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| Helen Willis, played by Roxie Roker on the series. | ||||
| Personal Information | ||||
| Gender: | Female | |||
| Ethnicity | Black (of Bahamian descent) | |||
| Born: | 1929 age 91 | |||
| Occupation/ Career: |
Housewife, mother and social worker | |||
| Spouse(s): | Tom Willis (m. 1953) | |||
| Related to: | Allan Willis (son) Jenny Willis-Jefferson (daughter) Jessica Jefferson (granddaughter) | |||
| Character information | ||||
| Appeared on: | The Jeffersons | |||
| Character played by: | Roxie Roker | |||
Helen Willis (nee Douglas) (portrayed by Roxie Roker), for her first appearance in All in the Family, when she was portrayed by Kim Hamilton) is Louise's best friend and George's worst nightmare. By series end, Helen had been married to Tom Willis for 34 years. Tom is white, and Helen is black, which was a renowned aspect of the show. George, disliking racially mixed-marriages, constantly called both Helen and Tom "zebra" or "chocolate and vanilla". Helen often strikes back by calling him "shorty." As well, George enjoys calling Tom "honky", but he learned to get along with the two in later years during the sitcom. In the fourth season, Helen works with Louise as volunteers at a service facility called "The Help Center", which opened in 1977. There is also a mention that she and Louise were the editors of the center's newsletter, a post the two decide to share after the drama of episode 67. Helen and Tom have two children: Jennifer "Jenny" Willis (Berlinda Tolbert) and Allan Willis (first played by Andrew Rubin then Jay Hammer). Also mentioned is that she returned to college for a graduate degree.