Profile of Demond Wilson on Famous Like Me

Grady Demond Wilson (born October 13, 1946) is an American actor, best known for his role as Lamont Sanford in the 1970s sitcom Sanford and Son, where Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx) would often deride Lamont with "You Big Dummy!"

Wilson was born in Valdosta, Georgia. Upon returning from service in Vietnam, in the early 1960s, Wilson was briefly a member of touring stage productions before moving to Hollywood where he performed guest roles on a few television series such as Mission: Impossible and All in the Family and acted in films such as 1971's The Organization.

Later that year, he was called to audition for Sanford and Son and won the role of Lamont Sanford. Wilson played Lamont through the run of the series, and in fact became the defacto star when Foxx walked off the show in 1975 and his character was written out for the rest of the season. Foxx returned the following year and the pair worked together until the show's cancellation in 1977. Wilson would later bow out of the 1980 short-lived series revival.

Wilson later starred as Raymond Ellis in the 1978 series Baby, I'm Back and as Oscar Madison in 1982's The New Odd Couple.

In 1984 he became a minister. In 1994, he founded Restoration House, a center that provides spiritual guidance and vocational training for former prison inmates.

Wilson has written books from a Christian, Afro-centered perspective about the New Age Movement and its hidden dangers to that community. New Age Millennium by Wilson was released by CAP Publishing & Literary Co. LLC on December 1, 1998. Wilson stated the book to be an expose of symbols and slogans.

On March 31, 2005 he appeared as a guest on religious broadcaster Trinity Broadcasting Network's talk show, Praise the Lord.

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