Whitman Mayo
Whitman Mayo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Whitman Blount Mayo Jr. November 15, 1930 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | May 22, 2001(aged 70) Atlanta, Georgia,U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1966–2001 |
| Spouse(s) | Gail Reid (1974–2001) Patricia Yorck (1966–1974) Melva Washington (m. 1956, divorced) |
| Website | www |
Whitman Blount Mayo Jr.(November 15, 1930 – May 22, 2001) was an American actor, best known for his role asGrady Wilsonon the 1970s television sitcomSanford and Son.
Biography
[edit]Early years
[edit] |
Whitman Blount Mayo, Jr. was born inNew York City.He was raised inHarlemand laterQueens.At the age of 17, he moved with his family toSouthern California.
Mayo enlisted in theU.S. Army,serving from 1951 to 1953 during theKorean War.
Upon discharge, he studied atChaffey College,Los Angeles City College,andUCLA.
Career
[edit] | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification.(January 2014) |
While attending college, Mayo began acting in small parts. He held many jobs to support himself and his family, including waiting tables, working in vineyards and as a probation officer. He also spent seven years as a counselor to delinquent boys.
In the early 1970s, while working for theNew Lafayette Theatre,Norman Learoffered Mayo a role as Grady Wilson onSanford and Son.The character's name was based onDemond Wilson,the actor who played Lamont Sanford and whose real first name is Grady. During a period where Redd Foxx did not appear on the show due to a contract dispute, Grady moved into the Sanford house and effectively starred in the show for six episodes. Mayo later starred inGrady,an unsuccessful spin-off in which his character moved in with his daughter and her husband in Beverly Hills. After its cancellation in 1976, Mayo's Grady character returned toSanford and Son.Mayo reprised the role in the unsuccessful 1977 NBC-TV spinoff seriesSanford Armswith actorTheodore Wilson,and for two episodes ofSanford,another spinoff ofSanford and Son,this time with Redd Foxx and actorDennis Burkley,in 1981.
Also in the late 1970s, Mayo appeared on the Los Angeles children's television programThat's Cat,offering sage advice in a sweet manner to the main character Alice. In 1990, he appeared in an episode ofIn the Heat of the Nighttitled "Hello in There". In 1991, he appeared in an episode ofFull Housetitled "The Volunteer"; he played an old man named Eddie Johnson with Alzheimer's. In 1996,Late Night with Conan O'Brienspent several weeks trying to have Mayo appear on the show. Conan even went as far to set up the "Grady Hotline", a 1–800 number where viewers could call in with any Grady "sightings". The show also aired a mock episode ofUnsolved Mysteries.[1]On February 8, 1996, Mayo appeared onLate Nightto much fanfare.[2][3][4]In 1997, he guest-starred in the Nickelodeon sitcomKenan and Kel,playing Kenan and Kyra's rude, impatient Uncle Raymond.
Mayo also played a role inThe Capeas Sweets, the owner of Moonshot Bar and Grill. Mayo made several film appearances, includingThe Main EventwithBarbra Streisand,D.C. Cab,Boyz n the Hood,andWaterproofwithBurt Reynolds.Mayo also appeared as Reverend Banyon on theBETTV MovieBoycottin 2001 and in an episode ofMartin.He hostedLiars and LegendsonTurner South.He also made appearances in Sesame Street. Mayo taught drama atClark Atlanta University.He opened a travel agency in Inglewood, California. Mr. Mayo was a member ofKappa Alpha Psifraternity.
Personal life and death
[edit]Mayo married Melva Washington, the daughter of Clarence and Lena Washington, in Los Angeles in 1956.[5][6]
He resided in Atlanta'sCollier Heightscommunity since 1994 with Gail Mayo, his third wife.[7]
Mayo died of aheart attackon May 22, 2001, at Atlanta'sGrady Memorial Hospital.[7]His sonRahn Mayobecame a member of the Georgia House of Representatives in 2009.[8]
Filmography
[edit]- The Black Klansman(1966) – Alex
- Sanford and Son(1972–77) – Grady Wilson
- Grady(1975–76) – Grady Wilson
- That's Cat(1976) – Grandpa
- Baretta(1976) – Joey Rich
- Sesame Street(1976–1977)
- Sanford Arms(1977) – Grady Wilson
- Starsky and Hutch(1978) – Jeeter
- Vega$(1978) – Lick Smith
- The Main Event(1979) – Percy
- Diff'rent Strokes(1979) - Jethro Simpson
- Lou Grant(1981) – Fred Jenkins
- Sanford(1981) – Grady Wilson
- Of Mice and Men(1981 made-for-TV movie) – Crooks
- Mr. Merlin(1982, episode "Arivaderci Dink" ) – Dink
- The Best of Times(1983) – Howling' Joe
- Trapper John, M.D.(1983–1985) – Lewis B. Larkin / D.L. Browne
- Hill Street Blues(1983)
- D.C. Cab(1983) – Mr. Rhythm
- Hell Town(1985) – One Ball
- In the Heat of the Night(1990) – Winston Tyler
- 227(1986–1990) – Henry Hurley
- Amen(1991) – Swifty
- Boyz n the Hood(1991) – The Old Man
- Full House(1991) – Eddie Johnson
- A Different World(1992) – Shop Owner (uncredited)
- The Seventh Coin(1993) – Coin Shop Owner
- Martin(1995) – Mr. Mackey
- Family Matters(1995) – Fletcher Thomas
- The Cape(1996) – Sweets (owner of the Moonshot Bar & Grill) / Sweets
- Kenan & Kel(1997) – Uncle Raymond
- ER(1999) – Jesse Morgan
- Waterproof(2000) – Sugar
- Boycott(2001) – Reverend Banyon (final film role)
- Beah: A Black Woman Speaks(2003, documentary) – Himself
References
[edit]- ^CONAN O'BRIEN, 2/7/96 – CONAN'S SEARCH FOR WHITMAN MAYO ( "GRADY" ) – 1/5onYouTube
- ^CONAN O'BRIEN, 2/8/96 – "GRADY HAS LANDED" IN NEW YORK – 2/5onYouTube
- ^CONAN O'BRIEN, 2/8/96 – GRADY'S ARRIVAL – 4/5onYouTube
- ^Henderson, Ashyia (2002). "Whitman Mayo".Contemporary Black Biography.Vol. 32. Farmington Hills: Gale Group.ISBN0-7876-5913-4.
- ^"USC Coed Engaged".Los Angeles Sentinel.August 9, 1956.
- ^Certificate of Registry of Marriage, No. 32461, Book 3954, Page 262, Los Angeles County, California, File November 28, 1956.
- ^ab"Whitman Mayo, 'Sanford & Son's' Grady, dies at 70".CNN.22 May 2001.Retrieved2008-01-21.
- ^"Rahn Mayo (D – Decatur) District 84".Georgia House of Representatives.Retrieved2014-01-20.
External links
[edit]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
- 1930 births
- 2001 deaths
- 20th-century African-American people
- 20th-century American male actors
- African-American male actors
- African-American United States Army personnel
- American male film actors
- American male television actors
- Burials in Georgia (U.S. state)
- Chaffey College alumni
- Fontana High School alumni
- Los Angeles City College alumni
- Male actors from Queens, New York
- Male actors from Manhattan
- Military personnel from New York City
- Military personnel from New York (state)
- People from Harlem
- United States Army personnel of the Korean War
- University of California, Los Angeles alumni