‘Sanford and Son’ actor Grady Demond Wilson dead aged 79
Beloved Sanford and Son actor Grady Demond Wilson has passed away at the age of 79.
Wilson, who was known only as Demond Wilson professionally, was best known for his role as Lamont Sanford in the influential 1970s sitcom, Sanford and Son.
Wilson’s death was related to complications from an unknown type of cancer. His son, Demond Wilson Jr., shared the news that his father passed away on January 30th at his home in Palm Springs, California.
His son shared with TMZ, “I loved him. He was a great man,” while reflecting on his recent passing.
As a child, Wilson danced on Broadway and spent his teenage years acting at Harlem’s Apollo Theatre. After serving in the Vietnam War with the US Army, his Hollywood career began in earnest.
From 1972 to 1977, he starred alongside Red Foxx in Sanford and Son, which followed the father and son through their daily lives as they run a struggling junkyard, Sanford and Son Salvage.
Following this, the actor starred in the Baby…I’m Back! sitcom as Raymond Ellis. He was also in one season of The New Odd Couple in the early 1980s, though the show was cancelled after a single 18-episode season.
In his 2009 autobiography, he reflected on “making history” as a black actor on the sitcom scene. “We were the first Blacks to be on television in that capacity, and we opened the door for all those other shows that came after us,” he wrote.
He also appeared on the big screen in movies such as The Organization, Dealing: Or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues, and Full Moon High
He also appeared in the 1993 comedy movie, Me and the Kid, before taking an extended break and appearing once more in 2023 for one season of the drama Eleanor’s Bench.
The star was also devoted to his faith; he became an ordained minister in the 1980s.
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