Sherman Hemsley, TV’s George Jefferson, Dies at 74

By Jeremy Taylor July 25, 2012 3:01 PM | theFW.com

Sherman Hemsley, a television fixture of the ’70s and ’80s, has died at his home in El Paso, Texas at age 74. His passing is being attributed to “natural causes.”

Hemsley, who was born in Philadelphia and had a theater background, got his big break in 1973 when he joined the cast of the hit sitcom ‘All in The Family’ as ill-tempered schemer George Jefferson.

George Jefferson proved so popular that the character was spun off into the show ‘The Jeffersons,’ which ran from 1975 to 1985. After a brief hiatus, Hemsley returned to TV in 1986 as Deacon Ernest Frye on ‘Amen,’ a sitcom which lasted until 1991.

Hemsley also reprised his George Jefferson role in a 1990 episode of ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.’

In the video below, Hemsley explains how he created George Jefferson. Other clips of Hemsley’s performance as the iconic character follow along with the theme songs for ‘The Jeffersons’ and ‘Amen.’

What’s your favorite George Jefferson moment?