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After The Jeffersons, actor Franklin Cover continued to appear in guest roles on hit TV shows, such as The Love Boat, ER, and Columbo. He also had a support role in 1986's Wall Street, but The Jeffersons remained his best-known work. The star passed on in 2006 at the age of 77.
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"Harry Bentley" was the eccentric oddball neighbour of The Jeffersons, often a source of comedy for his interactions with "George." Actor Paul Benedict played the part, appearing in all but one of the show's 11 seasons.
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Like most Jeffersons stars, Paul Benedict gave what was probably his best-known performance on the show. But the talented character actor also kept at it in the decades after The Jeffersons, with one of his more notable roles coming in the 1991 Addams Family movie. He was also known for earlier work in Jeremiah Johnson and mockumentaries This Is Spinal Tap and Waiting for Guffman. Benedict died in 2008 at age 70.
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Dating back to All in the Family, "Lionel Jefferson" was played by Mike Evans. He made the move to The Jeffersons, where he also married "Jenny Willis." But Evans quit the show after season 1 and Damon Evans (no relation) took over the role. He left after season 4 and Mike again returned occasionally toward the end of the show. Evans stepped away from acting after The Jeffersons. Sadly, in 2006, he died of throat cancer at age 56.
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Pictured here is Damon Evans as "Lionel Jefferson" with "Jenny Willis," played by Berlinda Tolbert. Evans filled the role of "Lionel" for seasons 2-4, while Tolbert stayed with the show through season 7. The on-screen couple also had daughter "Jessica," who appeared in a few episodes in the middle and later seasons.
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Both Damon Evans and Berlinda Tolbert are alive today and celebrated their 71st birthdays in November 2020. Evans is also an accomplished stage star who acted on TV only a few times, while Tolbert remained very active as a TV guest actress through the 2000s. With Marla Gibbs and Jay Hammer, Evans and Tolbert are the only four surviving Jeffersons main cast members today.
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A final frequent star to appear on The Jeffersons was Ned Wertimer, who played the doorman "Ralph Hart," always keen to receive tips from residents at the "Jefferson" family's apartment.
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Actor Ned Wertimer (back left) is seen here gathering with Marla Gibbs and Norman Lear (creator of The Jeffersons) at Isabel Sanford's Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony in 2004. The Jeffersons was one of Wertimer's final roles, though he later appeared on The Practice and had a small role in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End in 2007. He passed away in 2013 at age 89.READ MORE: Cast of The Waltons - Where Are They Now?