Evans, Michael Jonas

Impact on the world

Originated the role of Lionel Jefferson on 'All in the Family' in 1971 and continued the character into its spinoff 'The Jeffersons,' becoming, alongside Eric Monte, already profiled in this collection, the co-creator of 'Good Times' in 1974, one of television's first sitcoms to center a primarily Black cast; he left his acting role on 'The Jeffersons' after its first season to focus on the new series, later returning to play Lionel intermittently through the show's run, but he reportedly died in 2006 still resentful that producer Norman Lear had, in his view, taken credit and compensation for creative ideas that he and Monte had originated.

Life & background

Born in Salisbury, North Carolina in 1949 to a dentist father and schoolteacher mother, Evans attended the Palmer Memorial Institute, the historically significant Black preparatory school in Sedalia, North Carolina, before his family relocated to Los Angeles, where he graduated high school and studied drama at Los Angeles City College without any prior acting experience. He was hired directly out of college by 'All in the Family' producer and director John Rich to play Lionel Jefferson, the son of the Bunkers' new Black neighbors, a role that became his signature part and that he carried into the 1975 spinoff 'The Jeffersons'; according to fellow castmate Jimmie Walker, Evans left the role after a single season on the new show after threatening to depart if not given more screen time, prompting Lear to release him from his contract, after which actor and opera singer Damon Evans, no relation, played Lionel for nearly four years before Mike Evans returned to the role from 1979 through the show's later seasons. Working alongside childhood connections in the industry, Evans co-created 'Good Times' with Eric Monte as a spinoff of 'Maude,' helping shape the show's portrayal of a working Black family before largely stepping back from television writing after the show's sixth season; according to multiple later accounts, including reporting describing him as having died 'broke and bitter,' Evans came to believe Lear had systematically taken credit and financial benefit for creative work that he and Monte had actually originated, a grievance he reportedly carried for the remainder of his life without reconciliation. He worked briefly in real estate investment in Southern California's Inland Empire in his later years, made his final on-screen appearance in a 2000 episode of 'Walker, Texas Ranger,' and died of throat cancer at his mother's home in Twentynine Palms, California in December 2006 at age 57, survived by his two daughters and his mother.

Sources

1. Hollywood Reporter (Mike Evans, original Lionel Jefferson, dies); NewsBreak ('Jeffersons' Actor Mike Evans Died Broke and Bitter); Good Times Wiki; Legacy.com obituary