Actress Lynn Hamilton Dies at 95 at her chigaco home , Known for ‘Sanford and Son’ and ‘The Waltons,’
Her former manager and publicist, Rev. Calvin Carson, confirmed to TH NEWS that Hamilton died of natural causes on Thursday at her home in Chicago.
Actress Lynn Hamilton Dies: Lynn Hamilton, a classically trained actress best known for her roles as Fred Sanford’s girlfriend on Sanford and Son and the neighbor Verdie Grant on The Waltons, has passed away at the age of 95.
Actress Lynn Hamilton Dies at 95, Who was she?
Her former manager and publicist, Rev. Calvin Carson, confirmed to TH NEWS that Hamilton died of natural causes on Thursday at her home in Chicago.
Hamilton portrayed matriarch Vivian Potter on NBC’s daytime drama Generations from 1989 to 1991—a show that struggled in the ratings while competing with CBS’s The Young and the Restless. She also appeared as CeCe Johnson, a reformed ex-convict, on the 1991–92 syndicated nighttime soap Dangerous Women.
Lynn Hamilton Other notable Role
Her other notable TV roles included cousin Georgia Anderson in the 1979 miniseries Roots: The Next Generations, Emma Johnson on NBC’s 227, and a judge on ABC’s The Practice. Hamilton made her big screen debut in John Cassavetes’ Shadows (1959) and went on to appear in several films, including Brother John (1971), Buck and the Preacher (1972)—both with Sidney Poitier—Lady Sings the Blues (1972), Leadbelly (1976), and Legal Eagles (1986).
She first appeared on Sanford and Son in February 1972 during the show’s seventh episode, playing a landlord who clashes with Lamont Sanford (Demond Wilson) after he moves out to escape arguments with his father, Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx).
In a 2009 interview, Hamilton recalled,
“The producers were so impressed by that one scene that a month or two later, they decided to give Fred Sanford a girlfriend.” She was cast as registered nurse Donna Harris. According to Hamilton, Redd Foxx himself requested a character who would offer a dignified contrast to his own. “He was aware of his own earthiness,” she said.
Hamilton remained on the sitcom until 1977. While Donna and Fred eventually got engaged, they never married—much to Lamont’s relief, as he referred to her as “The Barracuda.”
While recurring on Sanford and Son, Hamilton also debuted as Verdie Grant on The Waltons in the February 1973 episode “The Scholar,” in which John-Boy (Richard Thomas) teaches her to read so she can celebrate her daughter’s college graduation. The episode earned writer John McGreevey an Emmy Award.
Hamilton appeared in 16 more episodes of The Waltons through 1981. Her character married Harley Foster, played by Hal Williams (also of Sanford and Son and 227), and she returned for the 1993 and 1997 holiday TV films based on the show.
Lynn Hamilton’s most famous roles
- Verdie Grant Foster in The Waltons
- Donna Harris in Sanford and Son
- Vivian Potter in Generations
- CeCe Johnson in Dangerous Women
- Emma Johnson in 227
- Judge in The Practice
Lynn Hamilton’s most Famous Films
- Brother John (1971) – with Sidney Poitie
- Buck and the Preacher (1972) – with Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte
- Lady Sings the Blues (1972) – with Diana Ross
- Leadbelly (1976) – Musician biopic
- Legal Eagles (1986) – with Robert Redford and Debra Winger
Born Eljeanier Lynn Hamilton on April 25, 1930, in Yazoo City, Mississippi, she moved to Chicago with her parents, Nancy and Louis, at age 4. She attended Bloom High School in Chicago Heights and later graduated from the Goodman School of Drama. “I was the only Black actor in my class, so there really weren’t roles for me,” she said in reflection.
Despite these challenges, Hamilton gained experience with the South Side Theatre Company and moved to New York in 1956. She appeared in Shadows and several short-lived Broadway productions, including Only in America (1959), The Cool World and Face of a Hero (1960), and Tambourines to Glory (1963).
She also performed Shakespeare under the direction of Joseph Papp and toured internationally as part of President Kennedy’s cultural exchange program, performing in The Miracle Worker and The Skin of Our Teeth. In 1966, she joined the Seattle Repertory Theatre.
Though she didn’t land a part in Funny Girl (1968), Hamilton chose to remain in Los Angeles, where she found steady work in TV shows like Room 222, Mannix, Gunsmoke, The Rockford Files, Quincy, M.E., The Golden Girls, NYPD Blue, Judging Amy, and Cold Case.
She was married to poet and playwright Frank Jenkins (Driving While Black in Beverly Hills) from 1964 until his death in 2014 at age 89. That same year, Hamilton returned to Chicago. The couple had collaborated on numerous theatrical projects throughout their marriage.
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