Grady Demond Wilson, the actor best known for his role as Lamont Sanford on the 1970s television series Sanford and Son, has died at his home in California. He was 79.
Wilson died Friday at his home in Palm Springs from complications related to cancer, his son, Demond Wilson Jr., told TMZ.
Wilson rose to national fame as Lamont Sanford, the son of junk dealer Fred G. Sanford, played by Redd Foxx. Before landing the role, Wilson appeared in a 1971 episode of All in the Family titled “Edith Writes a Song,” in which he portrayed one of two burglars who hold the Bunker family hostage. That performance led to his casting in Sanford and Son.
The series, developed by Bud Yorkin and based on the British comedy Steptoe and Son, premiered on January 14, 1972. Airing Friday nights at 8 p.m., it quickly became a ratings success, outperforming competing programs and climbing to No. 2 in the Nielsen rankings during the 1972–73 and 1974–75 seasons. The show remained a top-10 hit for five consecutive years and ran for six seasons.
Wilson later reflected that he initially hesitated before joining the series but ultimately decided to take the opportunity. He and Foxx both believed the show would bring quick success and recognition.
In 1974, Wilson continued starring in the series during a temporary salary dispute that led Foxx to briefly leave the show. Foxx ultimately departed after the 1976–77 season to host a short-lived ABC variety series. Wilson declined an offer to continue Sanford and Son without him.
He later signed what he described as a million-dollar contract to star in the CBS sitcom Baby… I’m Back!, playing a man who returns to his family after several years away. The show aired in 1978 but lasted only 13 episodes.
Wilson went on to co-star in the 1982–83 remake of The New Odd Couple alongside Ron Glass. That series ended after 18 episodes.
In the 1980s, Wilson overcame a cocaine addiction, sold his Beverly Hills home and became an ordained interdenominational minister. He spoke openly about his faith, saying he found greater fulfillment in preaching than in acting.
Born Grady Demond Wilson on October 13, 1946, in Valdosta, Georgia, he grew up in Harlem. He appeared on Broadway at age 4 in a revival of The Green Pastures and later performed at the Apollo Theater as a teenager. He studied acting at the American Community Theater and Hunter College.
Wilson was drafted into the U.S. Army and served in Vietnam with the 4th Infantry Division, where he was wounded. After completing his tour in 1968, he returned to acting in off-Broadway productions.
In 1971, in addition to All in the Family, he appeared in the Sidney Poitier film The Organization and on Mission: Impossible.
After Sanford and Son ended, NBC attempted spin-offs and revivals, including Sanford Arms and a later series titled Sanford, though Wilson did not return for those projects.
Later in his career, he appeared on the series Girlfriends and authored a 2009 memoir, Second Banana: The Bitter Sweet Memories of the Sanford & Son Years.
Wilson married Cicely Johnston in 1974. The couple had six children.
