American actor Sherman Alexander Hemsley was born on 1st February 1938 in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and passed away on 24th July 2012. He was single and had no children.
After attending Middle and High School, Sherman left after the 10th grade and joined the US Air Force for 4 years. He then got a day job at the US Post and a night job as an actor and continued doing these jobs after moving to New York. He appeared in several musicals but his main debut was in the Broadway production ‘Purlie’.
In 1971, Hemsley was offered a recurring role in the sitcom ‘All in the Family’ but he only joined the cast 2 years later, in a sporadic, supporting role. After another 2 years, Sherman became one of the main characters in the famous sitcom ‘The Jeffersons’, which ran for a whole decade from 1975 to 1985. After this popular series ended, he continued acting in other sitcoms also through the 90s. His acting career then began to slow down and he only appeared occasionally in TV series and commercials, mostly together with actress Isabel Sanford, who interpreted his wife in ‘The Jeffersons’. After Isabel’s death in 2004, Sherman starred in a couple of movies and guest starred in a primetime quiz show and a sitcom.
Apart from acting, Hemsley was also a jazz keyboardist and in 1989 released the single ‘Ain’t that a kick in the Head’, followed by a rhythm and blues album 3 years later.
In 1982, Sherman received an NAACP Image Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Comedy Series or Special ‘The Jeffersons’ and was also nominated for a Golden Globe as well as an Emmy Award.
Hemsley died on 24th July 2012 from superior vena cava syndrome at the age of 74.
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