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| Louise's Uncle Ward confronts Lionel in the episode "Lionel Cries Uncle" in Season 1. | ||||
| Personal Information | ||||
| Gender: | Male | |||
| Also known as | Ward Mills (?) | |||
| Occupation/ Career: |
Former Pullman Porter, Retired | |||
| Character description: |
Deried and dismissed by George, and then, for a moment, Lionel as an "Uncle Tom" for being a pullman porter for many years | |||
| Character information | ||||
| Appeared on: | The Jeffersons | |||
| Episodes appeared in: | "Lionel Cries Uncle" in Season 1 | |||
| Character played by: | Albert Reed | |||
Ward Mills, Louise's uncle, appears in the Season 1 episode of The Jeffersons titled "Lionel Cries Uncle". The part of Uncle Ward is played by veteran character actor Albert Reed.
About Louise's Uncle[]
In the episode, Louise's Uncle Ward visits the Jeffersons, but George derisively refers to him as an "Uncle Tom" for having worked as a butler for many years. When Lionel, who was temporarily expelled from college pending a hearing concerning a food fight/riot which was started by some other students in the cafeteria over the sub par food served there, Ward confronts him by forcing him to listen to reason, "I've spit out sticks like you for breakfast, so just listen!". He then tells the story of the original inspiration for the term "Uncle Tom". Abolitionist/author/minister and former slave Josiah Henson, helped black slaves escape up North in the years before the formation of The Underground Railroad, and also set up a trade school for Negroes in Canada, where he settled. He also says to George that they would never refer to him as "Uncle Tom". Ward's story, with the help of Louise's prodding, convinces Lionel, who learns a little about Black History along with George, to return to the Dean's office and issue a formal apology for his behavior in the cafeteria.