Mike Evans (actor)

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For other people named Michael Evans, see Michael Evans (disambiguation).
Mike Evans
Mike Evans, circa 1975
Born
Michael Jonas Evans

(1949-11-03)November 3, 1949
Salisbury, North Carolina, U.S.
DiedDecember 14, 2006(2006-12-14) (aged 57)
Twentynine Palms, California, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1971–1985
Children2
Cast of All in the Family. Back row, left to right: Jean Stapleton, Mike Evans, Carroll O'Connor. Front: Sally Struthers, Rob Reiner (1973)
Cast of The Jeffersons, clockwise from top: Mike Evans, Sherman Hemsley, and Isabel Sanford (1975)

Michael Jonas Evans (November 3, 1949 – December 14, 2006)[1] was an American actor and TV writer, best known as Lionel Jefferson on both All in the Family and The Jeffersons. Evans was a creator/writer of the series Good Times (1974–79).[2] He was also a guest celebrity panelist on the TV game show Match Game.

Early life

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Evans was born in Salisbury, North Carolina on November 3, 1949. His father, Theodore Evans Sr., was a dentist, and his mother, Annie Sue Evans, was a teacher.[1] He attended Palmer Memorial Institute, a private school for young African Americans in Sedalia, North Carolina. His family later moved to Los Angeles, where he graduated from Los Angeles High School. He studied acting at Los Angeles City College.[3]

Career

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A college student majoring in drama but with no acting experience, Evans caught his big break when All in the Family producer and director John Rich hired him to play Lionel Jefferson, the son of the Bunkers' new black neighbors. Show developer Norman Lear preferred Cleavon Little for the role, but Rich lobbied to cast an actor who would appear less "threatening."[4]

Evans continued to play the role on the spinoff The Jeffersons, but left after the first season to pursue other aspects of his career. According to Jimmie Walker, Evans had threatened to leave if he was not given more screen time, and Norman Lear let him out of his contract.[5] Actor and opera singer Damon Evans (no relation to Michael) then took the role of Lionel, but Mike Evans returned to the role for the sixth, seventh and eighth seasons. Evans was a creator/writer of the series Good Times (1974–79).[6][1]

Evans played Lenny in the cast of the 1976–77 Danny Thomas situation comedy The Practice during its second and final season.

Evans was also a real estate investor and owned properties in California's Inland Empire.[7]

Personal life and death

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Evans died of throat cancer at his mother's home in Twentynine Palms, California, at the age of 57.[7] Mike Evans never married. This information has been confirmed in a recent interview which was conducted by his daughters as well as by Evans who conducted several newspaper interviews in the late 1970s in which he stated that he was an unmarried man.

He was survived by his two daughters (Carlena and Tammie), his mother (Annie Sue), a brother, a cousin, and a niece.[citation needed] Evans's body was cremated.

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1971–1975 All in the Family Lionel Jefferson Main cast (33 episodes)
1972 Killer by Night Marley Television film
1972 Call Her Mom Wilson Television film
1972 Now You See Him, Now You Don't Myles Feature film
1972 Love, American Style Jerome Wilson "Love and the Perfect Wedding" segment
1973 Voyage of the Yes Orlando B. Parker Television film
1974 The House on Skull Mountain Phillippe Wilette
1974 The Streets of San Francisco Paul Hudson Episode: "For Good or Evil"
1975 Far Out Space Nuts Episode: "Galaxy's Greatest Athlete"
1975–1985 The Jeffersons Lionel Jefferson Main cast (34 episodes) (final appearance)
1976 Rich Man, Poor Man Arnold Simms Television miniseries
1976–1977 The Practice Lenny Main cast (13 episodes)

References

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  1. ^ a b c Associated Press (December 23, 2006). "Mike Evans, 57, 'Jeffersons' Actor and a Creator of 'Good Times,' Dies". The New York Times. AP. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  2. ^ Good Times Full Cast and Credits, IMDb.com; accessed October 22, 2021.
  3. ^ "Mike Evans". Biography Resource Center Online. Gale, 2007. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2009. Updated June 1, 2007. Retrieved January 16, 2009. Document Number: K1650005514.
  4. ^ FoundationINTERVIEWS (June 28, 2011), John Rich Interview Part 10 of 14 – EMMYTVLEGENDS.ORG, archived from the original on December 22, 2021, retrieved August 10, 2018
  5. ^ FoundationINTERVIEWS (February 7, 2017), JIMMIE WALKER, retrieved December 1, 2018
  6. ^ Good Times Full Cast and Credits, IMDb.com; accessed October 22, 2021.
  7. ^ a b "'Jeffersons' Actor Mike Evans Dies". CBS News, 2006. Published December 22, 2006, 9:42 a.m. Retrieved February 1, 2014.

Further reading

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mike Evans.
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