Who Passed Away On Sanford And Son: All Deceased Cast Members

“Who passed away on Sanford and Son?” is what some nostalgic viewers may be wondering about the NBC sitcom from the ’70s. Sanford and Son premiered in 1972 and ran for six seasons, ending in 1979, making the TV show 50 years old in 2022. It’s based on the British series from a few years earlier, Steptoe and Son, but follows a Black father and son duo. The cantankerous and suspicious father, Fred Sanford, and his eponymous son, Lamont, run an antique/junk store from their home in Los Angeles while frequently dreaming up get-rich-quick schemes.

While not everything in Sanford and Son has aged perfectly, the combination of the brusque and sharp-tongued Fred with his amiable and peacekeeping son, Lamont, is always delightful. The Sanford family is the center of the show, but they are surrounded by an ensemble of recognizable and talented actors who make their characters pop off the screen. With the show premiering over half a century ago, there have been many deaths in the cast of Sanford and Son but they each leave behind a long legacy of fantastic performances.

Redd Foxx As Fred G. Sanford

Date Of Birth: December 9, 1922

• Active Since: 1935

Actor: John Elroy Sanford, best known by his stage name, Redd Foxx, was an actor and stand-up comedian known for his raunchy nightclub acts. Foxx was primarily a comedian but appeared in a handful of films, including Harlem Nights as Bennie Wilson and Norman… Is That You? as Ben Chambers. His television credits are more extensive, including performances as Al Hughes in The Redd Foxx Show, Alfonso Royal in The Royal Family, and himself in several TV comedy specials. Foxx passed away on October 11, 1991, at 68 from a heart attack.

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Character: Fred G. Sanford is a cantankerous, sarcastic, and wise older gentleman whose schemes for money often backfire. He frequently disparages his son and his neighbors with rude and crude remarks. However, he secretly has a big heart and tries to look out for his family and friends whenever he can.

LaWanda Page As Esther Anderson

Date Of Birth: October 19, 1920

• Active Since: 1935

Actor: LaWanda Page, who passed away on September 14, 2002, at age 81 from a heart attack, was an actor, comedian, and dancer. Page never had a TV role as prominent as her Sanford and Son character, but she had delivered of other television performances, including Evelyn Porter in Martin, Darla in Amen, and Charlene Jenkins in Detective School. Her film credits include an unnamed old lady in Friday and Mrs. Jones in Zapped!

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Character: Esther Anderson, or “Aunt Esther”, is the bible-carrying sister of Fred’s late wife. She’s humorless, highly religious, and very antagonistic with Fred, though she dotes on her nephew Lamont.

Raymond Allen As Woodrow “Woody” Anderson

Date Of Birth: March 5, 1929

• Active Since: 1946

Actor: Raymond Allen passed away on August 10, 2020, at the age of 91 from a respiratory illness. Throughout his career, he’d only had a dozen or so roles, including TV appearances in the cast of Good Times as Ned the Wino and Starsky and Hutch as Merl the Earl. His most notable film credit is Six Bits in Darktown Strutters

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Character: Woody is Aunt Esther’s husband and the easygoing one in their relationship. He owns a hardware store and in order to better abide his wife’s domineering personality, Woody frequently drinks, and often walks around slightly tipsy.

Whitman Mayo As Grady Wilson

Date Of Birth: November 15, 1930

• Active Since: 1966

Actor: Whitman Mayo was a prolific TV and movie actor who has appeared in numerous productions. Before the actor died on May 22, 2001, at the age of 70 from a heart attack, he had played characters in several films, including Boycott as Reverend Banyon, Waterproof as Sugar, and You Must Remember This as Jesse. His TV performances include Doc Sterling in The Van Dyke Show and One Ball in Hell Town. He also reprised his role as Grady Wilson in Grady, a failed Sanford and Son spinoff.

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Character: Grady Wilson is one of Fred’s best friends, known for his happy-go-lucky attitude about nearly everything, often saying his catchphrase, “Good Googley Goo”, whenever anything good happens. Grady acts as Fred’s sidekick, helping him with various get-rich-quick schemes.

Don Bexley As Bubba Bexley

Date Of Birth: March 10, 1910

• Active Since: 1941

Actor: Don Bexley passed away on April 15, 1997, at the age of 87 from heart and kidney failure after suffering a fall that injured his hip. Bexley was a comedian and actor who had small roles in shows like Hunter as Alf and Kirby, The Royal Family as Elston, and Cheers as Charlie. His film credits include Lou in Vibes, Sam in Little Miss Marker, and Bubbles Sweeney in Sparkle.

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Character: Bubba is another of Fred’s friends and a jovial and kind neighbor with a deep belly laugh that bothers Fred and Lamont. Bubba is generally the one encouraging Fred on his get-rich-quick schemes, but tends to stay out of the mess after Fred inevitably messes them up.

Don Bexley and Redd Foxx were also longtime friends in real life, and Bexley was an honorary pallbearer at Foxx’s funeral (via Daily Press).

Nathaniel Taylor As Rollo Lawson

Date Of Birth: March 31, 1938

• Active Since: 1969

Actor: Nathaniel Taylor had many roles in television and movies before he passed away on February 27, 2019, at the age of 80 from a heart attack, even coming out of retirement in 2016 to appear as himself on an episode of American Masters. His other television credits include playing Ike in What’s Happening!!, Jim-Jam in The Redd Foxx Show, and Bob Steffen in The Bill Cosby Show. Taylor’s film performances include Trotter in The Hunter and Sugar in Willie Dynamite.

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Character: Rollo Lawson is Lamont’s best friend, though Fred rarely has anything good to say about him. Rollo spent time in jail previously, causing Fred to often refer to him as a criminal and not trust him.

Gregory Sierra As Julio Fuentes

Date Of Birth: January 25, 1937

• Active Since: 1969

Actor: Gregory Sierra died on January 4, 2021, at 83, after a long battle with stomach and liver cancer, but he left behind an impressively long filmography. Sierra is best known for his television roles, like Det. Sgt. Chano Amengual in Barney Miller, Carlos “El Puerco” Valdez in Soap, and Captain Victor Maldonado in Something is Out There. His notable film performances include Father Giovanni in Vampires, Carlos in The Towering Inferno, and Antonio in Papillon.

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Character: Julio Fuentes is the Sanfords’ Puerto Rican next-door neighbor and a frequent target of Fred’s bigotry, though he makes quick friends with Lamont. Despite Fred’s ire, Julio is always respectful and kind.

Sanford And Son Supporting Cast And Characters

The Cast Features Some Notable Actors Of The Time

Pat Morita as Ah Chew: Pat Morita, who died on November 24, 2005, at 73 from kidney failure, was an Academy Award-nominated actor who most viewers will recognize as Mr. Miyagi from The Karate Kid and the rest of the franchise, the first of which earned him an Oscar and Golden Globe nomination. He also played Tommy Tanaka in the TV movie Amos, which earned him an Emmy nomination and another Golden Globe nomination. Morita plays Ah Chew in Sanford and Son, a Chinese American friend of Lamont’s.

Noam Pitlik as Officer “Swanny” Swanhauser: Noam Pitlik played Officer “Swanny” Swanhauser, a by-the-book police officer. Pitlik was an actor and director who won an Emmy for directing Barney Miller. He was also known for playing Wagner in Hogan’s Heroes and Max in The Fortune Cookie. Pitlik died on February 18, 1999, at the age of 66 from lung cancer.

Nancy Kulp as May Hopkins: Nancy Kulp, who died on February 3, 1991, at 69 from cancer, played May Hopkins in Sanford and Son, the prim, proper, and well-meaning mother of Officer Hopkins (Howard Platt). Kulp also starred in The Beverly Hillbillies as Jane Hathaway, a role which earned her an Emmy nomination, and she notably voiced Frou-Frou in The Aristocats.

Slappy White as Melvin: Melvin Edward “Slappy” White played Melvin, an old friend of Fred’s, and the actor passed away on November 7, 1995, at the age of 74 from a heart attack. Slappy was a comedian and an actor whose other roles include playing Sam in Fudge and Forthwith Wilson in Amazing Grace.

Marlene Clark as Janet Lawson: Marlene Clark died on May 18, 2023, at the age of 85, and she played Janet Lawson in Sanford and Son, a woman Lamont begins dating in season 5. Clark’s movie credits include Lena Aruza in Night of the Cobra Woman, Kim in Slaughter, and a secretary in Enter the Dragon.

Fritzi Burr as Various Characters: Fritizi Burr appeared as various characters in 10 episodes of Sanford and Son. She died on January 17, 2003, at the age of 78 from natural causes. Burr’s other TV credits include one-episode roles in shows like Seinfeld and The Golden Girls, and two episodes of The Incredible Hulk. In film, Burr played Mulwray’s secretary in Chinatown.

Frank Nelson as Various Characters: Frank Nelson died on September 12, 1986, at the age of 75 from cancer. He played various characters in Sanford and Son, always as a foil to Fred, responding to everything with a drawn-out “EEE-Yeeeeeeeeesssss?“ It’s basically the same character he played on The Jack Benny Program, I Love Lucy, The Real McCoys, The Addams Family, and many more programs. Nelson is also the inspiration for the “Yes Guy” on The Simpsons.