Demond Wilson, the actor who brought Lamont Sanford to life in the popular 1970s sitcom Sanford and Son, died Friday at the age of 79. He passed away from complications related to cancer, his publicist said. Wilson was born Grady Demond Wilson on October 13, 1946, in Valdosta, Georgia, and his death came just days before his 80th birthday.
Background
Wilson grew up in a time when television was changing fast, especially for Black actors. He served in the U.S. Army from 1966 to 1968 as part of the 4th Infantry Division in Vietnam. He got wounded there but made it back home in the late 1960s. After his service, he jumped into acting with roles on Broadway and off-Broadway stages.
He moved to Hollywood and started landing guest spots on shows like Mission: Impossible and All in the Family. In one episode of All in the Family in 1971, he played a robber alongside Cleavon Little. That work helped him get noticed. Soon after, he won the part of Lamont Sanford in Sanford and Son, beating out Johnny Brown, who was busy with Laugh-In.
The show aired on NBC from 1972 to 1977. Wilson played the level-headed son to Redd Foxx's Fred Sanford, a junk dealer in Watts, Los Angeles. Their back-and-forth banter made the series a hit. It pulled in big audiences and broke ground as one of the first sitcoms with a Black family at the center. Sanford and Son was based on a British show called Steptoe and Son, but Wilson and Foxx gave it a fresh American feel rooted in everyday life.
During the show's run, trouble hit in 1974. Redd Foxx walked off over a pay fight with the producers. They wrote his character out for that season, and Wilson stepped up as the main star. Foxx came back the next year, and they finished strong until the show ended in 1977. Foxx tried to bring it back in 1980 with a short-lived version called Sanford, but Wilson said no to returning as Lamont.
Wilson kept working after that. He starred in Baby… I'm Back! on CBS in 1978 as Raymond Ellis, a man returning home after prison to find his wife remarried. The show lasted just one season with 13 episodes. Then in 1982, he took on Oscar Madison in The New Odd Couple on ABC. It was a Black-cast update of the old Odd Couple series, with Ron Glass as Felix Ungar. That ran for 18 episodes over a season and a half.
He popped up in other places too. Guest spots on The Love Boat twice, once as Bart in 1979 and then as Jesse in 1981. He did Today's FBI in 1981 and had a recurring role on Girlfriends from 2004 to 2005 as Kenneth Miles. In films, he appeared in The Organization in 1971 as Charlie Blossom, Dealing: Or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues in 1972 as Rupert, and later in Me and the Kid in 1993 as Agent Schamper.
Key Details
Wilson's publicist shared the news of his death on Friday. The actor had been battling cancer, and complications from it led to his passing. He was 79 years old. Details on the exact location or funeral plans have not come out yet.
Career Highlights
His film work started small. In 1970, he had an uncredited role as a rally attendant in Cotton Comes to Harlem. Then Full Moon High in 1981 as a cabbie-bus driver, Hammerlock in 2000 as Morgan Rivers, and All the Women I've Loved in 2011 as Sean. But TV was his main stage.
Sanford and Son stands out with 135 episodes. Wilson said once about a later project that showed his range.
"I play a broken down old drunk whose wife and daughter are killed and he's given up on life. The protagonist is a pastor who is in the middle while he watches the lives of people crumbling around him." – Demond Wilson on his 2010 film project Faith Ties
He also worked on producing and acting in Faith Ties around 2010, a family drama based on a play. Wilson wrote books too, though specifics on those remain less known in recent talks.
He appeared on The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast for Redd Foxx in 1974 and was on The Phil Donahue Show in 1992 talking about past celebrities. Early on, he guested on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In in 1968.
What This Means
Wilson's death marks the end of an era for fans of 1970s TV comedy. Sanford and Son helped pave the way for shows like The Jeffersons and Good Times, showing Black families in real, funny situations. Without his steady portrayal of Lamont, the push-pull with Fred might not have landed the same.
Younger viewers know him less, but streaming has brought Sanford and Son back. Platforms carry it now, introducing Lamont's eye-rolls and one-liners to new crowds. His Vietnam service adds depth; he was part of a generation that fought and then shaped entertainment.
The sitcom world loses a key player. Foxx died in 1991, so both leads are gone. Revivals or reboots sometimes nod to the original, but Wilson's no to the 1980 Sanford set a tone. His later roles in dramas and guest spots showed he could do more than comedy.
Friends and family have started sharing memories online. Co-stars from Girlfriends and others may speak out soon. Cancer took him, a reminder that even stars face health fights quietly. His work lives on in reruns, keeping Lamont's voice alive for years.
Industry watchers see this as a moment to revisit classics. Networks might air marathons or specials. Wilson's shift from stage to screen to producing points to a full life in show business. At 79, he leaves a filmography that spans decades, from Vietnam vet to TV icon.
