Damon Evans (actor)

Damon Evans
Evans in 1977
Born (1949-11-24) November 24, 1949 (age 75)
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1975–2000

Damon Evans (born November 24, 1949) is an American actor best known as the second of two actors who portrayed Lionel Jefferson on the CBS sitcom The Jeffersons.[1][2][3] He also portrayed the young Alex Haley (ages 17–25) in the ABC television miniseries Roots: The Next Generations.

Early life and education

Born in Baltimore, Evans attended the Interlochen Center for the Arts on a Reader's Digest Scholarship. After graduation, he attended the Boston Conservatory of Music. While in Boston, he appeared in productions of Two If by Sea, Hair, and The Corner at the Theatre Company of Boston.[4]

Career

His Off-Broadway credits include performances in A Day in the Life of Just About Everyone, Bury the Dead (for the Urban Arts Corp), and Love Me, Love My Children. He made his Broadway debut in The Me Nobody Knows. Other Broadway credits include Via Galactica and Lost in the Stars. He also toured as Judas and Jesus Christ in the authorized concert version of the musical Jesus Christ Superstar. He appeared in the Broadway musical Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope.

In the late 1980s, Evans appeared in Trevor Nunn's Glyndebourne Festival production of the George Gershwin opera, Porgy and Bess, and again in the 1993 television adaptation of that production. In addition to Evans and other noted performers, this British production of Gershwin's 'American folk opera' featured the Glyndebourne Chorus and the London Philharmonic, both conducted by Sir Simon Rattle. Evans played Sportin' Life, a role originated by John W. Bubbles and originally written for famed 1920s and 1930s jazz bandleader and singer Cab Calloway.

Personal Life

Evans is gay [5] and was present at the 1969 Stonewall Riots.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1985 Turk 182 Subway Cop
2000 Going the Distance Adoptive Parent

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1975–1979 The Jeffersons Lionel Jefferson 72 episodes
1979 Roots: The Next Generations Alex Haley (ages 17–28) Episode: "Part VI (1939-1950)"
1985 Saturday Night Live Subway traveller Episode: "Alex Karras/Tina Turner"
1993 American Playhouse Sportin' Life Episode: "The Gershwins', Porgy & Bess"
2000 Third Watch Moses Episode: "Spring Forward, Fall Back"

References

  1. ^ "Mike Evans, 57, 'Jeffersons' Actor and a Creator of 'Good Times,' Dies". The New York Times. New York, U.S. Associated Press. December 23, 2006. Archived from the original on January 30, 2013. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  2. ^ "Sherman Hemsley, Chad Everett have died;". The Washington Post. Washington, U.S. Archived from the original on May 9, 2015. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  3. ^ "ABC's 'All in the Family'-'Jeffersons' Live Event Adds to Star-Packed Cast". The Hollywood Reporter. U.S.: The Hollywood Reporter. May 10, 2019. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  4. ^ "LGBTQ Resource Center Hosts BC Alum Damon Evans – The Brooklyn College Vanguard". Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  5. ^ "LGBTQ Resource Center Hosts BC Alum Damon Evans – the Brooklyn College Vanguard".


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