Tom and Helen Willis

Tom and Helen Willis
File:The Jeffersons - Tom and Helen (Franklin Cover and Roxie Roker).jpg Franklin Cover and Roxie Roker in a promotional photo for The Jeffersons in 1975.
First appearance	Lionel's Engagement
Last appearance	Red Robins from Hell
Portrayed by	Charles Aidman Kim Hamilton Roxie Roker Franklin Cover
In-universe information
Alias	Tom Willis and Helen Douglas
Gender	Male Female
Occupation	Author at Pelham Publishers and Co-Worker/Counselor of The Help Center
Family	Grandpa Willis (Tom's father) Grandpa Douglas (Helen's Father)
Children	Allan Willis and Jenny Willis Jefferson

Tom and Helen Willis (mid 1920s) were both supporting characters on the series, The Jeffersons, the characters were portrayed by Franklin Cover and Roxie Roker from 1975 until 1985, they were the second interracial couple on television, who were scripted to be born in the late 1920s. Tom, a Caucasian man, was born May 12 1928 and Helen, an African-American woman, on August 1 1929. The couple are neighbors of George and Louise Jefferson.

Storyline

To Louise Jeffereson, Tom and Helen Willis are very kind and the three of them become best friends, but they hate the racism displayed by George. He often calls them "zebra", and calls Tom "honky" or, when referring to his weight, "Fatso". Helen strikes back by calling George "shorty" and the insults rarely stop. Whenever color or certain other subjects are mentioned, George suddenly strikes out by making racist jokes. Over time, both Tom and Helen learn to ignore George's insensitive comments.

File:The Jeffersons - Helen Willis (Roxie Roker).jpg

Roxie Roker as Helen Willis

Tom and Helen have two kids, Jenny (Berlinda Tolbert) and Allan (Andrew Rubin and Jay Hammer). Their daughter, Jenny, is shown as a studious, hard-working college student but, in later seasons, she and the Jeffersons' son, Lionel (Michael Jonas Evans from 1975, 1979-1981 and Damon Evans from 1976-78) started dating and eventually married each other. George then made fun of their two children, referring to Jenny as "plaid" or "half of the zebra" and to Allan as "assorted nuts".

Tom and Helen are successful professionals as, respectively, an author and publisher at Pelham Publishers (never seen, only mentioned), and counselor at The Help Center (working with her best friend/co-worker, Louise (Isabel Sanford).

Tom is an understanding huggy-bear and caring father to his daughter, Jenny, and his dropout son Allan, who leaves the series and never comes back. He is also a horrible dancer, something implied in several episodes.

Roxie Roker and Franklin Cover have excellent chemistry as Tom and Helen Willis. In real life, Roker is married to a white man. In 1951, Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball became the first interracial couple on television in I Love Lucy. Twenty years later, Roxie Roker and Franklin Cover were only the second interracial couple who had appeared on television.

Tom and Helen married in 1951 and sometimes argue but always make up. In 1980, they became grandparents when their daughter, Jenny (Berlinda Tolbert) and Lionel (Mike Evans), the Jeffersons' son, gave birth to a baby daughter, Jessica (Erie and Jessica Holland/Ebonie Smith). Only a year later, their daughter is about to divorce Lionel because of marital problems, and it happens in a final two-part episode broadcast on January 29 and February 5, 1985. During the show's 1975-1976 season, Tom and Helen have an uncle named Bertram who had the hots for their neighbor, George Jefferson's mother Olivia Jefferson, and he was never seen or heard from again. On the All in the Family episode entitled Lionel's Engagement (originally aired on February 9, 1974), different actors portrayed the Willis family: Charles Aidman played Tom, Kim Hamilton portrayed Helen, and Lynne Moody portrayed Jenny. In early 1975, the three actors would be recast with Roxie Roker as Helen, Franklin Cover as Tom and Berlinda Tolbert as Jenny.