Trailblazers in Black History: Sherman Hemsley

Sherman Alexander Hemsley was an American actor and comedian best known for his role as George Jefferson on the CBS television series All in the Family and The Jeffersons, Deacon Ernest Frye on the NBC series Amen and B.P. Richfield on the ABC series Dinosaurs. For his work on the The Jeffersons, Hemsley was nominated for a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award.  He won an NAACP Image Award. 

While Hemsley was on Broadway doing Purlie, Norman Lear called him in 1971 to play the recurring role of George Jefferson in his new sitcom, All in the Family. Hemsley was reluctant to leave his theatre role, but Lear told him that he would hold the role open for him. Hemsley joined the cast two years later. 

The characters of Hemsley and co-star Isabel Sanford were supporting occasional roles on All in the Family, but they were given their own spin-off, The Jeffersons, two years after Hemsley made his debut on the show. 

The Jeffersons proved to be one of Lear's most successful shows, enjoying a run of 11 seasons through 1985. 

This video features Hemsley discussing how he created "George Jefferson".

Additional information is available here.

Source: Wikipedia