George Jefferson in The Jeffersons, Deacon Ernest Frye in Amen
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Sherman Alexander Hemsley (February 1, 1938 – July 24, 2012) was an American actor.
Early life
Hemsley was born on February 1, 1938 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to and was raised in South Philadelphia by his mother, who was a factory worker.[1] He left school to join the Air Force, where he served in for four years. Later he returned to Philadelphia where he worked in a post office during the day and at night he went to acting classes. Later he moved to New York still working for the post office during the day and at night he went to acting classes.
Career
Hemsley's career began when he starred in a 1970 Broadway play in Purlie as Gitlow. Hemsley's television career began in 1970 in the television series All in the Family. And his first movie was in the 1979 movie Love at First Bite. Hemsley is mostly known as for his role as George Jefferson on the CBS in television series The Jeffersons, and as Deacon Ernest Frye on the NBC series Amen. He also played Earl Sinclair's horrifying boss, and a Triceratops in Jim Henson's sitcom Dinosaurs.
Personal life and death
Hemsley was a smoker and never married. Hemsley lived in El Paso, Texas and died there after he was found in his home on July 24, 2012. The cause of his death was a lung tumor caused by Superior Vena Cava Syndrome, aged 74.[2] Hemsley was cremated.
