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Actress Isabel Sanford, best known as "Weezy," Louise Jefferson on the television sitcom The Jeffersons, died of natural causes on Friday July 9th. She was 86. Isabel Sanford, born and raised in New York, began her acting career in her teens. After more than 30 years in theater and on Broadway, she packed up her family and decided to make a go of things in Hollywood. She received her breakthrough role as "Tillie," the faithful cook in Stanley Kramer's "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" in 1967 which helped her to land several guest roles on shows like Bewitched, The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Mod Squad. She also was hired for frequent guest spots on The Carol Burnett Show from 1967 to 1969. In 1971, Ms. Sanford appeared in her most recognized role, Louise "Weezy" Jefferson, the level-headed counterpart to pig-headed George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley), neighbors to the Bunkers on All In the Family. The dynamic combination between Ms. Sanford and Mr. Hemsley lead to their own groundbreaking series in 1975 called The Jeffersons. Nominated for seven Emmys, Ms. Sanford won for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her role on The Jeffersons in 1981, and was the first African American to win in that category in the history of the awards. She was also nominated for a Golden Globe five times. Her role as "Weezy" went beyond the show's successful ten year run on CBS. She continued to be seen on screen and stage, often with Hemsley, in a touring company of "The Real Live Jeffersons" in the mid '90s, as well as appearing in guest roles on several television series. Recently, Ms. Sanford played herself on The Simpsons and appeared in commercial campaigns for Denny's restaurants and Old Navy retailer. In January 2004 she received a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame. Ms. Sanford is survived by three children, seven grandchildren and six great grandchildren. TV Land will honor the life and work of acclaimed television, theater and film actress Isabel Sanford with a six-episode presentation of The Jeffersons on Wednesday, July 14 beginning at 8:00 PM (et/pt). TV Land has selected six of the most memorable episodes from The Jeffersons ranging from the series' first episode, "A Friend in Need," to Ms. Sanford's favorite, in which Sammy Davis Jr. guest stars -- "What Makes Sammy Run?" Click here for more schedule information. |