Lynn Hamilton, ‘The Waltons’ And Sanford And Son’ Actress, Dies At 95

Lynn Hamilton, who is remembered as Verdie Grant Foster on family drama The Waltons and Donna Harris, Fred’s (Redd Foxx) girlfriend on sitcom Sanford and Son, died Thursday of natural causes at her home in Chicago. She was 95.

Born April 25, 1930 in Yazoo City, Mississippi, Lynn Hamilton began her career in community theatre in Chicago and debuted on Broadway in Only in America in 1959. She appeared in three other Broadway plays, several Off-Broadway plays and spent three years with the New York Shakespeare Festival, eventually segueing to television with guest appearances on series like Room 222, Then Came Bronson, Mannix and Gunsmoke.

Hamilton initially debuted as the landlady in the seventh episode of Sanford and Son in 1972 before being upgraded to Fred’s love interest. She appeared in 22 episodes through the six seasons of the Norman Lear sitcom and began an also recurring on The Waltons as the family’s neighbor Verdie Grant, who John-Boy (Richard Thomas) teaches to read. Eventually Verdie marries Harley Foster (Hal Williams) and ultimately appears in 17 episodes through the nine-season run of The Waltons.

Additionally, Hamilton was reunited with Hal Williams in five episodes of the Marla Gibbs sitcom 227, she played Cissie Johnson, one of the ex-cons on the 1991-92 syndicated nighttime soap Dangerous Women, and she appeared in multiple episodes of daytime drama Sunset Beach and legal drama The Practice.

Hamilton’s other TV show guest spots included The Rockford Files, The Golden Girls, Murphy Brown, Sisters, NYPD Blue, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Judging Amy. She appeared in the reunion TV movies A Waltons Thanksgiving Reunion and A Walton Easter in 1993 and 1997, respectively. And her final on-air appearance was in an episode of the crime drama Cold Case in 2009.

Hamilton was married to poet and playwright Frank Jenkins (Driving While Black in Beverly Hills) from 1964 until his death in 2014.