Actress Lynn Hamilton, known for roles in “Sanford and Son,” “Dangerous Women” and “Generations,” has died.
She was 95 years old.
A representative said Hamilton died on June 19, “surrounded by her grandchildren, loved ones and caregivers,” the “Today” show reported.
“Her illustrious career, spanning over five decades, has left an indelible mark on the world of entertainment, motivating audiences across the globe through her work as a model, stage, film, and television actress,” representative Calvin Carson wrote.
Hamilton had her first role in 1958, but went on to appear in such 1960s and 1970s series as “Room 222,″“Mannix,” “Gunsmoke,” “The Waltons” and “Ironside.”
She had appeared as a landlady on “Sanford and Son” but then was cast as Fred Sanford’s girlfriend through 1977, People magazine reported.
“They were so impressed with that one scene that, oh, a month or so later they decided to give Fred Sanford a girlfriend,” she told The Hollywood Reporter in 2009. “I among, I don’t know, 100 other actresses in Hollywood auditioned. We had a screen test ... He was impressed with my experience. He always said, ‘You’re so dignified and I need somebody dignified opposite me.’ ”
She also appeared in “Lady Sings the Blues.”
But her career carried her into the 1990s and beyond with roles in “NYPD Blue,” “The Practice” and finally “Cold Case,” according to IMDB.
Hamilton was born in Yazoo City, Mississippi, and moved with her parents when she was 12 to Chicago Heights, Illinois.
She started acting at Goodman Theatre and eventually moved to New York City in 1956. She made her Broadway start in 1959 in the play “Only in America,” Variety reported.
Hamilton spent three years with the New York Shakespeare Festival and was a member of President John Kennedy’s cultural exchange program, performing in tours of “The Miracle Worker” and “The Skin of Our Teeth.”
She joined the Seattle Repertory Theatre in 1966, Variety said.
Hamilton was married to poet and playwright Frank Jenkins until his death in 2014, Variety reported.
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