Redd Foxx
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John Elroy Sanford, better known as Redd Foxx (December 9, 1922 - October 11, 1991) was an American comedian best known for his starring role on the television sitcom Sanford and Son.
Foxx was born in St. Louis, Missouri. During World War II, Foxx used illegal means to avoid the draft. He then engaged in various criminal activities. He was a well-known associate of Malcolm Little, later known as Malcolm X. Foxx gained notoriety with his vulgar nightclub act. His stand-up performances were later released as "party" albums and became very popular. Foxx paved the way for later African American comedians such as Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, and Chris Rock. He was also one of the first black comics to play to white audiences on the Las Vegas Strip. Foxx used his starring role on Sanford and Son to help get jobs for his friends such as LaWanda Page, Slappy White, and Noriyuki "Pat" Morita. Foxx also battled with producers Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin for higher paychecks and creative control of the show.
In 1977, Sanford and Son was canceled and Foxx struck out on his own by starring in a short-lived variety show, but by the early 1980s he was back playing Fred Sanford in a brief revival/spin-off, Sanford. Foxx had numerous battles with the IRS that culminated in a 1989 "raid" in which agents seized his house and assets. Foxx appeared to be making a comeback with the 1991 series The Royal Family in which he co-starred with his long-time friend Della Reese when a fatal heart attack felled him on the set. Ironically, one of Foxx's best-known comic bits on Sanford and Son was faking a heart attack and calling out to his deceased wife Elizabeth saying "this is the big one...I'm comin' to join ya, honey".
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Quotes
- Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.
- Dummy!
- This is the big one! I'm coing to join ya', honey!
TV Work
- Sanford and Son (1972-1977)
- The Redd Foxx Comedy Hour (1977-1978)
- Sanford (1980-1981)
- Viva Shaf Vegas (1986)
- The Redd Foxx Show (1986) (canceled after 4 months)
- Ghost of a Chance (1987)
- The Royal Family (cast member in 1991)
Filmography
- All the Fine Young Cannibals (1960)
- Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970)
- Norman... Is That You? (1976)
- Harlem Nights (1989)
External links
- TV Party: The Redd Foxx Comedy Hour (http://www.tvparty.com/foxx.html)
- The Ironic Death of Redd Foxx (http://www.tvparty.com/mysfoxx.html)
- Find A Death - Redd Foxx (http://www.findadeath.com/Deceased/F/Redd%20Foxx/Redd.html)