. Turns out, he has some very interesting and deep reasons for this. Talk about stress and adjustment issues., In a 2001 PEOPLE interview, the actor further revealed that his dissatisfaction caused him to act out. Actor Mike Evans. ", Mike Evans' daughter Carlena Harris | Photo: YouTube/Carlena Harris. We collect and tell stories of people from all around the world. 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. mode: 'thumbnails-rr1', Although he was born in North Carolina, Mike eventually moved with his family to Los Angeles, California, where he decided that he wanted to try his luck in show business, having studied acting at Los Angeles City College. Remember him? I started loving it, I mean, started knowing that I could even write. He has appeared in all 253 episodes of The Jeffersons . Lionel is introduced in the first episode (and, in fact, appears on screen before Archie Bunker does). The show touched on issues that were taboo on TV at the time such as homosexuality, abortion, racism, rape, religion and more. Publicity photo of Mike Evans during his time on "The Jeffersons" circa 1975 | Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain. To support himself, he took a job in the mail room of Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, where he gamely replied Yes whenever coworkers asked, Werent you Lionel? Evans also joined a church and began taking singing lessons. *Singing* Well were moving on up! 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. The episode with George's first appearance is called "Henry's Farewell," which is a fitting title--we never see Uncle Henry again. Under the influence, the actor walked to the George Washington Bridge, intending to jump into the Hudson River. Mike Evans died in 2006 in his mothers house. And things start evolving and I started tutoring. #inline-recirc-item--id-9e2ec6fa-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d, #right-rail-recirc-item--id-9e2ec6fa-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d { On All in the Family, Lionel was portrayed by Mike Evans from 1971 to 1975. Are any of the members of peter, paul and mary still alive? is for general information purposes only. *Singing*. container: 'taboola-right-rail-thumbnails', Damon Evans played Lionel from seasons 2-4, before being replaced by Mike Evans, who left the series to co-produce and develop another Norman Lear series. I just sort of just said well, let me just see where this goes. Check out an interview that Damon did with interviewer, Keith Boykin, Damon Evans on how The Jeffersons sitcom negatively affected his life. Lets just say this, Ive taken detours but I always come back home. Paul Benedict (September 17, 1938 December 1, 2008) was an American actor who made numerous appearances in television and films, beginning in 1965. She was 86. Found Her! AmoMama creates engaging, meaningful content for women. We collect and tell stories of people from all around the world. Sometimes, that is still not enough for some people to differentiate us apart. Before undertaking any course of treatment please consult with your healthcare provider. I thought, I cant go on like this anymore, Evans recalls. What happened to the first Lionel on Jeffersons? Damon Evans (born November 24, 1949) is an American actor, best known as the second of two actors who portrayed Lionel Jefferson on the The Jeffersons. To be quite honest, I didn't have a direction when I went there. Mike Evans, the actor who portrayed Lionel Jefferson on the TV series "All In The Family" and "The Jeffersons," passed away at the age of 57 years old following a short-lived career. What happened to Lionel on The Jeffersons? Lionel's patience runs out when Archie tells him not to see his niece socially because "white ought to stay with white and colored ought to stay with colored". ! After the original Lionel Jefferson actor, Mike Evans (no relation to Damon), left the show, Damon replaced him in 1975. In July 1974, Evans met Helena Jefferson (19522002). 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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. Damon sure had all of us fooled. [1], A college student majoring in drama but with no acting experience, Evans caught his big break when All in the Family producer and director John Rich hired him to play Lionel Jefferson, the son of the Bunkers' new black neighbors. That is the closest I ever got to meeting and/or knowing Mike Evans, his mother. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Original Lionel, Mike Evans, decided to leave the show after the second season. Wow! He explained during an interview with News & Notes that his foray into academics, though unplanned, was life-changing. or "Lawd almighty, what is we gonna do?"). Early life [ edit] Evans was born in Salisbury, North Carolina. Posted On : May 14, 2015. This resulted in grueling struggle of unemployment, with very few acting gigs in between. On what advice he would tell others who want to follow in his footsteps and pursue an acting career. 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. display: none; This event creates tension for Archie, though it elates Michael and Gloria. Unfortunately, when Damon's work permit in the UK expired, and he returned to the United States, the actor discovered he had been typecast as a comedic character. Mike Evans and other cast members of "All In the Family" in August 1975 | Photo: Wikimedia Commons. Evans attended the Interlochen Academy on a Reader's Digest Scholarship. Online (22 Dec 2006, 02:56:00 PM PST): ", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mike_Evans_(actor)&oldid=1125602728, People from San Bernardino County, California, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2021, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Main cast (34 episodes) (final appearance), This page was last edited on 4 December 2022, at 22:04. Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories. Not wanting to settle, he remained jobless for many years and eventually turned to drugs to deal with his frustration. Actor Mike Evans, best known as Lionel Jefferson in the TV sitcoms "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons," has died. | The Norman Lear Effecthttps://bit.ly/NormanLearEffect I uprooted myself from a role as a classical music student and was thrust in the publics eye overnight. On the PBS childrens show Sesame Street, Benedict was the Mad Painter who painted numbers everywhere. Damon Evans took over the role and he stayed for two years in seasons three and fourthis was the dark period. Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories. Luckily a lack of nerveand one nagging thoughtkept his feet on the ground. "The Jeffersons" cast His Addictions & Suicide Attempt. Trending News 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. 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. 'Jeffersons' Actor Mike Evans Dies December 22, 2006 / 9:42 AM / AP Actor Mike Evans, best known as Lionel Jefferson in the TV comedy series "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons," has. He was later played by Damon Evans, while Mike was working with Monte co-creator of Good Times writing scripts for the series. Lionel Jefferson, who appeared in seasons 1-5 of All In The Family is the son of George and Louise Jefferson, On the AITF series, the part was played by Mike Evans, who would go on to co-create another Norman Lear produced sitcom, Good Times in 1975, the same season his character Lionel, George and Louise were spun off themselves into a series, titled The Jeffersons. The actor, who was 57 at the time of his passing, was famous for playing the role of Lionel Jefferson first in "All in the Family," and later in "The Jeffersons.". Away from the world of entertainment, Damon bagged his Bachelors Degree in Psychology from Bronx Community College in 2007. On All in the Family, Lionel was portrayed by Mike Evans from 1971 to 1975. All in the Family's CBS spinoff series, The Jeffersons premiered in 1975. Damon revealed that his sexual preference became an issue for him on . Lionel Gets the Business: Directed by Bob Lally. A total of 253 episodes aired on CBS over 11 seasons, from January 18, 1975, through July 2, 1985. Start Today. Evans was a creator/writer of the series Good Times (197479). Four years after her death, Evans died of throat cancer at his mother's home in Twentynine Palms, California, at the age of 57.[5]. Michael Jonas Evans (November 3, 1949 - December 14, 2006) was an American actor, best known as Lionel Jefferson on both All in the Family and The Jeffersons. And things start evolving and I started tutoring. 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. According to her, she was raised by her mother and grandmother, and that, shockingly, Mike absolutely refused to believe that he was her biological father. window._taboola = window._taboola || []; Damon Evans (born November 24, 1949) is an American actor best known as the second of two actors who portrayed Lionel Jefferson on the CBS sitcom The Jeffersons. The actor who gave life to Lionel Jefferson for more than a decade lost his life after a long battle with cancer. display: none; We all remember "Jenny Willis," "Tom's" and "Helen's" daughter on The Jeffersons, but many of us didn't hear much from her outside of a few other roles in films like Harlem Knights, Goodfellas, and such. 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. Evan's character, Lionel, was one of the first characters that showcased an opinionated black young man, and even though he had to deal with his neighbor Archie's constant ignorant and racist comments, Lionel usually played along, remaining unfazed about the demonstrations of bigotry displayed by Archie. I didnt have any pride.. 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. While he was still in college trying to make his dream come true, John Rich, the producer, and director of "All in the Family" hired Mike to play the role of Lionel Jefferson, which was quite surprising considering that he had no acting experience. 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So, naturally, he packs up and leaves his neighbors behind one day to move to the Soviet Union. When Lionel Jefferson actor Mike Evans left The Jeffersons shortly after the All in the Family spin-off debuted on CBS in 1975, it was . Kiss announce farewell tour set to conclude in NYC Franklin Cover, Paul Benedict, Sherman Hemsley, Marla Gibbs, Ned Wertimer, Berlinda Tolbert, Roxie Roker, Isabel Sanford, and Mike Evans from "The Jeffersons" in 1975 in Los Angeles, California | Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images. Evans was replaced by Damon Evans (no relation) for four years, then he returned to the series from 1979 to 1981. Ultimately, his struggles pushed him to a suicide attempt that fortunately went wrong:The Jeffersons actor, Damon Evans (via Facebook). 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. 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. We humbly honor the old school soul music era and will keep pushing forward to keep it alive. Damon was only 25 in 1975 when he was tapped to replace Mike Evans (no relation) as Lionel Jefferson in the primetime TV show. 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She was sometimes credited as Ebony Smith. I had not even seen one episode of the show before I took over the part, and the producers discouraged me from ever watching any of the episodes in which Mike had appeared. While the actor was away from the Jeffersons, Damon Evans, who starred in the musical "Jesus Christ Superstar" and Broadway's "Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope," replaced him between the second and fourth seasons. Samuel L Jackson & Wife Are Married for 41 Years & 'Still Love Each Other' Though They Took 10 Years to Wed, 'Law & Order's' Camryn Manheim Turns 61 - Meet Her Son Milo Who Is All Grown-up & Is Also an Actor, Who Is Jake Sully from Avatar? It achieved the record of having topped the Nielsen ratings for five consecutive years. He was 57. Besides, I was just becoming aware that I was a gay man and the conflict of the expectations of Hollywood and the role of Lionel placed me in enormous emotional, psychological, and spiritual conflict with myself. 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. Damon Evans (no relation to Mike) played the role from the fall of 1975 until early 1978. Justin Bieber concerts canceled on ticket sales sites Stories of people from all around the world 's CBS spinoff series, actor. He packs up and leaves his neighbors behind one day to move to Soviet... Evans from 1971 to 1975 me just see where this goes introduced in the first episode ( and in. An issue for him on though it elates Michael and Gloria, Public Domain Archie! For five consecutive years `` ) Harris | Photo: Wikimedia Commons closest I ever got to meeting knowing. Jefferson for more than a decade lost his life of unemployment, with very acting... 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