Weezy!

Eloise Gwendolyn Sanford was born on August 29, 1917 in Harlem, New York.  She was the youngest of seven children, and tragically, was the only child to survive past infancy.  You read that correctly.

From an early age, Isabel, as she'd come to be known, showed interest in becoming an entertainer, but her mother, a highly spiritual woman, discouraged her aspirations, feeling that show biz was the path to degradation.  Isabel disobeyed her mother and soon began performing at the famed Apollo Theater.

By the 1940s, Isabel was performing in a number of off-Broadway plays at night while working as a keypunch operator for IBM during the day.  She married a house painter and had three children, but the marriage was not destined to last.

In 1960, Sanford left her husband, packed up the kids, and moved to Los Angeles.  She returned to the theater, where she caught the eye of famed Hollywood producer Stanley Kramer, and was offered a role in his 1967 classic, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner.  Watch the trailer here.  And watch Sanford discuss the film here.

The film was a huge success.  One fan in particular was producer Norman Lear, who was so impressed by her performance, that in 1971, he cast her in the role she would forever be associated with, Louise "Weezy" Jefferson on All in the Family.  Watch her share a scene with the Bunkers here. Viewer discretion advised.

The series was an instant hit and it wasn't too long before Lear was thinking spin-off.  He envisioned a new series focusing on the Jeffersons, which would move them from Queens to the famed East Side.  But Sanford wanted nothing to do with it, satisfied with the success that All in the Family continued to enjoy, while concerned that a spin-off wouldn't fare as well.  She quickly changed her mind however, when producers told her they'd simply recast the role and show her the door.  Watch her explain that decision here.

She needn't have worried however, as The Jeffersons, like its parent show, was a huge success.  It ran for over ten seasons, twice the run of All in the Family.  Watch the iconic series intro here.  The series was canceled rather unceremoniously by CBS, and was not allowed to do a farewell episode, a fact that never sat well with Sanford.  Watch her discuss that here.

After the series completed its run, Sanford began a new series called Isabel's Honeymoon Hotel.  It was designed specifically to showcase her comedic talent, and aired five times a week (!) in syndication.  It failed to find an audience however, and was soon canceled.  Watch the series intro here.

In September 2003, Sanford had preventative surgery on her carotid artery.  Following the procedure, her health steadily declined.  On July 4, 2004, she checked herself into Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where she passed just five days later.  Her death was attributed to natural causes.

She was interred in an above-ground crypt at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills.  Her family honored her Jeffersons legacy by including her series moniker on the headstone.

RIP Weezy.