Here’s Why Mike Evans Walked Away From ‘The Jeffersons’

If you’re a fan of The Jeffersons, you know that it was a spinoff of All in the Family. In fact, Mike Evans, who played Lionel Jefferson, was the first member of the Jefferson family to show up on that iconic show. Mike had not, however, been producer Norman Lear‘s first pick for the character. Instead, Norman wanted Cleavon Little, perhaps best known for the classic Mel Brooks film Blazing Saddles, to play Lionel. But the casting director for All in the Family was uneasy about Cleavon in the role; he wanted an actor who would challenge Archie Bunker’s thinking, but do it in a non-threatening way. And for whatever reason, he felt that Cleavon was just too darn edgy.
So, Norman told the casting director to go and find Lionel Jefferson. But after hundreds of auditions, they still hadn’t pinned down their actor. And then, a man walked in with zero acting experience. In fact, he only ended up at the casting call because he’d been hitchhiking, and the person giving him the ride had told him about it. As you may have already guessed, that young man with nothing on his resume was Mike Evans.

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When The Jeffersons became a hit television series in its own right, Mike stuck around for the first season of that show, but then he left, walking away from one of the biggest shows on television. And when the second season of The Jeffersons debuted on CBS, there was a new Lionel Jefferson, played by Damon Evans. (No relation, by the way.)
So why did Mike leave? The first reason is one that comes up often in the entertainment industry: Mike felt like his character just wasn’t getting enough screen time. He was, after all, the original Jefferson, the first member of the family to show up on TV. But George and Wheezy were definitely getting more to do on screen, and it just bugged him.
Here’s what Mike told journalist Dan Lewis way back in 1975: “When the show started, Lionel had no last name. Now, he not only has a last name, but the family name is the title of the new series.”
The second reason is that Mike had branched out: along with Eric Monte, he’d created the TV show Good Times, which was a spinoff from another Norman Lear show, Maude. So he was pretty darn busy behind the scenes with another show of his own.
But just because he walked away, doesn’t mean that he stopped acting entirely. He had a minor role in the hit miniseries, Rich Man, Poor Man, and he joined the cast of the Danny Thomas sitcom The Practice during that show’s second and final season.

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However, even with all of the various acting and producing opportunities available, Mike couldn’t escape Lionel Jefferson. He’d originally brought that character to life and he really, truth be told, missed playing him. So, in 1979, Mike returned to the role that made him famous, and would continue to play Lionel Jefferson until the end of that series in 1985. After that, acting seemed to once again become something of a secondary thing for Mike. Sure, he’d land a role every once in a while, but over time, he became primarily involved in commercial real estate investing.
Tragically, on December 14, 2006, Mike would lose his battle with throat cancer. He was 57 years old when he succumbed to that dreaded illness, way too young.

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