Lynn Hamilton (born April 25, 1930) is an American retired actress whose acting debut came in 1959 in

John Cassavetes John Nicholas Cassavetes (December 9, 1929 – February 3, 1989) was an American filmmaker and actor. He began as an actor in film and television before helping to pioneer modern American independent cinema as a writer and director, often self- ...

' ''

Shadows A shadow is a dark area on a surface where light from a light source is blocked by an object. In contrast, shade occupies the three-dimensional volume behind an object with light in front of it. The cross-section of a shadow is a two-dimensiona ...

''. She is best known for her recurring role as Donna Harris, Fred's girlfriend and later fiancée on the sitcom ''

Sanford and Son ''Sanford and Son'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC from January 14, 1972, to March 25, 1977. It was based on the British sitcom '' Steptoe and Son'', which initially aired on BBC1 in the United Kingdom from 1962 to ...

'' (1972–1977), as well as cousin Georgia Anderson in ''Roots: The Next Generation'', and as Verdie Foster on ''

The Waltons ''The Waltons'' is an American historical drama television series about a family in rural mountainous Western Virginia of the Appalachian Mountains / Allegheny Mountains / Blue Ridge Mountains chain, during the economic hardships and mass unemp ...

''.

Early years

Hamilton was born Alzenia Lynn Hamilton in

Yazoo City, Mississippi Yazoo City is the county seat of Yazoo County, Mississippi, Yazoo County, Mississippi, United States. It was named after the Yazoo River, which, in turn was named by the French explorer Robert La Salle in 1682 as "Rivière des Yazous" in referen ...

, to Nancy and Louis Hamilton and moved to

Chicago Heights, Illinois Chicago Heights is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 27,480 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. A south suburb of Chicago, it is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. Its nicknames include "The Cro ...

, when she was twelve years old. She attended Bloom High School. She studied acting at

Goodman Theatre Goodman Theatre is a professional theater company located in Chicago's Loop. A major part of the Chicago theatre scene, it is the city's oldest currently active nonprofit theater organization. Part of its present theater complex occupies the ...

Career

Hamilton began her career in community theatre in Chicago and debuted on Broadway in ''Only in America'' in 1959. She appeared in three other Broadway plays, many Off-Broadway plays and spent three years with the

New York Shakespeare Festival Shakespeare in the Park (or Free Shakespeare in the Park) is a theatrical program that stages productions of Shakespearean plays at the Delacorte Theater, an open-air theater in New York City's Central Park. The theater and the productions are ...

. From 1972 to 1977, after an initial credited one-time appearance in the seventh episode of the series as a landlady, Hamilton starred as Fred Sanford's girlfriend and on again/off again fiancée Donna Harris on the television sitcom ''

''. Donna was a nurse and sometimes took care of Fred. When the show returned in 1980 under a reworked title ''

Sanford (TV series) ''Sanford'' is an American sitcom television series and a sequel to the original 1972–1977 sitcom '' Sanford and Son''. It was broadcast on NBC from March 15, 1980, to July 10, 1981. Background In 1977, after six seasons of '' Sanford and Son ...

'', Hamilton was not asked to return and her character was written out of the series. There are many internet claims that she was the younger sister of actress

LaWanda Page LaWanda Page (born Alberta Richmond; October 19, 1920September 14, 2002) was an Americans, American actress, comedian and dancer whose career spanned six decades. Crowned "The Queen of Comedy" or "The Black Queen of Comedy", Page melded Ribaldry ...

, who portrayed Esther Anderson on ''Sanford and Son'', confirmed only via LaWanda Page's obituary in the Los Angeles Times. However, they are neither related nor sisters, though they became good friends. In addition to Hamilton's role on ''Sanford and Son,'' she also had a recurring role as Verdie Grant Foster on ''

'', and made numerous appearances in television sitcoms, soap operas and miniseries such as ''

Good Times ''Good Times'' is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans (actor), Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was televis ...

'', ''

227 Year 227 (Roman numerals, CCXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Senecio and Fulvius (or, less frequently, year 980 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination ...

'', '' Dangerous Women'', '' Generations'', ''

Port Charles ''Port Charles'' (commonly abbreviated as ''PC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from June 1, 1997, to October 3, 2003. It was a spin-off of the series ''General Hospital'', which has been running since 1963 and takes p ...

'', ''

The Golden Girls ''The Golden Girls'' is an American sitcom created by Susan Harris that aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning seven seasons. The show's ensemble cast stars Beatrice Arthur, Betty ...

'', ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central charact ...

'' (guest starring as ”Mother Tabitha” in the 1969 episode “The Sisters” (S15E14), and '' Roots: The Next Generations''. Hamilton also appeared in the show ''

Barnaby Jones ''Barnaby Jones'' is an American detective fiction, detective television series starring Buddy Ebsen as a formerly retired investigator and Lee Meriwether as his widowed daughter-in-law. They run a private detective firm in Los Angeles, Califor ...

'', playing a character named Laura Padget, in episode titled "Sunday: Doomsday" on February 4, 1973. She appeared on the detective series ''Mannix'' in the season 3 episode 13 as the wife of a police detective who hires Mannix to save her son. Hamilton also had a recurring role as Judge Fulton on ''

The Practice ''The Practice'' is an American legal drama television series created by David E. Kelley centering on partners and associates at a Boston law firm. The show ran for eight seasons on ABC, from March 4, 1997, to May 16, 2004. It won an Emmy i ...

''.

Personal life

Hamilton was married to poet and playwright Frank Jenkins for 49 years, from November 1964 until his death in August 2014.

, who costarred with Hamilton on ''Sanford and Son'', had a younger sister coincidentally also named "Lynn Hamilton". This caused a rumor that the two actresses were sisters. Series lead

Demond Wilson Grady Demond Wilson (born October 13, 1946) is an American actor and author. He played Sanford and Son#Lamont Sanford, Lamont Sanford, the son of Fred G. Sanford, Fred Sanford (played by Redd Foxx) on the NBC sitcom ''Sanford and Son'' (1972–1 ...

confirmed the rumor to be false in 2016.

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Lynn Living people 1930 births 20th-century African-American actresses 21st-century African-American actresses 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Mississippi American film actresses American soap opera actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Bloom High School alumni People from Yazoo City, Mississippi