Trivia: Long before Eddie Murphy, Andrew Dice Clay, or Howard Stern raised the ire of censors and threatened the delicate sensibilities of mainstream American good taste, there was Redd Foxx, arguably the most notorious "blue" comic of his day. Prior to finding fame in the 1970s as the star of the popular sitcom Sanford and Son, Foxx found little but infamy throughout the first several decades of his performing career; salty and scatological, his material broke new ground with its point-blank riffs and brazen discussions of sex and color, and although his party albums were generally banned from white-owned record stores, the comedian's funky narrative style and raspy delivery proved highly influential on comic talents of all ethnic backgrounds.Foxx was born John Elroy Sanford in St. Louis on December 9, 1922. While still in his teens, he became a professional performer, working as both a comedian and actor on the so-called "chitlin circuit" of black theaters and nightclubs. He formulated his stage name by combining an old nickname, "Red" (given because of his ruddy complexion), with the surname of baseball's Jimmie Foxx. After cutting a handful of explicit blues records in the mid-'40s, beginning in 1951 he often teamed with fellow comic Slappy White, a partnership which lasted through 1955. Foxx was performing at Los Angeles' Club Oasis when a representative from the tiny Dooto label contacted him about cutting an album. The comedian agreed, and was paid 25 dollars to record Laff of the Party, the first of over 50 albums of Foxx's racy anecdotes. An onslaught of Dooto releases followed, among them over half a dozen other Laff of the Party sets, The Sidesplitter, The New Race Track, Sly Sex, and New Fugg. His records were poorly distributed, and offered primarily in black neighborhoods. When they did appear in white record stores, they were sold under the counter. In the 1960s, Foxx signed to the MF label and his routines became even more explicit, as evidenced by titles like Laff Your Ass Off, Huffin' and a Puffin', I'm Curious (Black), 3 or 4 Times a Day, and Mr. Hot Pants. After a brief tenure on King, he signed to Loma, a division of Frank Sinatra's Reprise imprint. With records like Foxx A Delic and Live at Las Vegas, he became one of the very first performers to use four-letter words on major-label releases.As the 1960s wore on and long-standing cultural barriers began to crumble, Foxx's audience expanded, and he made a number of television appearances. In 1970, he made his film debut in Ossie Davis' Cotton Comes to Harlem. When the film became a surprise hit, Foxx became a hot talent, and soon signed to star in Sanford and Son, a retooled sitcom version of the British television hit Steptoe and Son. The series, which starred Foxx as junk dealer Fred Sanford, premiered in 1972 and became a huge hit, running through 1977. He also continued recording, issuing You Gotta Wash Your Ass, a live set taped at the Apollo Theater, in 1976. The short-lived programs Sanford, The Redd Foxx Show, and The Redd Foxx Comedy Hour followed; additionally, he starred in the 1976 feature Norman, Is That You?, and became a Las Vegas headliner.By the early '80s, Foxx's career hit the skids. By the end of the decade, however, his influence on the new breed of African-American comedians was openly acknowledged, and in 1989 Eddie Murphy tapped him to co-star in his black-themed crime-noir film Harlem Nights. Although the film flopped, Foxx's career was renewed, and in 1991 he began work on a new sitcom, The Royal Family. Tragically, he suffered a heart attack on the series' set and died on October 11, 1991. Still, even in death, Foxx's name remained synonymous with off-color comments; on an episode of the hit show Seinfeld broadcast several years later, Jason Alexander's character, George, was chastised for the "curse toast" he delivered at a friend's wedding, prompting an exasperated Jerry Seinfeld to exclaim, "You were like a Redd Foxx record up there!"

Trivia: A comedienne turned actress who rose to fame as outspoken bible-thumper Aunt Ester in Redd Foxx's hit sitcom Sanford and Son, LaWanda Page performed with such other famous contemporaries as Richard Pryor and Rudy Ray Moore before finding success on the small screen. A native of Cleveland who grew up in St. Louis, Page first hit the stage as an exotic dancer and chorus girl billed "the Bronze Goddess of Fire" (due to her penchant for playing with fire on-stage) before fully realizing her talents as a standup comic. Subsequently approached by Foxx to star in Sanford and Son, Page tickled television viewers' funny bones with her memorable role as Foxx's aggressively religious sister-in-law in the original series' spin-off The Sanford Arms, and the 1980 revival Sanford. Throughout the 1980s and '90s, Page crafted a feature-film career with minor roles in such comedies as Zapped! (1982), My Blue Heaven (1990), Friday (1995), and Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood (1996). Always retaining her fiery approach to comedy, Page also performed on-stage in productions of The Inquest of Sam Cooke and Take It to the Lord...Or Else. On September 14, 2002, LaWanda Page died from complications of diabetes in Los Angeles, CA. She was 81.

Trivia: For years, character actor Howard Platt qualified as one of the small screen's most familiar faces. Devoted viewers of 1970s television will easily remember Platt; he played Hoppy the Cop, the quintessentially weird, by-the-book white police officer who made frequent stops at Fred Sanford's junkyard on the hit NBC sitcom Sanford and Son (1972-1977). Additional recurring roles included Dr. Phil Newman on The Bob Newhart Show and Marvin the Jewelry Salesman on Alice. Platt briefly enjoyed a main starring role as airline pilot Captain Doug March on the CBS adventure drama Flying High (1978) opposite Pat Klous and Connie Sellecca; unfortunately, it was canceled in late January 1979, soon after it premiered. He remained active for the following several decades, however, and extended his work into occasional features such as The Cat from Outer Space (1978), Nixon (1995), and The Rock (1996) while establishing himself as a nearly constant presence in theater as an actor and director. In 2008, Platt starred opposite Tim Robbins and Rachel McAdams in the Iraq veteran-themed drama The Lucky Ones.

Trivia: Marlene Clark, a black supporting actress and occasional lead, appeared on screen beginning in the '70s.

Trivia: Began his acting career at the age of 4 with an appearance in the Broadway play Green Pastures. Was drafted by the Army and served a tour of duty in Vietnam. Guest-starred on an Emmy-winning episode of All in the Family, which helped him earn a lead role on the popular sitcom Sanford and Son. Scaled back his acting work after experiencing a spiritual awakening and becoming a minister in 1983. Is also a writer whose works include several children's books and the memoir Second Banana: The Bitter Sweet Memoirs of the Sanford & Son Years.

Trivia: Moved to LA from his native Ohio in 1968; worked for the California Youth Authority while trying to break into show business. First TV guest role was in a 1970 episode of That Girl. Had a recurring role on Sanford and Son as Officer "Smitty" Smith. Reprised his role of Sgt. L.C. Ross from Private Benjamin in the 1981-83 CBS sitcom version of the film. Costarred with Marla Gibbs in 227 on-stage in Los Angeles before it became an NBC series in 1985. Set up a scholarship fund for minority students studying TV communications in memory of his son Mark, who died in a camping accident in 1977. With 227 costar Gibbs, was honored at the Giving Back Corporation's spring 2010 Celebrity Roast & Toast.

Trivia: American character actor Dick O'Neill began showing up in films in 1961. Most of O'Neill's movie roles were in the supporting category, e.g. his portrayal of Sol Zuckermann in The Buddy Holly Story. His extensive TV credits include recurring roles on at least four weekly series. Dick O'Neill was seen as Judge Praetor D. Hardcastle in Rosetti and Ryan (1977), street-smart Malloy in Kaz (1978), corporate vice president Arthur Broderick in Empire (1984), and Fred Wilkinson in the 1987 episodes of Falcon Crest. Fans of the detective series Cagney and Lacey will remember O'Neill for playing Charlie Cagney. Before entering film and television, O'Neill was a well established supporting actor on the New York stage where he appeared on and off Broadway. In the early '50s, O'Neill was a charter member of the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. For the last seven years of his life, O'Neill served on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Screening Committee.