'Jeffersons' Isabel Sanford Receives Star
Fri Jan 16, 2:01 PM ET
By The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES - Isabel Sanford, best known as Louise Jefferson or "Weezie" on the CBS sitcom "The Jeffersons," moved on up to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Sanford, 86, was joined at the ceremony Thursday by about 300 fans, family members and friends, including "All in the Family" and "Jeffersons" creator Norman Lear and Marla Gibbs, who played the Jeffersons' maid Florence.
Sanford, a native New Yorker, said she was honored to have her own star.
"Here with stars in my eyes — something that I dreamed about when I was 9 years old," she said after the ceremony. "There are others that deserve it, but let everybody get their own."
Sanford made her feature film debut in the classic "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," before co-starring with Sherman Hemsley for more than 10 years in "The Jeffersons," a spin-off of the popular series "All in the Family."
In 1981, Sanford became the first black woman to receive an Emmy for best actress in a comedy series.
Hemsley was out of the state and couldn't attend his TV wife's ceremony, officials said, but Gibbs couldn't pass up watching her friend receive the star.
"I am so happy to be here to represent the queen," Gibbs said. "She is such a generous star."
Sanford's star, No. 2,245, is on Hollywood Boulevard near La Brea Avenue only a few away from the star honoring Carroll O'Connor (news) of "All in the Family."
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