Demond Wilson, the actor best known for portraying the exasperated son Lamont Sanford opposite Redd Foxx in the groundbreaking 1970s sitcom “Sanford and Son,” died Friday. He was 79.
Wilson died at his home in Palm Springs from complications related to cancer, according to family statements and reports.
His son, Demond Wilson Jr., said in a statement, “I loved him. He was a great man.”
Born Grady Demond Wilson on Oct. 13, 1946, in Valdosta, Georgia, he was raised in New York City, where he developed an early passion for performing. As a child, Wilson studied tap dance and ballet, making his Broadway debut at age 4 and performing at Harlem’s Apollo Theater by 12. Raised in a Catholic family, he served as an altar boy but also spent summers with his Pentecostal grandmother in Georgia, influences that would later shape his spiritual path.
After high school, Wilson enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving in the 4th Infantry Division during the Vietnam War from 1966 to 1968. He was wounded in combat and awarded the Purple Heart. Returning home as a decorated veteran, Wilson pursued acting, appearing in Broadway and off-Broadway productions before transitioning to television and film. Early roles included guest spots on “Mission: Impossible” and “All in the Family,” as well as films like “The Organization” in 1971 and “Dealing: Or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues” in 1972.
Wilson’s breakthrough came in 1972 when he landed the role of Lamont Sanford on NBC’s “Sanford and Son,” an adaptation of the British series “Steptoe and Son.” Playing the straight-laced, ambitious son to Foxx’s cantankerous junk dealer Fred Sanford, Wilson became a household name during the show’s run from 1972 to 1977. The series, set in Watts, Los Angeles, was one of the first major network shows to feature a predominantly Black cast and tackled social issues with humor, drawing massive audiences and cementing Wilson’s status as a star. At the time, Wilson was in his mid-20s, a theater veteran but new to screen acting, yet his chemistry with Foxx — whom he later called a mentor — propelled the show to success.
Following “Sanford and Son,” Wilson starred in the short-lived CBS sitcom “Baby… I’m Back!” in 1978 and took on the role of Oscar Madison in ABC’s “The New Odd Couple” from 1982 to 1983. He appeared in films such as “Me and the Kid” in 1993 and “Hammerlock” in 2000, and had a recurring role on UPN’s “Girlfriends” from 2004 to 2005. His final acting credit was in the 2023 drama “Eleanor’s Bench,” after a nearly two-decade hiatus from the screen.
In 1984, Wilson shifted his focus from Hollywood to ministry, becoming an ordained preacher. He founded the Restoration House of America in 1994, providing spiritual guidance and vocational training to former inmates. Wilson also authored books, including the memoir “Second Banana: The Bittersweet Memoir of the Sanford & Son Years.” Reflecting on his career pivot, he once said, “I love preaching more than anything else I’ve ever done.”
Wilson was married to Cicely Johnston since 1974, and the couple had six children. He is survived by his wife, children and extended family.
