83R26738 JGH-D
By: Pickett H.R. No. 1983
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Friends, loved ones, and television fans across the
nation will forever treasure their memories of actor Sherman
Hemsley, who died in El Paso on July 24, 2012, at the age of 74; and
WHEREAS, Born in Philadelphia on February 1, 1938, Sherman
Alexander Hemsley studied as a teenager at the Philadelphia Academy
of Dramatic Arts; he dropped out of high school to serve in the
U.S. Air Force for four years, then returned to Philadelphia to
work for the U.S. Post Office while continuing to study acting at
night; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Hemsley moved to New York to pursue an acting
career, and as a member of the Negro Ensemble Company and the Urban
Arts Company, he appeared in a number of productions, including The
Lottery, Old Judge Mose Is Dead, and Step Lively Boys; in 1970, he
made his Broadway debut as Gitlow in the musical Purlie; and
WHEREAS, During a national tour of the show, Mr. Hemsley was
approached by television producer Norman Lear to play a character
on the groundbreaking situation comedy All in the Family; he joined
the cast in 1973 as the blustering and pompous George Jefferson;
this character and his wife, Louise, played by Isabel Sanford, were
such a success that they became the stars of their own show, The
Jeffersons, which ran for 11 seasons, earning Mr. Hemsley
nominations for the Emmy and the Golden Globe; and
WHEREAS, The Jeffersons went off the air in 1985, and
Mr. Hemsley went on to play a scheming church deacon on the sitcom
Amen, voice a triceratops on the live-action puppet series,
Dinosaurs, and make guest appearances on The Fresh Prince of
Bel-Air, Sister, Sister, Family Guy, and Tyler Perry's House of
Payne; as one of the most beloved fictional couples in TV history,
he and Ms. Sanford reprised their signature roles in commercials
for The Gap, Old Navy, and Denny's, and they toured together in the
stage show The Real Live Jeffersons; he was inducted into the
Television Hall of Fame in 2012; and
WHEREAS, In later years, Mr. Hemsley, who was more reserved
than the character who made him famous, enjoyed a quiet life in El
Paso, where he made many friends and became active in local
charities; after his death, befitting his service to his country,
he was buried with military honors at Fort Bliss National Cemetery;
and
WHEREAS, A gifted and energetic performer on the stage and
the screen, Sherman Hemsley was in private life a modest and deeply
spiritual man who took great pleasure in music and the company of
his friends, and he leaves behind a legacy of laughter that
continues to delight countless fans; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life and career of Sherman
Hemsley and extend sincere condolences to his friends and loved
ones; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That when the Texas House of Representatives
adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Sherman Hemsley.