In Memory of Michael Evans (The First Lionel on 'The Jeffersons'): 18 Years After His Tragic Death

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It’s been two decades since the tragic death of actor Mike Evans, best known as the original Lionel Jefferson in TV’s groundbreaking sitcoms, All in the Family (CBS, 1971-) and The Jeffersons (CBS, 1975-). He died of throat cancer at only 57 years old. This is his story.

A Closer Look

Mike Evans was born Michael Jonas Evans on November 3, 1949, in Salisbury, N.C. His father, Theodore Evans Sr., was a dentist while his mother, Annie Sue Evans, was a school teacher.

The Evans family relocated to Los Angeles when young Michael was just a child. He studied acting at Los Angeles City College. During this time, he made appearances on TV shows such as Love, American Style, and The Streets of San Francisco. In the latter, he co-starred with Belinda Tolbert, who would later play his girlfriend/wife on The Jeffersons.

His Big Break

All in the Family producer/director John Rich required a vibrant young actor to play the role of Lionel Jefferson on the series, which featured veteran actor Carroll O’Connor as bigot Archie Bunker.

Lionel was the son of the Bunkers’ new African-American neighbors, and Mike Evans fit the bill with wit, charisma, and talent.

Showrunner Norman Lear, however, preferred Cleavon Little (Blazing Saddles) for the part, but Rich advocated for Evans, who he felt would be more welcoming in the role.

His Big Break-Away

Mike Evans continued to play Lionel in the popular spinoff series, The Jeffersons, which starred Isabel Sanford and Sherman Hemsley as his TV parents. But when Evans requested more screen time and didn’t receive it, he exited the show after the first season.

Lear let Evans out of his contract, and actor/opera singer Damon Evans (no relation to Michael) was then hired as the new Lionel.

Mike Evans did return to the part in the sixth, seventh, and eighth seasons, and was a creator/writer with Eric Monte of Good Times (CBS, 1974–79). That series was another of Lear’s other pioneering sitcoms that also happened to be about the life of an African-American family.

Good Times featured a young character named Michael Evans, played by Ralph Carter.

The real Mike Evans' final screen appearance was in an episode of Walker, Texas Ranger, which aired in 2000. Around this time, Evans, who never married, had invested in real estate.

On December 14, 2006, Mike Evans passed away at his mother’s home in Twentynine Palms, CA.

Lasting Impression

There was an earnest quality, intelligence, and integrity that Mike Evans brought to every role he played, particularly Lionel Jefferson.