Whitman Mayo
| Whitman Mayo | |
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| Born | Whitman B. Mayo November 15, 1930 New York City, New York, USA |
| Died | May 22, 2001 (aged 70) Atlanta, Georgia, USA |
| Cause of death | Heart attack |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1966–2001 |
| Spouse | Gail Reid (1974-2001) Patricia Yorck (1966-1974) Melva Washington (m. 1956) |
| Website | |
| http://www.the-cape.com/the_cape/whit/biograph.htm | |
Whitman B. Mayo (November 15, 1930 – May 22, 2001) was an American actor best known for his character Grady Wilson on the 1970s television sitcom Sanford and Son.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early years
Mayo was born in New York City, New York and grew up in Harlem and Queens. He moved with his family to Southern California at age seventeen and from there entered the United States Army, serving from 1951 to 1953. Upon release, he studied at Chaffey College, Los Angeles City College, and UCLA. During this time he began acting in small parts, while waiting tables, working in the vineyards and as a probation officer as well as a variety of other small jobs. He also spent seven years as a counselor to delinquent boys.
[edit] Career
In the late 1960s, while working for the New Lafayette Theater, Norman Lear offered Mayo a part as Grady Wilson on Sanford and Son. His portrayal of Grady Wilson caught on and he lasted through the entire duration of the show. He opened a travel agency in Inglewood, California. Mayo starred in the unsuccessful spin-off, Grady, in which his character moved in with his daughter and her husband in Beverly Hills.
In the late 1970s he appeared on the Los Angeles children's television program That's Cat, offering sage advice in a sweet manner to the main character, Alice. In 1996, Mayo appeared Late Night with Conan O'Brien. [1] He also played a role in The Cape as Sweets, the owner of Moonshot Bar and Grill.
Although best known for his television work, Mayo made several film appearances, including The Main Event with Barbra Streisand, D.C. Cab, Boyz n the Hood and Waterproof with Burt Reynolds. Mayo also appeared as Reverend Banyon on the BET TV Movie Boycott in 2001 and in an episode of "Martin." He also taught drama at Clark Atlanta University and hosted Liars and Legends on Turner South.
[edit] Personal life
Mayo died of a heart attack, at Atlanta's Grady Memorial Hospital. He had resided in Fayetteville, Georgia since 1994 and was survived by his children and by his third wife, Gail Mayo.
His son, Rahn Mayo, is currently a member of the Georgia House of Representatives[2] representing House District 91. He is also survived by his daughters Tanya Mayo, Suni Mayo Simpson, and daughter Pangi Raysor and son Jon-Jo Raysor of Brooklyn, New York.[3]
[edit] Filmography
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[edit] References
- ^ Henderson, Ashyia (2002). "Whitman Mayo". Contemporary Black Biography. vol. 32. Farmington Hills: Gale Group. ISBN 0787659134.
- ^ legis.state.ga.us
- ^ Staff writers (22 May 2001). "Whitman Mayo, 'Sanford & Son's' Grady, dies at 70". CNN. http://cnn.com/2001/SHOWBIZ/News/05/22/mayo.obit. Retrieved 2008-01-21.
–The Black Klansman (1966)
