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| Isabel Sanford as Louise Jefferson, most affectionately nicknamed "Weezie" by husband George on the series. | ||||
| Personal Information | ||||
| Gender: | Female | |||
| Nickname | Weezy by George | |||
| Born: | 1929 age 92 | |||
| Occupation/ Career: |
1/2 owner of Jefferson Cleaners with husband George Housewife Philanthropists and Social Worker | |||
| Character description: |
Friend to Tom and Helen Willis | |||
| Spouse(s): | George Jefferson (husband) | |||
| Children: | Lionel Jefferson (son) Jessica Jefferson (granddaughter) | |||
| Related to: | Harold Mills (father) Maxine Mills (sister) Jason Mills (nephew) Jenny Willis-Jefferson (daughter-in-law) Henry Jefferson (brother-in-law) Olivia Jefferson (mother-in-law) | |||
| Character information | ||||
| Episodes appeared in: | 25 episodes over 5 seasons, 1971-1975 and guest appearance in Season 9 (1979) | |||
| Character played by: | Isabel Sanford | |||
Louise Jefferson (née Mills), portrayed by Emmy Award-winning actress Isabel Sanford, is the wife of George Jefferson, and the chief nemesis and next-door neighbor of Archie Bunker. Louise appeared first on the television series All In The Family and made her debut on the series in the episode Lionel Moves Into The Neighboorhood during the first season of All in the Family. She later became one of the main characters in its spinoff series, The Jeffersons. Her role lasted from 1971 to 1985, from her debut on All in the Family through the final episode of The Jeffersons. She was often referred to as "Weezie" by her on-screen husband, George Jefferson. She was first introduced on All in the Family as a neighbor of Archie and Edith Bunker. Sanford would go on appear in 252 out of the 253 episodes of the The Jeffersons.
Character description[]
Louise was similar in many respects to the character Edith Bunker in All In The Family . Both were kind-hearted and had hot-headed husbands, and they were both good friends; however, Louise was not nearly as naïve as Edith. Prior to George Jefferson's first appearance on All In The Family, Louise had to contend with the arguments between his brother Henry Jefferson and Archie Bunker. While Louise recognized that Archie displayed some ignorance and bullheadedness, she saw similar traits in the Jefferson men. When Edith apologized for a poor attitude of Archie's, Louise remarked "Henry is no diplomat either". Unlike George and Henry, Louise was more favorably disposed to Archie Bunker, having visiting him when he had been hospitalized, and fondly remembering Archie during an episode of The Jeffersons when there was a flashback to All in the Family.
In the first few seasons of The Jeffersons, Louise dealt with insulting remarks from Mother Jefferson, George's mother. She was a calming influence in the household compared to George's temper tantrums and over-inflated ego. She was friends with Tom and Helen Willis, an interracial couple.
In the first episode of The Jeffersons, George insisted on hiring a maid. Both George and Louise grew up in poverty, and Louise felt it was not necessary to hire a maid. George won out and Florence Johnston (Marla Gibbs) was hired for a few days a week. Over time, the role of Florence expanded and she became a live-in maid. Louise and Florence became great friends over the years while Florence and George often argued.
Louise grew up in Harlem, New York. She had only a limited memory of her father and always believed that he died when she was very young. However, in a memorable episode, George meets a man at a newsstand whom he suspects is Louise's father. At first, the man denies his identity, saying that George is mistaken, but then he acknowledges that he is Louise's father and decides to come see her. In the meantime, though, George discovers that finding out that her father has been alive and well all this time would mean that her father had willingly chosen to abandon her as a child, an unbearable thought. When her father shows up at the Jeffersons', he is able to receive the satisfaction of seeing how his daughter turned out, but at George's insistence, he spares her feelings when he is introduced to her, by reverting to his original story: that George was mistaken in believing that he was Louise's father. However, in other episodes, Louise's father is portrayed as having been more involved with her. In "Louise's New Interest", she talks about her father giving her a Native American doll when he couldn't find a Black one for her.
Louise also had a sister, Maxine, who was her constant rival while they were growing up. She believed that their mother favored Maxine, but on Louise's wedding day her mother told her that she was the better of the two. Maxine ran away from home as a teen, leaving Louise to look after their mother, which causes Louise to resent Maxine even more. In one episode, George arranges for Maxine to return to New York from Paris as a surprise birthday present for Louise, only to learn that Louise hated her. During this episode, it was revealed that Maxine left home because she was pregnant, and now she introduced her son to the family. Louise then forgave her sister and they mended their feud. One episode of All in the Family mentions George Jefferson's brother-in-law who, like Archie Bunker, had fallen for a scam.
Louise also had a niece named Julie Williams (Lynne Moody, who also appeared as Jenny Willis in the AITF episode Lionel's Engagement), a nurse who lived in Chicago (on the short-lived series E/R). In a season-five episode of The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air, Isabel Sanford and Sherman Hemsley reprise their roles as Louise and George. In one scene, Louise attacks George for calling her "Weezy" because she's sensitive about her asthma. That fact was never addressed in the show's 11-year run. They later appeared in the series finale episode, debating whether to buy the house owned by the Banks family.