African-American actor Sherman Hemsley is recognized mainly for his portrayal of the feisty George Jefferson character in the hit television show The Jeffersons, a program in which he starred for ten years. Earlier in his life, Hemsley aspired to be an actor, but he was too level-headed to quit his job as a postal worker to pursue his craft exclusively. Holding on to his job, he managed to maintain affiliations with local dramatic organizations, appearing in various children's theater productions. Eventually, Hemsley obtained a transfer to a position with the post office in New York. Here, he became a member of the famed Negro En­ semble Company. He began taking acting lessons, but became discouraged at his lack of progress. Then, in 1969, he earned the plum role of Gitlow in the highly successful musical version of Purlie Victorious.

     In 1973 Hemsley was Cat in the successful stage play Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope. It was during the run of this show that he was "discovered" by independent producer Norman Lear. Lear, along with his collaborator Bud Yorkin, produced a string of hit television shows during the 1970s, including Maude, Good Times, and the decade's most notable U.S. sitcom, All in the Family.

     In 1973 Lear cast Hemsley to play the part of Archie Bunker's upwardly mobile and militantly black neighbor, George Jefferson, in the series All in the Family. The response to this character was so favorable that two years later, Hemsley was cast in the spin-off series The Jeffersons. That series became a top-rated television program, which aired in prime time for ten years.

     The program focused on the lives of a successful African-American couple, George and Louise Jefferson. A thriving businessman, a millionaire, and the owner of seven dry-cleaning stores, George lived with Louise in a ritzy penthouse apartment on Manhattan's fashionable and moneyed East Side.

     Along with Good Times and Sanford and Son, The Jeffersons was one of three highly successful 1970s television sitcoms to star African Americans at the head of mostly black casts-the first such series since Amos 'n' Andy in the 1950s. Conceptualized as a black equivalent of Archie Bunker, George was intolerant, rude, and stubborn; a bigot, he referred to white people as "honkies."

     Hemsley as a person is quite unlike the high-strung characters he popularized on television. He is a private individual who has managed, even with success, to keep his life away from the glare of public scrutiny. During the height of The Jeffersons' popularity, he spoke of his sudden fame, simply stating that he was 'just getting paid for what I did for free in Philadelphia."

     When The Jejfersons was canceled in 1985, Hems­ ley went on to star in the 1986 sitcom Amen. In typical Hemsley style, he portrayed a feisty Philadelphia church deacon, Ernest Frye. Like George Jefferson, the Frye character was loud, brash, and conceited. Amen lasted five years on prime-time television, and Hems­ ley continues to be active as a performer. He was the lead in the short-lived sitcom Goode Behavior in 1996 and has appeared as an occasional character or guest in several television programs, including the long-running Family Matters. He has also acted in a number of films and been a commercial spokesman for Old Navy clothing stores and the Denny's restaurant chain, appearing in these ads as a George Jefferson-like character opposite the actress who portrayed George's wife, Louise (Isabel Sanford).

     Although known mostly for his television work, Hemsley's acting credits include the motion picture Love at First Bite (1979) and the made-for-TV version of Purlie (1981). Years after its cancellation, The Jeffersons still enjoys success in syndication.