Marlene Clark, the statuesque actress who portrayed Lamont’s fiancée on Sanford and Son and stood out in such 1970s’ films as Ganja & Hess, Switchblade Sisters and Slaughter, has died. She was 85.
Clark died May 18 in her home in Los Angeles, her family announced. No cause of death was revealed.
Clark also starred as a reptilian seductress in Roger Corman’s Night of the Cobra Woman (1972) and as one of the suspected werewolves in the British horror film The Beast Must Die (1974), and she was an early victim in the Larry Hagman-directed Beware! The Blob (1972).
Clark played John Saxon‘s secretary in Enter the Dragon (1973), starring Bruce Lee, and her big-screen body of work also included Black Mamba (1974), Newman’s Law (1974), Lord Shango (1975) and The Baron (1977), where she appeared opposite her Beast Must Die onscreen husband, Calvin Lockhart.
In the surreal Ganja & Hess (1973), directed by Bill Gunn,...
Clark died May 18 in her home in Los Angeles, her family announced. No cause of death was revealed.
Clark also starred as a reptilian seductress in Roger Corman’s Night of the Cobra Woman (1972) and as one of the suspected werewolves in the British horror film The Beast Must Die (1974), and she was an early victim in the Larry Hagman-directed Beware! The Blob (1972).
Clark played John Saxon‘s secretary in Enter the Dragon (1973), starring Bruce Lee, and her big-screen body of work also included Black Mamba (1974), Newman’s Law (1974), Lord Shango (1975) and The Baron (1977), where she appeared opposite her Beast Must Die onscreen husband, Calvin Lockhart.
In the surreal Ganja & Hess (1973), directed by Bill Gunn,...
- 5/26/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sanford and Son, the first mainstream, primetime sitcom in television history with an almost-all Black cast, debuted on NBC on Jan. 14, 1972. Created by Norman Lear, and starring legendary “blue” comedian Redd Foxx as an African American bigot, it was seen as a direct answer to CBS’ All in the Family. But the Bunker family series was a social satire which took its laughs seriously. The Sanfords presented pure comedy, any lessons it taught were intentionally coincidental. The most controversial part of the show, when it first aired, was its lead actor.
Foxx was already an underground comedy legend when Cleavon Little, best known for his role as Sheriff Bart in Mel Brooks’ Blazing Saddles, suggested him for the lead in the mid-season replacement. Little wasn’t available, but worked with Foxx on Ossie Davis’s 1970 neo-noir film Cotton Comes to Harlem. Before Foxx played the junk dealer stuck with the bale of genuine Mississippi cotton,...
Foxx was already an underground comedy legend when Cleavon Little, best known for his role as Sheriff Bart in Mel Brooks’ Blazing Saddles, suggested him for the lead in the mid-season replacement. Little wasn’t available, but worked with Foxx on Ossie Davis’s 1970 neo-noir film Cotton Comes to Harlem. Before Foxx played the junk dealer stuck with the bale of genuine Mississippi cotton,...
- 1/14/2022
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
Consider this a holiday gift for fans of vintage TV shows, as the below classics all arrived on streaming this month. The Jeffersons You’re already humming the joyous theme song, aren’t you? Thanks to his successful dry-cleaning business, fiery George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley), spirited wife Weezy (Isabel Sanford), and hip son Lionel (Mike Evans and Damon Evans) moved on up from Queens to New York’s Upper East Side on CBS’s 1975–85 spinoff of All in the Family. Like its predecessor, the sitcom seamlessly blended humor with groundbreaking issues, like interracial romance. Seasons 1–11 available Sanford and Son (Credit: Everett Collection) Sanford and Son Widower Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx) may have worked as a junk dealer, but this sitcom was comedy gold. Episodes of the 1972–77 series — NBC’s answer to issue-charged All in the Family, also from producer Norman Lear — centered around Fred’s clashes with levelheaded son Lamont...
- 12/26/2021
- TV Insider
It’s no secret that Kevin Hart is one of Hollywood’s busiest and prolific entertainers, but his latest film “Fatherhood,” showcases Kevin Hart the family man.
In the movie, the comedy star makes a more serious turn for the heart-wrenching family drama based on a true story. Think Will Smith in “The Pursuit of Happyness” meets “Three Men and a Baby.”
“I think it’s a movie that’s going to truly move the needle on so many different levels,” Hart tells Variety, beaming in virtually from Budapest, where he’s filming “Borderlands.” “I’m hoping that is one that’s evergreen, that lasts forever, that people will be able to always go back and look at and get a sense of feel good from.”
The film dramatizes the true story of Matt Logelin, who became a single dad when his wife Liz died unexpectedly shortly after the birth of their daughter Maddy.
In the movie, the comedy star makes a more serious turn for the heart-wrenching family drama based on a true story. Think Will Smith in “The Pursuit of Happyness” meets “Three Men and a Baby.”
“I think it’s a movie that’s going to truly move the needle on so many different levels,” Hart tells Variety, beaming in virtually from Budapest, where he’s filming “Borderlands.” “I’m hoping that is one that’s evergreen, that lasts forever, that people will be able to always go back and look at and get a sense of feel good from.”
The film dramatizes the true story of Matt Logelin, who became a single dad when his wife Liz died unexpectedly shortly after the birth of their daughter Maddy.
- 6/18/2021
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
Gregory Sierra, best known for his roles as Sgt. Miguel “Chano” Amanguale on Barney Miller and Julio Fuentes on Sanford and Son, has died at the age of 83.
Sierra died Jan. 4 from cancer, a family spokesman confirmed with our sister site Deadline, but the news of his death did not become public until Friday. Had he lived, Sierra would have turned 84 on Jan. 25.
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Sierra died Jan. 4 from cancer, a family spokesman confirmed with our sister site Deadline, but the news of his death did not become public until Friday. Had he lived, Sierra would have turned 84 on Jan. 25.
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- 1/23/2021
- by Mekeisha Madden Toby
- TVLine.com
Gregory Sierra, who was a key part of two major 1970s sitcoms as Julio Fuentes on Sanford and Son and Sgt. Miguel “Chano” Amenguale on Barney Miller, has died. He was 83.
Sierra died Jan. 4 in Laguna Woods, California, from cancer, according to a family spokesman. His death just became public today.
Born in New York’s Spanish Harlem, Sierra worked with the National Shakespeare Company and in the New York Shakespeare Festival. He also appeared in off-Broadway plays and was a standby on Broadway for The Ninety Day Mistress in 1967.
Moving to Los Angeles, Sierra had guest appearances on such shows as It Takes a Thief, Medical Center, The High Chaparral, Mod Squad, The Flying Nun and Kung Fu.
In films he was also a supporting actor in Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), Getting Straight (1970), Papillon (1973), The Towering Inferno (1974) and the Orson Welles project The Other Side of the Wind.
Sierra died Jan. 4 in Laguna Woods, California, from cancer, according to a family spokesman. His death just became public today.
Born in New York’s Spanish Harlem, Sierra worked with the National Shakespeare Company and in the New York Shakespeare Festival. He also appeared in off-Broadway plays and was a standby on Broadway for The Ninety Day Mistress in 1967.
Moving to Los Angeles, Sierra had guest appearances on such shows as It Takes a Thief, Medical Center, The High Chaparral, Mod Squad, The Flying Nun and Kung Fu.
In films he was also a supporting actor in Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), Getting Straight (1970), Papillon (1973), The Towering Inferno (1974) and the Orson Welles project The Other Side of the Wind.
- 1/23/2021
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
In the next installment of “Zoom Where It Happens”, Cedric the Entertainer, Wayne Brady, Lala Milan and Dwyane Wade will do a live, virtual table read of the classic trailblazing sitcom Sanford and Son which aired on NBC for 6 seasons from 1972 to 1977. The live table read will be directed by Sanaa Lathan and is set for October 13 (that’s today!) at 6pm Pst.
The “Zoom Where It Happens” series showcases script reads of throwback sitcoms, with all-Black casts for a civic cause. This week’s episode will spotlight and support Pulso, a non-profit media start-up with a growing subscriber base of nearly 1 million Hispanic and Latinx people across the United States.
Created by Black women in Hollywood, including Ava DuVernay, Kerry Washington, Issa Rae, Tessa Thompson, Rashida Jones, Regina King and Channing Dungey, “Zoom Where It Happens,” produces a weekly live event, featuring a script read of a throwback sitcom,...
The “Zoom Where It Happens” series showcases script reads of throwback sitcoms, with all-Black casts for a civic cause. This week’s episode will spotlight and support Pulso, a non-profit media start-up with a growing subscriber base of nearly 1 million Hispanic and Latinx people across the United States.
Created by Black women in Hollywood, including Ava DuVernay, Kerry Washington, Issa Rae, Tessa Thompson, Rashida Jones, Regina King and Channing Dungey, “Zoom Where It Happens,” produces a weekly live event, featuring a script read of a throwback sitcom,...
- 10/13/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Introducing the cast of “Tyler Perry’s Assisted Living,” Tyler Perry’s latest comedy for BET.
The series stars Na’im Lynn, J. Anthony Brown, Courtney Nichole, Tayler Buck and Alex Henderson, while longtime Tyler Perry collaborators David and Tamela Mann reprise their roles as Mr. Brown and Cora.
In an exclusive behind the scenes clip, David Mann shares why he’s excited to play Mr. Brown again.
“Having Mr. Brown on a new project is kind of a breath of fresh air for me because it’s somebody new for me to fight with, some new friends,” David Mann says. “And, of course, bringing Cora along is that added bonus. … Mr. Brown was crazy before, but now that he has someone else to take him to the next crazy level, it’s gonna be fun.”
Tamela Mann adds: “Cora is the peacemaker, I’m always – even with Madea and Mr.
The series stars Na’im Lynn, J. Anthony Brown, Courtney Nichole, Tayler Buck and Alex Henderson, while longtime Tyler Perry collaborators David and Tamela Mann reprise their roles as Mr. Brown and Cora.
In an exclusive behind the scenes clip, David Mann shares why he’s excited to play Mr. Brown again.
“Having Mr. Brown on a new project is kind of a breath of fresh air for me because it’s somebody new for me to fight with, some new friends,” David Mann says. “And, of course, bringing Cora along is that added bonus. … Mr. Brown was crazy before, but now that he has someone else to take him to the next crazy level, it’s gonna be fun.”
Tamela Mann adds: “Cora is the peacemaker, I’m always – even with Madea and Mr.
- 8/26/2020
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
Raymond Allen, an actor who had memorable recurring roles on classic ’70s sitcoms Sanford and Son and Good Times, died Monday of a non-covid respiratory illness at a long-term care facility in California. He was 91.
Allen’s death was announced by his daughter, Ta Ronce Allen, in a Facebook post.
The actor was best known for his Sanford and Son character of Uncle Woodrow “Woody” Anderson, brother-in-law of Redd Foxx’s Fred Sanford and long-suffering husband of Lawanda Page’s Aunt Esther. On another Norman Lear-created series, Good Times, Allen played Ned the Wino, a neighborhood street character and friend of the series’ central Evans family. Both Woody and Ned showcased Allen’s comic depiction of cheerful intoxication.
Nathaniel Taylor Dies: ‘Sanford And Son’ Sidekick Rollo Was 80
Born on March 5, 1929, in Kansas City, Mo, the youngest of 12 children, Allen also appeared in ’70s series What’s Happening!!, Starsky and Hutch,...
Allen’s death was announced by his daughter, Ta Ronce Allen, in a Facebook post.
The actor was best known for his Sanford and Son character of Uncle Woodrow “Woody” Anderson, brother-in-law of Redd Foxx’s Fred Sanford and long-suffering husband of Lawanda Page’s Aunt Esther. On another Norman Lear-created series, Good Times, Allen played Ned the Wino, a neighborhood street character and friend of the series’ central Evans family. Both Woody and Ned showcased Allen’s comic depiction of cheerful intoxication.
Nathaniel Taylor Dies: ‘Sanford And Son’ Sidekick Rollo Was 80
Born on March 5, 1929, in Kansas City, Mo, the youngest of 12 children, Allen also appeared in ’70s series What’s Happening!!, Starsky and Hutch,...
- 8/11/2020
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Nathaniel Taylor, the actor best known for playing smooth-talking sidekick Rollo Lawson on 1970s sitcom Sanford and Son, died Feb. 27 at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center after suffering a heart attack. He was 80.
His death was announced on social media by his friend, the music promoter Alonzo Williams. According to Williams, the actor was hospitalized on Feb. 23 after suffering a heart attack.
Although Taylor had a few small guest roles on television in the early ’70s – credited as Jita Hadi on The Bold Ones and The Bill Cosby Show – it was his recurring role on the 1972-77 Sanford and Son that brought lasting fame among the show’s still-considerable fan base. His Rollo, a streetwise character typically dressed in the snazziest of hip clothes, was the best friend of Demond Wilson’s Lamont Sanford and forever the target of often-justified scorn and mistrust of Redd Foxx’s Fred Sanford.
His death was announced on social media by his friend, the music promoter Alonzo Williams. According to Williams, the actor was hospitalized on Feb. 23 after suffering a heart attack.
Although Taylor had a few small guest roles on television in the early ’70s – credited as Jita Hadi on The Bold Ones and The Bill Cosby Show – it was his recurring role on the 1972-77 Sanford and Son that brought lasting fame among the show’s still-considerable fan base. His Rollo, a streetwise character typically dressed in the snazziest of hip clothes, was the best friend of Demond Wilson’s Lamont Sanford and forever the target of often-justified scorn and mistrust of Redd Foxx’s Fred Sanford.
- 3/1/2019
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Nathaniel Taylor, the actor who played Rollo Lawson on the 1970s sitcom “Sanford and Son,” died Feb. 27 at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center after suffering a heart attack. He was 80.
As part of the recurring cast on “Sanford and Son,” Taylor appeared in 32 episodes from 1972 through 1977. Taylor’s character, Rollo Lawson, was Lamont Sanford’s best friend and often a target of Fred Sanford’s ire, who believed Rollo was a criminal since he had spent time in jail. Taylor went on to have a role as part of the main cast in season one of the short-lived “Sanford and Son” spinoff “Sanford,” which aired from March 1980 to June 1981.
Taylor also appeared in “Sanford and Son” star Redd Foxx’s eponymous sitcom, “The Redd Foxx Show,” as the first version of Jim-Jam. The series was canceled after 12 episodes due to low ratings.
In addition to his work in the “Sanford” universe,...
As part of the recurring cast on “Sanford and Son,” Taylor appeared in 32 episodes from 1972 through 1977. Taylor’s character, Rollo Lawson, was Lamont Sanford’s best friend and often a target of Fred Sanford’s ire, who believed Rollo was a criminal since he had spent time in jail. Taylor went on to have a role as part of the main cast in season one of the short-lived “Sanford and Son” spinoff “Sanford,” which aired from March 1980 to June 1981.
Taylor also appeared in “Sanford and Son” star Redd Foxx’s eponymous sitcom, “The Redd Foxx Show,” as the first version of Jim-Jam. The series was canceled after 12 episodes due to low ratings.
In addition to his work in the “Sanford” universe,...
- 3/1/2019
- by Erin Nyren
- Variety Film + TV
With Hurricane Florence bearing down on the East Coast, Seth Meyers spent his “A Closer Look” segment on “Late Night” Wednesday night trashing Donald Trump for how badly he will respond to the latest natural disaster.
“With a massive hurricane bearing down on millions of people, it’s as important as ever to have a competent government. And yet we have a president who is not only dangerously incompetent but proud of his incompetence,” Meyers said near the beginning of the segment, after making fun of Trump for his comment about how Hurricane Florence is “tremendously big and tremendously wet.”
“Yesterday, for example, he called his response to the hurricane in Puerto Rico an unsung success. And today, doubled down on that.”
Also Read: Kimmel: Trump Talks About the Woodward Book So Much 'He Must Be Getting a Piece of the Profits'
Meyers was referring to a particularly rough Trump...
“With a massive hurricane bearing down on millions of people, it’s as important as ever to have a competent government. And yet we have a president who is not only dangerously incompetent but proud of his incompetence,” Meyers said near the beginning of the segment, after making fun of Trump for his comment about how Hurricane Florence is “tremendously big and tremendously wet.”
“Yesterday, for example, he called his response to the hurricane in Puerto Rico an unsung success. And today, doubled down on that.”
Also Read: Kimmel: Trump Talks About the Woodward Book So Much 'He Must Be Getting a Piece of the Profits'
Meyers was referring to a particularly rough Trump...
- 9/13/2018
- by Phil Owen
- The Wrap
Redd Foxx is a popular comedian who was the star of television’s “Sanford and Son” which aired in the 1970’s. To be honest, if this show tried to make it to network television in the current climate of political correctness it would end up on the cutting room floor – from day one. Foxx, who played the character of Fred , was surrounded by his aunt Esther, son Lamont, friends Grady and Bubba, and several other characters who would drop in from time to time. The unseen character who was regularly present was his late wife, Elizabeth. As Fred he
The Top 10 Fred Sanford Quotes of All-Time...
The Top 10 Fred Sanford Quotes of All-Time...
- 6/16/2018
- by Tom
- TVovermind.com
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