American actor, preacher, and writer, Demond Wilson is best remembered for playing Lamont Sanford in the NBC sitcom Sanford and Son (1972–1977). Also, Over the course of his more than three-decade-long entertainment career, he appeared in Me and the Kid (1993), The Love Boat (1979), and Girlfriends (2004–2005) to mention a few.
After starring in Girlfriends, Demond dabbled with a number of projects before returning to the big screen in 2023 as Isaac in the TV series Eleanor’s Bench.
Life and Career Background of Demond Wilson
Wilson was born on October 13, 1946, in Valdosta, Georgia and he spent his formative years in New York City where he trained in ballet and tap dancing. Also, he was brought up as a Catholic and served as an altar boy.
At the age of thirteen, Wilson’s appendix burst, and the incident almost ended his life. He later made a commitment to serve God in some ministerial role as an adult after escaping the experience. Staying true to his erstwhile commitment, in 1984, he was officially ordained as a minister of the gospel of Christ. He has often said that he is committed to traveling around the world to preach the gospel of the Lord and he is also committed to doing whatever the Lord wants him to do.
Since May 3, 1974, Wilson has been married to former model Cicely Johnston and the pair have six children together; 4 girls and 2 boys.
He served in the Army before making his screen debut
According to verifiable reports, Wilson made his Broadway debut at the age of 4, featuring in a few theatrical productions. However, he had to serve in the Army from 1966 to 1968 before making his major screen debut. While in the Army, he was a member of the 4th Infantry Division. He later got wounded in Vietnam, making him return home to be decorated as a war veteran.
He later began to appear in a number of stage and screen productions including The Organization (1971) and Dealing: Or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues (1972).
Demond Wilson’s Filmography
Films
- Hammerlock – 2000
- Me and the Kid – 1993
- Full Moon High – 1981
- Dealing: Or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag – 1972
- The Organization – 1971
- Cotton Comes to Harlem – 1970
Television
- Eleanor’s Bench – 2023
- Girlfriends – 2004-2005
- Hammerlock – 2000
- Me and the Kid – 1993
- The New Odd Couple – 1982 – 1983
- Today’s F.B.I – 1981
- Full Moon High – 1981
- The Love Boat – 1979-1981
- Baby…I’m Back – 1977-1978
- Sanford and Son – 1972 – 1977
- Amazing Grace – 1974
- Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In – 1972
- Dealing: Or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag… – 1972
- Mission: Impossible – 1972
- The Organization – 1971
- All in the Family – 1971
- Cotton Comes to Harlem – 1970
Why Demond Wilson walked away from performing after Girlfriends
Desmond was asked in an exclusive interview with get. tv why he walked away from performing in 1984 and he said that it was because he was burnt out. According to him, he worked steadily from 1971 to 1984. He also said that the Lord came to his heart, and that’s why he decided to travel the country and the world for 15 years doing what the Lord commissioned, that is spreading the word.
All Demond Wilson has been up to since Girlfriends
Since his appearance on Girlfriends in 2005, Wilson took a long break before returning to the screens in 2023. However, in between this period, he made skeletal appearances in some of his personal productions. He also committed himself to writing books. Among other publications, Wilson’s memoir Second Banana: The Bittersweet Memoirs of the Sanford & Son Years was released on August 31, 2009. The book is a factual documented behind-the-scenes account of what happened to him in his entertainment career.
Also, Wilson wrote many Christian publications about the New Age Movement and the threats he thought it posed for society before his 2009 publication. One such book is ‘New Age Millennium’ and it was published on December 1, 1998, by CAP Publishing & Literary Co. LLC. The book, according to Wilson, is an “exposé” of specific New Age “symbols and slogans”.
Meanwhile, Wilson produced and acted in a melodramatic family film based on the play Faith Ties. He played a broken-down old drunk whose wife and daughter are killed and he’s given up on life. The protagonist is a pastor who is in the middle while he watches the lives of people crumbling around him.
Furthermore, in the summer of 2011, Wilson worked with actress Nina Nicole in a touring production of the play The Measure of a Man by playwright Matt Hardwick. The play is described as “a faith-based production” and is set in a small town in south Georgia.
Wilson has also made a number of guest appearances on the Trinity Broadcasting Network’s Praise The Lord program in addition to his other ministerial engagements.