Lynn Hamilton (actress) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lynn Hamilton
Hamilton attending The Waltons 40th Anniversary celebration, 2012
Born	(1930-04-25) April 25, 1930 (age 95) Yazoo City, Mississippi, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1958–2009
Known for	Donna Harris – Sanford and Son
Spouse(s)	Frank S. Jenkins ​ ​ (m. 1964; died 2014)​
Children	1

Lynn Hamilton (born April 25, 1930) is an American actress who is now retired. She started acting in 1959 in the movie Shadows. Many people know her for playing Donna Harris, who was Fred's girlfriend on the TV show Sanford and Son (1972–1977). She also played Cousin Georgia Anderson in Roots: The Next Generations and Verdie Foster on The Waltons.

Early Life and Education

Lynn Hamilton was born in Yazoo City, Mississippi. Her full name is Alzenia Lynn Hamilton. When she was twelve years old, her family moved to Chicago Heights, Illinois. She went to Bloom High School there. After high school, she studied acting at the famous Goodman Theatre.

Her Acting Career

Lynn Hamilton started her acting journey in community theater in Chicago. This is where local people put on plays together. In 1959, she made her first appearance on Broadway, which is a very famous theater area in New York City. The play was called Only in America. She acted in three other Broadway plays and many plays that were "Off-Broadway," meaning they were in smaller theaters. She also spent three years performing with the New York Shakespeare Festival.

Playing Donna Harris on Sanford and Son

From 1972 to 1977, Lynn Hamilton had a very popular role on the TV show Sanford and Son. She played Donna Harris, who was the girlfriend and sometimes fiancée of the main character, Fred Sanford. Donna was a nurse, and she often helped take care of Fred.

When the show came back in 1980 with a new name, Sanford (TV series), Lynn Hamilton's character was not included. There was a rumor that Lynn Hamilton was the younger sister of LaWanda Page, who played Esther Anderson on the same show. However, this was not true. Even though they were not related, they became very good friends.

Other TV Roles

Besides Sanford and Son, Lynn Hamilton also had a regular role as Verdie Grant Foster on The Waltons. She appeared in many other popular TV shows too. These include sitcoms like Good Times and The Golden Girls. She was also in soap operas like Generations and Port Charles. She even appeared in the Western show Gunsmoke and the detective series Barnaby Jones. Later, she had a recurring role as Judge Fulton on the show The Practice.

Personal Life

Lynn Hamilton was married to Frank Jenkins, who was a poet and playwright. They were married for 49 years, from November 1964 until he passed away in August 2014.

As mentioned before, there was a rumor that Lynn Hamilton was the sister of her Sanford and Son co-star, LaWanda Page. This rumor started because LaWanda Page actually had a younger sister who was also named Lynn Hamilton. However, the actor Demond Wilson, who played Fred Sanford's son on the show, confirmed in 2016 that the two actresses were not related.

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Lynn Hamilton para niños