In Memory of Pioneering Actress Isabel Sanford ('The Jeffersons'): 20 Years After Her Tragic Death

Photo byaarp.org

It’s been twenty years since groundbreaking Black actress Isabel Sanford died of cardiopulmonary arrest and heart disease at 86. Best known as Louise “Weezie” Jefferson on producer Norman Lear’s TV sitcom The Jeffersons (CBS, 1975–1985), she starred with Sherman Hemsley (who died in 2012) on the All in the Family spin-off. This is her story.

A Closer Look

Isabel Sanford was born on August 29, 1917, in New York City. She would spend over three decades on Broadway before relocating to Los Angeles.

By that time, Sanford made her big-screen debut in Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner? (1967), and delivered memorable performances on TV in variety hours like The Carol Burnett Show and sitcoms like Bewitched.

Then Came “Weezie”

In 1981, Isabel Sanford became the first Black woman to receive an Emmy for Best Actress in a Comedy Series for her portrayal as Louise Jeffersons on The Jeffersons; a role she originally played on All in the Family.

Sanford and Sherman Hemsley reunited in the 1990s for a benchmark episode of Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.

Final Appearances

In January of 2004, the year she died, Isabel Sanford received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Her final performance was in a voiceover guest appearance on The Simpsons, while she had also appeared in commercial campaigns for Denny’s restaurants and retailer Old Navy.