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13 Things You Didn’t Know About ‘The Jeffersons’

4. Hemsley Was Always Supposed To Be “George Jefferson”

Sometimes show creators and producers peg an actor for a role and don’t ever let go of that bone. That was the case with Sherman Hemsley, who producer Norman Lear always saw as “George Jefferson.” However, the actor was was working on Broadway in Purlie and didn’t want to to break his contract. To ride out the wave until Hemsley was available to take the role, Lear cast Mel Stewart as a sort of placeholder. He wasn’t fired after Hemsley signed on, though. Stewart later assumed the role of George’s brother “Henry Jefferson.”

Mel Stewart
wikimedia.org

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