“The Jeffersons'” Lionel Dies Of Cancer
Posted December 22, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
He was a household name in the 70s, but he’d long been off the radar and TV screens for most fans.
But those who watched “All In The Family” and “The Jeffersons” remember Mike Evans.
The actor who played Lionel, the hip black friend of Michael Stivic and the wise cracking Liberal son of George Jefferson, has died.
His niece reveals Evans succumbed to throat cancer on December 14th. He died at his mother’s home in California.
Evans was best known for acting as the deliberate foil for Archie Bunker. He would constantly play along with the bigot’s absurd ideas about “the black man”, often acting out the ridiculous stereotypes to amuse himself, much to Stivic’s dismay.
In one memorable episode, he started dating a white woman, finally telling Archie off when he objected to the arrangement.
Evans left “Family” for “The Jeffersons” and briefly played the same role there, before bowing out in 1975. He returned to finish the long running series from 1979-1981. It left the air in 1985.
Evans also co-created another Norman Lear-produced classic, “Good Times”, which detailed the story of a black family living in a Chicago low rent-housing complex. That show starred Esther Rolle, John Amos and Jimmie Walker.
He made a few other appearances after his 70s series success ended and was last seen on an episode of “Walker, Texas Ranger” in 2000.
Evans was only 57 years old.
