Isabel Sanford

Isabel Sanford (August 29, 1917 - July 9, 2004) was an American actress most famous for her role as Louise "Weezie" Jefferson on the CBS television sitcoms All in the Family (1971-1975) and The Jeffersons (1975-1985). She was the first black woman to win an Emmy (she won an award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1981), and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
 
Sanford, after a period of working in the theatre during the early 1960s, made her film debut in the 1967 film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner,playing the critically acclaimed role of the maid Tillie Binks. She caught the attention of major Hollywood players, including Norman Lear, who cast Sanford in the role of Louise Jefferson. Sanford and her TV husband, Sherman Hemsley, were very popular as the Jeffersons, but were mostly typecast by the roles. After the series was cancelled in 1985 Sanford was mostly limited to guest TV appearances and cameo appearances in movies, appearing in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Dream On, Living Single, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, In the House and The Steve Harvey Show, as well as the extremely short-lived 1992 CBS Love Boat ripoff Hearts Are Wild. She also did voice acting for The Simpsons, as well as advertisements for Denny's and Old Navy.
 
Sanford died of natural causes at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
 
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