Redd foxx biography summary

Born John Elroy Sanford in St. Louis, Missouri in , Redd Foxx became one of America's most beloved comedic figures in the s. Called Redd because of his complexion, he took the last name of baseball star Stan Fox—though by adding his distinctive double "x," nobody would have known this—, and left home at the age of 16 to join a New York street band.

Through the s and s, Foxx worked as a stand-up comedian and became known for his "party records," recordings of his bawdy stand-up act. The most famous of these was 's "Laff of the Party," but he recorded many more. Over 15 million copies of his records were reportedly sold, although Foxx claimed to have received no royalties.

Redd Foxx is best remembered for his role as junk dealer Fred G. The show was the second smash hit after All in the Family for Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin, whose topical comedies of the s addressed issues of bigotry regarding race, gender, and sexuality to a degree that had never been seen on American television before. Fred is content to eke out a living as a junkman, though he is constantly hatching all kinds of get-rich-quick schemes, which make Lamont crazy.

Lamont, by contrast, is seeking a better life, and many of the sitcom's conflicts arise out of Lamont's desire to get out of the junk business and Fred's attempts to make him stay.

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Their arguments frequently end with Fred feigning a heart attack , clutching his chest, and calling to his dead wife, "I'm coming to join you Elizabeth! The results were hilarious. Foxx left Sanford and Son at the end of the season amidst reported contract disputes with the producers and an argument with NBC over an appropriate dressing room. He signed with ABC for the Redd Foxx Comedy Hour, in which he spotlighted some of his old show business friends, and communicated his version of events in American history in a regular spot called "The History of the Black in America.

After a few years working in Las Vegas clubs and making guest appearances on other people's variety shows, Foxx returned to television in when NBC tried to revive the earlier hit series as Sanford.