KayfabeMan
07-14-2004, 01:02 PM
TV's "Weezie" Dead
by Joal Ryan
Jul 12, 2004, 10:35 AM PT
Isabel Sanford was nearly 60 when she landed her own sitcom,
but she would be nearly 90 before relinquished the fame, if not
the role.
Sanford, who played Louise Jefferson, the put-upon dry-cleaner
mogul's wife known to the pop-culturally literate as "Weezie," in
The Jeffersons, All in the Family and a host of guest spots and
commercials -- died Friday at a Los Angeles hospital of natural
causes, her publicist announced Monday. She was 86.
Sanford was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on July 4.
Her family told the Associated Press her health had been on the
decline since artery surgery in the neck 10 months ago.
As 1981's Emmy winner for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy
Series for The Jeffersons, Sanford was the first, and, to date, only
--black actress to be so honored.
In all, Sanford earned seven Emmy nominations and five Golden
Globe nominations for a sitcom, The Jeffersons, that, while a pi-
oneering comedy for black actors, otherwise earned few critical
or Industry accolades.
A spinoff of All in the Family, on which Sanford first played Louise
Jefferson on a recurring basis from 71-75, The Jeffersons followed
the Archie Bunker school of sitcom comedy, pitting one loud man
against the world.
Where All in the Family had Queens bigot Archie Bunker, The
Jeffersons had Manhattan mouth George Jefferson (Sherman
Hemsley), a Napoleonic figure forever battling stuffy white
people, his racially diverse penthouse neighbors, his own
family and his maid (Marla Gibbs).
Keeping a cool head amid the yelling was Weezie, George's loyal,
less easily flustered Edith.
"Isabel was our queen, and that's what we called her on the
show," Gibbs told AP. "Isabel would come in and just light up
the room and start telling stories and having everybody in stitches."
Sanford was 57 when The Jeffersons debuted on CBS in January
1975--nearly 21 years older than her TV spouse.
She was 50 when she made her film debut as Spencer Tracy and
Katharine Hepburn's housekeeper in the 1967 Oscar-winning drama
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner.
Though her screen career was founded in middle age, Sanford
was no newcomer to acting. The New York City native, born on
Aug. 29, 1917, worked in theater for decades before "Movin' on
Up," as The Jefferson's sing-along theme song would put it, to
Hollywood.
The Jeffersons was a top 20 show for six of its 11 seasons,
remarkably enjoying its biggest ratings success in the middle
of its run. It topped out as the third most-watched show of
the 1981-82 season.
For Hemsley and Sanford, 253 episodes of George and Weezie
were not enough. They appeared in retro-minded Old Navy
commercials in 1998-99 and went to bat for the Denny's Grand
Slam breakfast in a series of spots in 2001.
They guested together on TV shows through the 1990s, appearing
as both as their old TV selves (on a 1995 Fresh Prince of Bel-Air)
and as original characters (on a 1994 Lois & Clark).
As a solo, Sanford appeared in 1972's Lady Sings the Blues, among
other films, and on numerous prime-time series. As recently as last
February, she was heard on a new Simpsons.
In January, she received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Sanford is survived by three children, several grandchildren and great-grandchildren and a wealth of cable-ready reruns.
A public memorial service is planned.
:( :wavesad:
by Joal Ryan
Jul 12, 2004, 10:35 AM PT
Isabel Sanford was nearly 60 when she landed her own sitcom,
but she would be nearly 90 before relinquished the fame, if not
the role.
Sanford, who played Louise Jefferson, the put-upon dry-cleaner
mogul's wife known to the pop-culturally literate as "Weezie," in
The Jeffersons, All in the Family and a host of guest spots and
commercials -- died Friday at a Los Angeles hospital of natural
causes, her publicist announced Monday. She was 86.
Sanford was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on July 4.
Her family told the Associated Press her health had been on the
decline since artery surgery in the neck 10 months ago.
As 1981's Emmy winner for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy
Series for The Jeffersons, Sanford was the first, and, to date, only
--black actress to be so honored.
In all, Sanford earned seven Emmy nominations and five Golden
Globe nominations for a sitcom, The Jeffersons, that, while a pi-
oneering comedy for black actors, otherwise earned few critical
or Industry accolades.
A spinoff of All in the Family, on which Sanford first played Louise
Jefferson on a recurring basis from 71-75, The Jeffersons followed
the Archie Bunker school of sitcom comedy, pitting one loud man
against the world.
Where All in the Family had Queens bigot Archie Bunker, The
Jeffersons had Manhattan mouth George Jefferson (Sherman
Hemsley), a Napoleonic figure forever battling stuffy white
people, his racially diverse penthouse neighbors, his own
family and his maid (Marla Gibbs).
Keeping a cool head amid the yelling was Weezie, George's loyal,
less easily flustered Edith.
"Isabel was our queen, and that's what we called her on the
show," Gibbs told AP. "Isabel would come in and just light up
the room and start telling stories and having everybody in stitches."
Sanford was 57 when The Jeffersons debuted on CBS in January
1975--nearly 21 years older than her TV spouse.
She was 50 when she made her film debut as Spencer Tracy and
Katharine Hepburn's housekeeper in the 1967 Oscar-winning drama
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner.
Though her screen career was founded in middle age, Sanford
was no newcomer to acting. The New York City native, born on
Aug. 29, 1917, worked in theater for decades before "Movin' on
Up," as The Jefferson's sing-along theme song would put it, to
Hollywood.
The Jeffersons was a top 20 show for six of its 11 seasons,
remarkably enjoying its biggest ratings success in the middle
of its run. It topped out as the third most-watched show of
the 1981-82 season.
For Hemsley and Sanford, 253 episodes of George and Weezie
were not enough. They appeared in retro-minded Old Navy
commercials in 1998-99 and went to bat for the Denny's Grand
Slam breakfast in a series of spots in 2001.
They guested together on TV shows through the 1990s, appearing
as both as their old TV selves (on a 1995 Fresh Prince of Bel-Air)
and as original characters (on a 1994 Lois & Clark).
As a solo, Sanford appeared in 1972's Lady Sings the Blues, among
other films, and on numerous prime-time series. As recently as last
February, she was heard on a new Simpsons.
In January, she received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Sanford is survived by three children, several grandchildren and great-grandchildren and a wealth of cable-ready reruns.
A public memorial service is planned.
:( :wavesad: