A postal worker by day, Sherman Hemsley studied acting at night until eventually landing the chance to show off his talents on the Broadway stage. Producer Norman Lear caught one of his performances and immediately tapped him to play the irascible George Jefferson on “All in the Family” (ABC, 1971-79) and “The Jeffersons” (CBS, 1975-1985). Hemsley’s high-voltage, sometimes controversial performance, which earned him several award nominations, was popular with television audiences, but it also left him irrevocably typecast; he essentially played close variations on the grouchy, racist Jefferson
