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Isabel Sanford (August 29, 1917, New York City- July 9, 2004, Los Angeles, California, USA) was an African-American actress most famous for her role as Louise "Weezie" Jefferson on the CBS television sitcoms All in the Family (1971-1975) and The Jeffersons (1975-1985).

Born Eloise Gwendolyn Sanford in New York City, Sanford was the first African-American actress to win a Lead Actress Emmy (for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1981), and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

After a period of working in the theatre during the early 1960s, Sanford made her film debut in the 1967 film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, playing the critically acclaimed role of the maid Tillie Binks. She caught the attention of major Hollywood players, including Norman Lear, who cast Sanford in the role of Louise Jefferson. Sanford and her TV husband, Sherman Hemsley, were very popular as the Jeffersons, but were mostly typecast by the roles.

After production of The Jeffersons ended in 1985, Sanford was mostly limited to guest TV appearances and cameo appearances in movies, appearing in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Dream On, Roseanne, Living Single, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, In the House and The Steve Harvey Show, as well as the extremely short-lived 1992 CBS Hearts Are Wild (similar to Love Boat). She also did voice acting for The Simpsons in her final television appearance before her death.

Sanford also appeared with Sherman Hemsley in a series of advertisements for Denny's and Old Navy.

Sanford died on July 9, 2004 of natural causes at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles at the age of 86.

Contents 1 Miscellaneous 2 Filmography 3 Television Work 4 External links

In Italy, Sanford was dubbed by popular comedian Isa di Marzio.

• Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)
• The Young Runaways (1968)
• Pendulum (1969)
• The Comic (1969)
• The Red, White, and Black (1970)
• The New Centurions (1972)
• Hickey & Boggs (1972)
• Lady Sings the Blues (1972)
• Up the Sandbox (1972)
• The Photographer (1974)
• Love At First Bite (1979)
• Desperate Moves (1981)
• Pucker Up and Bark Like a Dog (1990)
• South Beach (1992)
• Original Gangstas (1996)
• Sprung (1997)
• Jane Austen's Mafia! (1998)
• Click Three Times (1999) (short subject)

• The Great Man's Whiskers (1972)
• The Jeffersons (1975-1985)
• Isabel's Honeymoon Hotel (1987) (canceled after a few episodes)
• Jackie's Back! (1999)

• Isabel Sanford at the Internet Movie Database
• Isabel Sanford Memorial at Find A Grave