Fred G. Sanford

Fred G. Sanford is a fictional character portrayed by actor/comedian Redd Foxx on the 1972-1977 NBC sitcom Sanford and Son.

Foxx, whose real name was John Elroy Sanford, modeled the character after his real-life brother, whose name in fact was Fred Sanford. The character Fred is an elderly, widowed, sarcastic, and cantankerous junk dealer. He is the proprietor of "Sanford and Son", a junk and antique dealership which he ran out of his home, along with his son Lamont. Foxx appeared in all but 9 of the episodes of the series, the exception being because Foxx had a contract dispute with NBC in 1974.

In 1999 TV Guide ranked him # 36 on its list of the 50 Greatest TV Characters of All Time.

Background

Fred G. Sanford was born in St. Louis, Missouri on January 21, 1907. (the episode "Happy Birthday, Pop" celebrated his 65th birthday that aired in 1972) In 1946, he, his wife Elizabeth Winfield and their son Lamont (Demond Wilson) moved to the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles. Fred was left with the responsibility of rearing Lamont alone after his wife suddenly died. Lamont dropped out of high school, subsequently joining his father in the junk business. Lamont, as he was known, was actually his middle name. Fred and Elizabeth could never decide on a first name. Lamont was also however known as "Lamont Grady Sanford".