I can't believe that Weezie's been gone for over a YEAR.

I thought this woman was SO COOL...one of those rare people who left behind a void that can NEVER be filled.

:toast:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0762567/



Date of birth (location)
29 August 1917
New York, New York, USA
Date of death (details)
9 July 2004
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA. (natural causes)

Isabel Sanford was a Broadway actress for over thirty years before moving to Hollywood. She made numerous guest appearances in various to include recurring member on "The Carol Burnett Show." Isabel continues to act frequently, most recently in a series of commercials for Old Navy stores with "Jeffersons" co-star, Sherman Hemsley. She made several commercials for Nick-at-Nite as well when the cable channel premiered The Jeffersons. The New York native always wanted to act. Her mother was against the idea so Sanford snuck out of the house to perform in nightclubs. After winning third place in an amateur contest at the Apollo Theatre, she confessed her extracurricular activities and became a cleaning lady.

Sanford then married William "Sonny" Richmond, had three children and worked as a keypunch operator in the New York City welfare department. She was in her late 20s when the desire to act became a reality. Sanford joined the American Negro Theater, and in 1946, made her stage debut in the play, "On Strivers Row." She moved to Los Angeles in 1960 to launch a movie career. Sanford acted in bit parts on TV shows such as "Bewitched" and "The Mod Squad," and had a semi-regular spot on "The Carol Burnett Show," but it was her performance in the 1965 Broadway production of "Amen Corner" that caught the eye of director Stanley Kramer. He cast her as the sharp-tongued maid, opposite Sidney Poitier, Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, in the 1967 film classic "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?"

Three years later, TV producer Norman Lear hired Sandford to play the recurring role of Louise "Weezy" Mills Jefferson, Archie Bunker's neighbor on the hit TV show "All in the Family." In 1975, the characters of Weezy and her husband George Jefferson (played by Sherman Hemsley) were given their own spin-off sitcom. "The Jeffersons," a comedy about a black couple who move from blue-collar Queens to the tony Upper East Side, aired for 11 seasons. In 1981, Sanford won the Emmy for Best Actress in a Comedy Series.

Although the show was canceled in 1985, Sanford and Hemsley continued to appear together in commercials for Old Navy stores, Denny's restaurants and Nick at Nite, the cable network currently running "The Jeffersons" in syndication. In recent years, she also made cameos on shows such as "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" and "The Young and the Restless." Sanford was honored with five Golden Globe nominations and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

She used to shop in the store of a relative. They frequently spoke of what an incredibly nice, down to earth lady she was. They knew she was in their line before even seeing her, because of her distinctive voice.

I was sad to see her go, too. May she rest in peace...