Trivia: Born John Sanford, this scratchy-voiced, bulldog-faced black comedian and actor entered show business while still in his teens; over several decades, he worked as a "blue humor" comic in nightclubs and theaters around the country. From 1951-55 he teamed with comic Slappy White. He made 54 "party records" (comedy records with plenty of four-letter words and blue humor, popular mostly in the black community) and established himself as the dean of blue comedy. In the '60s his audience expanded, and he got guest shots on a number of TV shows. After debuting onscreen in Ossie Davis's unexpectedly successful film Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970) Foxx was signed to star in the TV series Sanford and Son the show was a hit and lasted from 1972-77, making him a household name. He went on to appear in the sitcoms Sanford, The Redd Foxx Show and in the variety show The Redd Foxx Comedy Hour and continued appearing regularly as a stand-up comic in Las Vegas.

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: Through eight decades, actor Dick Van Patten retained the cherubic, chipmunk-cheeked countenance of his child-star days. Born into a family of actors, Van Patten was seven when he made his Broadway bow, playing Melvyn Douglas' son in Tapestry in Gray; that same year, he first stepped before a radio microphone. He would ultimately appear in over 20 Broadway productions, including Thornton Wilder's The Skin of Our Teeth. His co-star in this endeavor was Tallulah Bankhead, who declared that "Dickie" was the only child actor she could tolerate because he could read The Racing Form. In 1941, Van Patten and his younger sister Joyce made their joint film debut in Reg'lar Fellers, repeating their roles from the radio version of the same property. He would not again appear in a film until 1968's Charly, by which time he had played eldest son Nels Hansen in the pioneering TV sitcom Mama had made a smooth transition to adult parts in the role of Mister Roberts' Ensign Pulver, and had co-starred in such New York stage presentations as The Tender Trap, Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? and Don't Drink the Water. An avid tennis player, Van Patten met producer/director Mel Brooks on the courts; their personal relationship blossomed into a professional one, with Van Patten playing Friar Tuck in Brooks' 1975 TV series When Things Were Rotten and appearing in several of Brooks' theatrical features. From 1977 through 1981, Van Patten starred as Tom Bradford on the TV "dramedy" Eight is Enough. His other series-TV assignments include The Partners (1971), The New Dick Van Dyke Show (1973-74 season) and WIOU (1990). In addition to his sibling relationship with Joyce Van Patten, Dick Van Patten is the half-brother Timothy Van Patten and the father of James and Vincent Van Patten--actors all. Van Patten died in 2015, at age 86.

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