MovieChat Forums > Sanford and Son (1972) Discussion > Everyone on this show seemed to play old...

Everyone on this show seemed to play older characters

posted 10 years ago by steve-575
8 replies | jump to latest

It seems like such a rarity anymore that actors play characters older than they are in real life. You have more shows like "Beverly Hills 90210" and "The Big Bang Theory" where the actors play characters younger than them in real life. It seems like the whole cast on this show played older (many of them much older):

Redd Foxx- 49 when the show began played a 65 year old
Demond Wilson- 25 when the show began played a 35 year old. According to some episodes Lamont would have been 32 when the show began
Whitman Mayo- 42 when he first appeared on the show played a character that was close to Fred's age (65)
Lynn Hamilton- 42 when she first appeared on the show played a character that was close to Fred's age (65)
Lawanda Page- 53 when she first appeared on the show played a character that was Fred's late wife's sister. She was around Fred's age (65).
Raymond Allen- 45 when he first appeared on the show played a character that was in his 60s
Slappy White- 50 when the show began played a character close to Fred's age (65)
Marlene Clark- 26 when she first appeared played a character close to Lamont's age (36)

[–] dennisvest30 10 years ago

I've noticed that before. But most viewers just readily accepted the premise of them playing older characters.

[–] uoflcardfan2003 10 years ago

Mostly accurate, Lamont was actually 30 going on 31 in the episode that they got the chest x-rays, I thought in Donna's first appearance Fred mentioned she was around 40, but I always wondered about that myself, I know they wanted Redd Foxx, and didn't he have a hand in who played most of his friends and family, maybe they were trying to keep the character ages about the same as Steptoe and Son

[–] tinkerbell_jonna 10 years ago

I dunno about the rest but I think Esther was around 55, b/c she was always calling Fred OLD, and once teased him about b/c he was too old to qualify in SOMETHING but Esther was not. WHICH would have meant Elizabeth would have been around 20 years younger than Fred probably. That could have been a lot of the conflict between Fred and Esther, maybe she saw him as taking advantage of her sister.

[–] the-spy 10 years ago

i agree that elizabeth could be have been much younger than fred, but i don't think elizabeth could have been 20 years younger than fred. fred was born in 1908, and at least one episode specifically mentions lamont being born in 1940, which means Elizabeth would have been 12 when lamont was born.

[–] WarpedRecord 10 years ago

Interesting observation. It's hard to believe Redd Foxx was so much younger than the character he played, but I suspect makeup had a lot to do with it.

It is indeed a contrast with television today, where people well into their 20s plays teenagers, but I think what matters most is the actors look the age of the characters they play.

[–] jackiefoxybrown 9 years ago

How about Willona from Good Times. She had to be in her late thirties when she guest starred in this show, but I think they aged her up to be close to Stanford's age. Gray wig, floral dress and all.

[–] sivadj 9 years ago

Redd wore a wig too

No Roger, no Rerun, no rent

[–] McGannahanSkjellyfetti 9 years ago

Sherman Hemsley played a character who was about ten + years older than him named George Jefferson on The Jeffersons...