Demond Wilson

Grady Demond Wilson (born October 13, 1946) is an American actor and author. He portrayed Lamont Sanford at the age of 25, the son of Fred Sanford (played by Redd Foxx) in the NBC sitcom Sanford and Son (1972–77), and Oscar Madison in The New Odd Couple (1982–83). He appeared in the film Me and the Kid (1993). Early life and career Wilson was born in Valdosta, Georgia, in 1946, and grew up in New York City, where he studied tap dance and ballet. He made his Broadway debut at age four and danced at Harlem's Apollo Theater at twelve. Wilson was raised as a Catholic and served as an altar boy. Although his grandmother was Pentecostal, Wilson briefly discerned the Catholic priesthood. At age thirteen, Wilson's appendix ruptured, almost killing him, but he vowed to serve God as an adult in some ministerial capacity. Wilson served in the United States Army from 1966 to 1968 and was in the 4th Infantry Division in Vietnam, where he was wounded. Upon returning home as a decorated veteran in the late 1960s, Wilson was featured in several Broadway and off-Broadway stage productions before moving to Hollywood, where he performed guest roles on several television series such as Mission: Impossible and All in the Family and acted in films such as The Organization (1971) and Dealing: Or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues (1972). Sanford and Son (1972–1977) and other acting projects Later in 1971, after appearing as a robber on All in the Family with Cleavon Little, Wilson won the role of Lamont Sanford in the NBC sitcom Sanford and Son. Johnny Brown was considered for that role, but because of his commitment to Laugh-In, Wilson got the role instead. Wilson played Lamont through the run of the series, and became the star when Redd Foxx walked off the show in 1974 over a salary dispute with the producers and his character was written out for the rest of the season. Foxx returned the following year, and the pair worked together until 1977 when the show was cancelled. In 1980–1981, Foxx attempted to revive the show with the short-lived sitcom Sanford, but Wilson refused to reprise his role for the new series.