Hollywood actor, Grady Demond Wilson, best known for playing Lamont Sanford on the hit 1970s sitcom ‘Sanford and Son’ has died at the age of 79.
Wilson died Friday morning at his home in Palm Springs, California, according to his son, Demond Wilson Jr. His death was related to complications from cancer.
Born in 1946, Wilson began performing at a young age, dancing on Broadway as a child and acting at Harlem’s Apollo Theater as a teenager.
He later served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War before starting his Hollywood career.
Wilson starred alongside Redd Foxx on ‘Sanford and Son’ from 1972 to 1977. The show was one of the most popular sitcoms of its time and played a major role in expanding Black representation on American television.
Wilson later appeared in ‘Baby… I’m Back!’, ‘The New Odd Couple’, and the 1993 film ‘Me and the Kid’. ‘His final acting role came in 2023 in the drama Eleanor’s Bench’.
Outside of acting, Wilson became an ordained minister in the 1980s and founded the Restoration House of America, a ministry focused on helping former inmates re-enter society.
He is survived by his wife of nearly 50 years, Cicely Johnston, and their six children.
Fans and fellow actors have taken to social media to share condolences, remembering Wilson for his groundbreaking television career and lasting impact as a minister.
