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Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'The Waltons' Actress Dies at Her Chicago Home
'The Waltons' Actress Dies at Her Chicago Home originally appeared on Parade. A well-known TV actress has died at her Chicago home at the age of 95. Lynn Hamilton, who had recurring roles on The Waltons and Sanford & Son, died Thursday, June 19, at the age of 95, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Hamilton played Redd Foxx's character's girlfriend Donna Harris on Sanford & Son, and the neighbor Ms. Verdie Grant Foster on The Waltons. Additionally, she starred as matriarch Vivian Potter on the NBC soap opera Generations alongside Kelly Rutherford, Joan Pringle, Jonelle Allen and the late Kristoff St. John. Hamilton also starred on the short-lived primetime drama Dangerous Women alongside Katherine Justice and Casper Van Dien. In later years, Hamilton had recurring roles on 227, Sunset Beach and The Practice. She also appeared on such shows as Cold Case, Judging Amy, Curb Your Enthusiasm, NYPD Blue, Murphy Brown and The Golden Girls. In a 2009 interview, Hamilton said that the team behind Sanford & Son was "so impressed" with her day-player role as a landlord that they wrote the part of Foxx's girlfriend just for her. "A month or two later, they decided to give Fred Sanford a girlfriend,' said Hamilton, adding, "[They] needed somebody dignified opposite him; he was aware of his earthliness, shall we say." According to The Hollywood Reporter, Hamilton was born April 25, 1930, in Yazoo City, Mississippi, but her family moved to Chicago when she was 4. She moved to New York in 1956 and appeared on Broadway in Only in America, The Cool World, Face of a Hero and Tambourines to Glory. She joined the Seattle Repertory Theatre in 1966. Hamilton is preceded in death by her husband, Frank Jenkins, who was a poet and playwright. They married in 1964 and were together until his death in 2014. 'The Waltons' Actress Dies at Her Chicago Home first appeared on Parade on Jun 21, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 21, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Actress Lynn Hamilton, Redd Foxx's girlfriend on Sanford and Son, has passed away
Editor's note: This story is available as a result of a partnership between WFTV and The Hollywood Reporter. Lynn Hamilton, the accomplished actress known for her roles on 'Sanford and Son' and 'The Waltons,' has passed away at 95. Rev. Calvin Carson, Hamilton's former manager and publicist, confirmed her death to The Hollywood Reporter. Hamilton passed away of natural causes on Thursday at her Chicago home. Hamilton was best known for portraying Donna Harris, the girlfriend of Redd Foxx's character on the popular sitcom 'Sanford and Son.' She also gained recognition for her role as Miss Verdie on 'The Waltons,' showcasing her versatility as an actress. Hamilton also made a name for herself with her roles on 'Sanford and Son' and 'The Waltons,' and she played Vivian Potter on the NBC daytime drama 'Generations' from 1989 to 1991. The show faced tough competition from CBS's 'The Young and the Restless,' which dominated the ratings during its run. Her debut on 'Sanford and Son' came in February 1972, where she initially played a landlady in the show's seventh episode. Her performance impressed the producers, casting her as Donna Harris, a registered nurse and the dignified counterpart to Foxx's character. Lynn Hamilton's contributions to television left a lasting impact. Her roles continue to be celebrated by fans and peers alike. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Forbes
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Lynn Hamilton, ‘The Waltons' And Sanford And Son' Actress, Dies At 95
JERSEY CITY, NJ - DECEMBER 02: Actress Lynn Hamilton attends the 40th Anniversary Reunion Of ''The ... More Waltons'' at Landmark Loew's - Jersey City on December 2, 2011 in Jersey City, New Jersey. (Photo by) Getty Images Lynn Hamilton, who is remembered as Verdie Grant Foster on family drama The Waltons and Donna Harris, Fred's (Redd Foxx) girlfriend on sitcom Sanford and Son , died Thursday of natural causes at her home in Chicago. She was 95. Born April 25, 1930, Hamilton began her career in community theatre in Chicago and debuted on Broadway in Only in America in 1959. She appeared in three other Broadway plays, several Off-Broadway plays and spent three years with the New York Shakespeare Festival, eventually segueing to television with guest appearances on series like Room 222 , Then Came Bronson , Mannix and Gunsmoke . Hamilton initially debuted as the landlady in the seventh episode of Sanford and Son before being upgraded to Fred's love interest. She appeared in 22 episodes through the six seasons of the Norman Lear sitcom and began an also recurring on The Waltons as the family's neighbor Verdie Grant, who John-Boy (Richard Thomas) teaches to read. Eventually Verdie marries Harley Foster (Hal Williams) and ultimately appears in 17 episodes through the nine-season run of The Waltons. SANFORD AND SON — "The Engagement/The Member of the Wedding" Episode 9 — Aired 11/9/73 — Pictured: ... More (l-r) Dorothy Meyer as Aunt Flossie, Esther Sutherland as Aunt Minnie, Redd Foxx as Fred G. Sanford, Lynn Hamilton as Donna Harris, Demond Wilson as Lamont Sanford, DeForest Covan as Woodrow 'Woody' Anderson, Mel Bryant as Uncle Jake, Bobby Johnson as Uncle Edgar — Photo by: NBCU Photo Bank NBCUniversal via Getty Images LOS ANGELES - AUGUST 30: THE WALTONS Lynn Hamilton as Verdie Foster, left and Joan Pringle as ... More Esther on "The Illusion". Image dated August 30, 1978. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images) CBS via Getty Images Additionally, Hamilton was reunited with Hal Williams in five episodes of Marla Gibbs sitcom 227 , she played Cissie Johnson, one of the ex-cons on the 1991-92 syndicated nighttime soap Dangerous Women and appeared in multiple episodes of daytime drama Sunset Beach and legal drama The Practice. Other TV show guest spots included The Rockford Files , The Golden Girls , Murphy Brown , Sisters , NYPD Blue , Curb Your Enthusiasm and Judging Amy . Hamilton appeared in the reunion TV movies A Waltons Thanksgiving Reunion and A Walton Easter in 1993 and 1997, respectively. And her final on-air appearance was in an episode of the crime drama Cold Case in 2009. Hamilton was married to poet and playwright Frank Jenkins ( Driving While Black in Beverly Hills ) from 1964 until his death in 2014.
