TV's 'George Jefferson' is dead

Not many Jamaicans from today's age of TV know the name Sherman Hemsley, but they do know George Jefferson.

The comic actor earned his place in history after leading The Jeffersons as George, in a humorous depiction of a black upscale family.

Hemsley was found dead yesterday in El Paso. He was 74.

According to The Los Angeles Times, the confirmation of Hemsley's death came from the El Paso Sherriff's Department.

Hemsley had, before his Jeffersons days, played a supporting role in a sitcom called All in the Family, from which the role that led him to stardom originated.

The sitcom included incredible scenes where, as George Jefferson, Hemsley was always at odds with his interracial neighbours and found brilliant chemistry with his wife Louise (played by Isabel Sanford).

The series was the first to feature an affluent African-American couple in what was prime time. An interracial couple was also uncharted waters.

For his efforts, Hemsley was nominated for Emmys and Golden Globes.

Louise died in 2004 but was also brilliant as the woman who could soothe his erratic temper.

There were other roles for Hemsley throughout a long acting career.

He was to star as Deacon Ernest Frye on Amen. That series ran from 1986 to 1991.

Hemsley, born February 1, 1938, trained at the Philadelphia Academy of Dramatic Arts in the city where he was born.