Lionel Jefferson

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Lionel Jefferson
The Jeffersons Sanford Hemsley Evans 1974.jpg
Lionel (top) with parents, George and Louise Jefferson.
First appearance"Meet the Bunkers"
( All in the Family )
Last appearance"Sayonara, Pt. 2"
( The Jeffersons )
Portrayed by D'Urville Martin (two unaired pilots)
Mike Evans (1971–1975, 1979–1981, 1985)
Damon Evans (1975–1978)
Jovan Adepo (2019)
In-universe information
OccupationEngineer [1]
Family George Jefferson (father)
Louise Jefferson (mother)
Spouse Jenny Willis (1976–1985)
ChildrenJessica Jefferson (daughter)
Relatives
  • William T. Jefferson (grandfather)
  • Olivia Jefferson (grandmother)
  • Harold Mills (grandfather)
  • Henry Jefferson (uncle)
  • Maxine Mills (aunt)
  • Raymond Jefferson (cousin)
  • Jason Mills (cousin)
  • Julie Williams (cousin)

Lionel Jefferson is a supporting character from the hit sitcoms All in the Family and The Jeffersons . He is the son of George and Louise Jefferson. He was originally portrayed by D'Urville Martin for two unaired pilots, before the role was recast with Mike Evans. He was later played by Damon Evans (no relation), though Mike Evans eventually returned to the role before the end of the series. [2] Jovan Adepo portrayed the character for the television special Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's All in the Family and The Jeffersons .

Contents

All in the Family

On All in the Family, Lionel was portrayed by Mike Evans from 1971 to 1975.

Lionel was born in New York City on October 18, 1953. His character is significant for being one of the first TV portrayals of a young, opinionated black man. Lionel is introduced in the first episode (and, in fact, appears on screen before Archie Bunker does). In one of the early episodes, the Jeffersons move into a house down the block from the Bunkers (later, the house is said to be next door). [3] This event creates tension for Archie, though it elates Michael and Gloria. As Lionel's parents and uncle Henry appear more frequently, Lionel's role becomes less significant.

Archie considers himself to be Lionel's good friend and even mentor. For his part, Lionel remains unfazed by Archie's bigotry and unrelenting condescension. Lionel is generally amused, rather than angered or irritated, by Archie's frequent displays of ignorance and bigotry, often seeing Archie's comments as well-meaning, albeit ignorant, rather than outright malicious. As such, Lionel often enjoys patronizing Archie's attitudes by playing dumb in conversations and adopting a stereotypical speech pattern (saying things like "I'm gon' be a 'lectical engineer!" or "Lawd almighty, what is we gonna do?"). 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". Lionel finally tells Archie off (albeit calmly), but also lets him know that they can remain friends.

Of those in the Bunker household, Lionel is closest to Archie's son-in-law Michael Stivic. Lionel sometimes loses patience with Michael, feeling that Michael relates to him as a representative of the black community rather than as an individual.

The Jeffersons

All in the Family's spinoff The Jeffersons premiered in 1975. Without the Bunkers as foils, Lionel's role focuses more on his family life and his relationship with Jenny Willis (daughter of interracial couple Tom and Helen Willis). They eventually marry and gave birth to a daughter, Jessica. During the final season of The Jeffersons, Lionel and Jenny announce they are seeking a divorce (after living apart for several years while Lionel worked in Japan).

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. Damon Evans (no relation to Mike) played the role from the fall of 1975 until early 1978. Mike Evans returned to the series in September 1979 and appeared regularly as Lionel for two more seasons. Evans appeared infrequently after that, and made his final appearance as Lionel in the two-part episode "Sayonara" in 1985.

Related Research Articles

<i>All in the Family</i> American sitcom television series

All in the Family is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS for nine seasons, from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. Afterwards, it was produced as the continuation series Archie Bunker's Place, which picked up where All in the Family had ended and ran for four more seasons through 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Archie Bunker</span> Fictional character

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edith Bunker</span> Fictional character

Edith Bunker is a fictional character on the 1970s sitcom All in the Family, played by Jean Stapleton. She is the wife of Archie Bunker, mother of Gloria Stivic, mother-in-law of Michael "Meathead" Stivic, and grandmother of Joey Stivic. Her cousin is Maude Findlay, one of Archie's nemeses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean Stapleton</span> American actress (1923–2013)

Jean Stapleton was an American character actress of stage, television and film. Stapleton portrayed Edith Bunker, the perpetually optimistic and devoted wife of Archie Bunker, on the 1970s sitcom All in the Family, a role that earned her three Emmys and two Golden Globes for Best Actress in a comedy series. She also made occasional appearances on the All in the Family follow-up series Archie Bunker's Place, but asked to be written out of the show during the first season due to becoming tired of the role.

<i>The Jeffersons</i> American sitcom

The Jeffersons is an American sitcom television series that was broadcast on CBS from January 18, 1975, to July 2, 1985, lasting 11 seasons and a total of 253 episodes. The Jeffersons is one of the longest-running sitcoms in history, the second-longest-running series with a primarily African American cast by episode count behind Tyler Perry's House of Payne and the first to prominently feature a married interracial couple.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Stivic</span> Sitcom character

Michael Casimir "Mike" Stivic is a fictional character played by Rob Reiner on the 1970s American television sitcom All in the Family. He is the live-in son-in-law of the series' lead character, Archie Bunker, who frequently calls him "Meathead". Michael is the husband of Archie's daughter Gloria.

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Archie Bunker's Place is an American television sitcom produced as a continuation of All in the Family. It aired on CBS from September 23, 1979 to April 4, 1983. While not as popular as its predecessor, the show maintained a large enough audience to last for four seasons. It performed so well during its first season that it displaced Mork & Mindy from its Sunday night time slot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zara Cully</span> American actress (1892–1978)

Zara Frances Cully was an American actress. Cully was best known for her role as Olivia 'Mother Jefferson' Jefferson on the CBS sitcom The Jeffersons, which she portrayed from the series beginning in 1975 until her death in 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joey Stivic</span> Fictional character

Joseph Michael "Joey" Stivic is a fictional character who first appeared on the 1970s American sitcom All in the Family. Joey Stivic was the son and only child of Mike Stivic and Gloria Stivic, and the grandson of Archie Bunker and Edith Bunker. The character first appeared as a newborn baby in a two-part episode of All in the Family that aired in December 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Jefferson</span> Fictional character

George Jefferson is a fictional character played by Sherman Hemsley on the American television sitcoms All in the Family and its spin-off The Jeffersons (1975–1985), in which he serves as the program's protagonist. He has appeared in all 253 episodes of The Jeffersons.

Stephanie Mills is a character from the 1970s American television situation comedy All in the Family and the follow-up series Archie Bunker's Place. She was portrayed by child actress Danielle Brisebois, who joined All in the Family in 1978. Brisebois continued in the role until Archie Bunker's Place ended its run in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">D'Urville Martin</span> American actor and director (1939–1984)

D'Urville Martin was an American actor in both film and television. He appeared in numerous 1970s movies in the blaxploitation genre. He also appeared in two unaired pilots of what would become All in the Family as Lionel Jefferson. Born in New York City, Martin began his career in the mid-1960s and soon appeared in prominent films such as Black Like Me, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, and Rosemary's Baby. Martin also directed films in his career, including Dolemite, starring Rudy Ray Moore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Evans (actor)</span> American actor (1949–2006)

Michael Jonas Evans was an American actor, best known as Lionel Jefferson on both All in the Family and The Jeffersons. He was also a guest celebrity panelist on the TV game show Match Game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louise Jefferson</span> Fictional character

Louise Jefferson is a character, portrayed by Emmy Award-winning actress Isabel Sanford, who appeared first in a supporting role on the television series All in the Family and was one of the main characters in its spinoff series, The Jeffersons. The role lasted from 1971 to 1985, from her debut on All in the Family through the final episode of The Jeffersons. She was often referred to as "Weezie" by her on-screen husband, George Jefferson, and sometimes as "Mrs. J." by her neighbor Archie Bunker and later by her neighbor Harry Bentley. She was first introduced on All in the Family as a neighbor of Archie and Edith Bunker. Sanford appeared in 252 out of the 253 episodes of The Jeffersons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damon Evans (actor)</span> American actor

Damon Evans is an American actor best known as the second of two actors who portrayed Lionel Jefferson on the CBS sitcom The Jeffersons. He also portrayed the young Alex Haley in the ABC television miniseries Roots: The Next Generations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berlinda Tolbert</span> American actress

Berlinda Tolbert is an American film and television actress. Tolbert is best known for her role as Jenny Willis Jefferson, the daughter of Tom and Helen Willis on the CBS sitcom The Jeffersons, which originally aired from 1975 until 1985.

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Richard McKenzie is an American character actor who is known for his guest role as Fred Bunker, younger brother of Archie Bunker on the hit CBS-TV sitcom series All in the Family in seasons 7 and 8, and season 4 of Archie Bunker's Place. He also appeared in other popular shows such as Quincy, M.E., Hawaii Five-O, Matlock and In the Heat of the Night.

<i>Live in Front of a Studio Audience</i> Live performances of classic sitcom episodes

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References

  1. ↑ Leonard, David J.; Guerrero, Lisa (April 23, 2013). African Americans on Television: Race-ing for Ratings. ABC-CLIO. ISBN   9780275995157 – via Google Books.
  2. ↑ "Mike Evans, 57, 'Jeffersons' Actor and a Creator of 'Good Times,' Dies". The New York Times. December 23, 2006 – via NYTimes.com.
  3. ↑ Pulera, Dominic J. (February 20, 2006). Sharing the Dream: White Males in a Multicultural America. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN   9780826418296 – via Google Books.
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