Isabel Sanford
American actress
Who was Isabel Sanford?
Eloise Gwendolyn "Isabel" Sanford (August 29, 1917 – July 9, 2004) was an American stage, film, and television actress and comedian known for her role as Louise "Weezy" Mills Jefferson on the CBS sitcoms All in the Family (1971–1975) and The Jeffersons (1975–1985). Sanford was born Eloise Gwendolyn Sanford on, in Harlem, New York City, to Josephine (née Perry) and James Edward Sanford. Sanford's mother Josephine was devoutly religious and insisted that her daughter attend church every Sunday, and occasionally made her attend on weeknights. As a teenager, Sanford aspired to be an actress, but her mother discouraged her dream, as she felt that show business was "the road to degradation." Sanford disobeyed her mother and began performing at local clubs. She also performed at amateur night at The Apollo Theater.
Historical significance
In 1981, she became the second African-American actress to win a Primetime Emmy Award after Gail Fisher and the first African-American actress to win for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. She was the youngest of seven children and was the only child to survive beyond infancy.