Jack Shea
Inveterate TV sitcom director and Directors Guild of America chief Jack Shea died on Sunday in Los Angeles at age 84.
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Ned Wertimer
Ned Wertimer, who played Ralph the Doorman for 11 seasons on The Jeffersons, died Jan. 2 from complications related to a fall, The Associated Press reports. He was 89.
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Jesse Bradford, Jimmy Fallon, Zach Cregger, Anthony Anderson
Jimmy Fallon has showed off his free-styling skills in his hit "History of Rap," and now he's taking on favorite television theme songs of the past.
On Tuesday night's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, the host was joined by the stars of his new sitcom Guys with Kids. After explaining why they were adamant about the show having their own theme song, Fallon burst into song starting with Anthony Anderson's personal favorite, the tune from The Jeffersons.
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Sherman Hemsley
Sherman Hemsley, best known for playing the vocal patriarch George Jefferson on The Jeffersons, died Tuesday, TMZ reports. He was 74.
He died at his El Paso, Texas, home, of natural causes, police told TMZ.
Remember other celebrities we lost this year
A theater actor in his early years, Hemsley originated the role of George Jefferson on...
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Marla Gibbs
It's a 227 reunion! Marla Gibbs will guest-star in an upcoming episode of procedural drama Southland, alongside 227 co-star Regina King. (Now, where's Jackee?)
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Ah theme songs, they really just aren’t what they used to be (minus The Simpsons who we give three gold stars for creativity). Nowadays, all you get is some instrumental indie song crunched into ten second span of pretty faces and some crafty CGI flashing across the screen. So in honor of the good ole’ days of theme songs that actually told a story, we’re treating you to one our personal favorites— The Jeffersons’ “Movin’ on Up.” Permission granted to sing along. Watch it now! | More online videos
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Clockwise (from left): Isabel Sanford, Franklin Cover, Roxie Roker, Sherman Hemsley, The Jeffersons
Question: Help me out here. I'm a big fan of The Jeffersons and I always thought the first actor who played Lionel left because of a swelled head, then came back when his solo career didn't take off. But my brother insists it was so that his brother could take over. Who's right?
Answer: Why, you are, Brenda, assuming you mean Mike Evans, who played young Lionel Jefferson on All in the Family and then on its Jeffersons spin-off. He left because of an inflated sense of self rather than a bump on the noggin. However, it's probably nicer to say he suffered from the inexperience of youth rather than to tar him with the ego brush. Of course, the actor himself took it a step further in 1980 and told TV Guide he was dar
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Florence Henderson
VH1 has announced the has-beens who will be cohabitating in the sixth season of its megahit The Surreal Life. They are — and I swear I'm not joking — The Jeffersons' Sherman Hemsley, Whitesnake video vamp Tawny Kitaen, Poison guitarist C.C. DeVille, Playboy TV's Andrea Lowell, Smashmouth rocker Steve Harwell and Alexis Arquette, Rosanna, Patricia and David's cross-dressing sibling. Wait, it gets better: Florence Henderson will also be on hand as the roommates' official den mother. Charlene Tilton's application was rejected yet again.
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William Shatner
This, folks, is a cautionary tale about what happens when you put a Grammys producer in charge: The 57th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, airing Sept. 18 on CBS, will feature actors performing classic TV theme songs throughout the telecast. At the end of the show, a winner (determined by viewer votes) will be declared the "Emmy Idol." The playlist includes The Apprentice's Donald Trump and Will & Grace's Megan Mullally doing Green Acres (OK, that could be fun); Boston Legal's William Shatner and opera star Frederica von Stade channeling Star Trek (There are lyrics? I'm scared); Veronica Mars' Kristen Bell taking on Fame; and CSI's
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