Love it or hate it, “Sanford and Son” is one of the most groundbreaking American sitcoms of all time. The NBC series about a widowed get-rich-quick schemer (Redd Foxx) living in Los Angeles’ Watts neighborhood with his adult son (Demond Wilson) was an undeniable hit during its run. It ushered in a Golden Age of Black family sitcoms thanks to dynamic performances, frank dialogue written from a working-class Black perspective, and its often uproarious scripts. It was such a ratings juggernaut that it’s often credited for killing off its much more sanitized competition, “The Brady Bunch.”
“It was a groundbreaking series,” Eric Deggans wrote in a series retrospective for the official Emmys website, noting that “Before ‘Good Times’ and ‘The Jeffersons’ would make TV history with powerful stories focused on Black families, ‘Sanford and Son’ would explore the prickly relationship between a middle-aged Black man and his son.” The brainchild of Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin, “Sanford and Son” was not without its controversy, but the provocative series remains a syndication favorite to this day.
Alongside Wilson and Foxx, series stars included LaWanda Page, Raymond Allen, Whitman Mayo, Don Bexley, and Nathaniel Taylor. Aside from Wilson, all of these cast members have since passed away, but a few key supporting actors are still with us — and in at least one case, still friends with one another.
Demond Wilson (Lamont Sanford)
For six seasons, actor Demond Wilson played Lamont Sanford on “Sanford & Son.” One begrudging half of the titular duo, Lamont was his father’s partner in harebrained schemes as often as he was his foil. Wilson had a famously complex relationship with co-star Redd Foxx, which he later wrote about in the book “Second Banana.” In late series director Alan Rafkin’s own memoir, “Cue the Bunny on the Rainbow,” he wrote that Wilson was “one of the most evil actors I have ever worked with,” citing his alleged disrespect for “the rehearsal process,” the way he “needled Redd,” and his and Foxx’s apparent habit of playing with real guns at work — while stoned.
With behind-the-scenes stories like this, it’s no surprise that Wilson didn’t return to the show for its sequels. According to GetTV, Demond asked to continue the show with a raise and without Foxx when the latter quit after season six, but NBC denied the request. The network made a spin-off called “Sanford Arms” without either lead, and Foxx later returned for sequel series “Sanford.”
Since his time on the show, Wilson has kept busy. He appeared on screen, starring in ’80s sitcom “The New Odd Couple” and appearing in more than one episode of “The Love Boat” and “Girlfriends.” He’s also acted in faith-based plays and appeared in four films, including werewolf high schooler flick “Full Moon High.” Wilson’s work as an author has been more prolific: He’s penned a handful of books to date, and his website indicates he’s written several scripts as well. It also notes that he became a Christian minister in 1983 (he comes across as very zealous in an L.A. Times piece from the time) and founded an organization called Restoration House of America in 1995.
Lynn Hamilton (Donna Harris)
Like Wilson, Lynn Hamilton did not appear in the spin-offs and sequels that followed “Sanford and Son,” despite having played Fred’s girlfriend Donna for much of the show’s run (she appeared in 22 episodes across all six seasons). Soon after the initial show ended, she took a major role in miniseries “Roots: The Next Generations,” while continuing to appear as neighbor Verdie in the popular period series “The Waltons.” Her most prolific TV role would actually be on “Generations,” a relatively short-lived soap opera she appeared in 132 times throughout its run.
Hamilton’s other TV credits include a starring role in the prime-time soap “Dangerous Women,” recurring roles in “The Practice,” “Sunset Beach,” and “227” (which starred her “Sanford and Son” costar Hal Williams, also in “The Waltons”), and guest spots on shows like “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Murphy Brown,” and “Sister, Sister.” While the majority of Hamilton’s film work came before the sitcom, she also appeared in some roles after, including the 1993 thriller “The Vanishing” and biopic “Elvis & Me.” Her most recent on-screen role came in 2009 with a one-off appearance on “Cold Case.”
Interestingly, Hamilton has sometimes been incorrectly cited as the sister of “Sanford & Son” co-star LaWanda Page. She explained the mix-up while fondly remembering her castmate in an interview with Big Meach on YouTube, saying, “She absolutely adored me, and I she … We were very, very close and at one point we were talking and she said, ‘You know, I love you so, I feel like you’re my sister.’ And from that point on she would introduce me as her sister.”
Hal Williams (Officer Smitty)
After making his on-screen debut just one year earlier, Hal Williams joined the “Sanford & Son” cast in 1972 playing police officer “Smitty” Smith. A popular recurring character, Smitty often played the straight man to Howard Platt’s more clueless Officer Hoppy. The pair still work together these days: In an interview with GetTV, he said that the duo sometimes do a show together, drawing fans who are still excited to meet them after all these years. “Sanford has had the longevity,” Williams told the outlet. “The writing was there, and the talent was there. Howard said to me, ‘You know, we got paid for having a damn good time.’ And I said, ‘We sure did.'”
In the decades since the show ended, Williams has continued to appear on the big and small screen alike, most recently popping up in a 2022 episode of the now-canceled Peacock show “Mr. Mayor.” Like Hamilton, he appeared in “Roots: The Next Generation” and “The Waltons,” and he starred in the ’80s sitcoms “Private Benjamin” and “227,” the latter of which was created when, as he tells GetTV, Norman Lear saw the play of the same name (which Williams also acted in) and “the rest is history.” You might also recognize him from episodes of “Parks and Recreation,” “Tales From The Crypt,” “Hill Street Blues,” and “The Jefferson,” among other shows.
On the film front, Williams has appeared in the Denzel Washington drama “Flight,” the Clint Eastwood-directed “The Rookie,” the “Private Benjamin” movie, “Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner” remake “Guess Who?”, and “Hardcore,” Paul Schrader’s exploration of the L.A. porn scene.
Howard Platt (Officer Hoppy)
Another 20th century sitcom mainstay, Howard Platt built up his acting credits while appearing intermittently in “Sanford and Son” as the decidedly not-hip white police officer who sometimes visited the Sanfords. While playing fan favorite Officer Hoppy (real name Howard Hopkins), Platt was also popping up on shows like “The Bob Newhart Show” and “Kojak,” plus films including “Westworld.” He kept that momentum going after the show ended, appearing in shows and movies throughout the ’80s and ’90s as well as a smattering of roles in recent years.
Platt last appeared in the Stephen Fry-penned movie “The Hippopotamus” in 2017, and his other post-“Sanford” film roles include a part in Oliver Stone’s “Nixon” and a turn in “The Rock,” Michael Bay’s Alcatraz escape movie, among others. On the small screen, he appeared in five episodes of NYPD comedy “Barney Miller,” showed up in the queer cult classic miniseries “Tales of the City,” headlined the short-lived series “Flying High,” and played a bureaucratic army lawyer in an episode of “M*A*S*H.” Platt’s own website also notes that he’s worked as a producer and director, and has made a handful of songs.
As mentioned, Platt and Williams are still friends and coworkers today: According to an interview Williams gave The Official Black Magazine in 2022, the pair actually travel the auto show circuit, the series’ original Ford F-1 50 pickup truck in tow. “Myself and Howard Platt, who played the other Police Officer, [take] the original red truck from the show to auto shows to make speeches and sign autographs,” Williams explained. He told GetTV that fans still line up for autographs and photos, even in the snow.
