Remember “Jenny” from “The Jeffersons?” Although on TV she was married to “Lionel,” but REAL LIFE actress, Berlinda Tolbert, shocked many when she married her husband/former CBS journalist, Bob Reid, at lightening speed…probably before they even knew each other’s favorite color, but their love is real. Wait ’til you hear this…

Berlinda Tolbert and Bob got married after dating for only 11 DAYS! Nope, that is NOT a typo. They met in Atlanta in 1979, fell in love within a few days, and married a few days later in Rhode Island, NY, during Valentine’s Day weekend. The first seven years of their marriage was long distance- Berlinda lived in L.A. and Bob couldn’t leave his job in N.Y. So they often commuted.

BERLINDA & BOB NOW…

Embed from Getty Images

Now…can we just take a minute to take this in?!! As y’all can see in the photo above…at 73 years young Berlinda is out here still putting a lotta these youngins to shame, making her 73 years look more like 53!

They’re pretty private. So, the above photo on the left is one of the most recent ones we’ve seen of Berlinda and Bob, it was taken a few years ago, but good enough. Their pic on the right was snapped around 1985.

Bob once spoke to told Ebony Magazine about how their once bicoastal marriage: “We had not had a chance to get to know each other well at all.” Neither of them were okay with that, so Bob changed to a CBS job that didn’t require him to travel. Jumping the broom in just 11 days may seem strange, but Berlinda and Bob have proved their naysayers wrong because word on the Old School curb is that they’re STILL together! Wow, and who said love at first sight wasn’t possible? Rare as hell, but still possible.

5 MORE POPULAR CELEBS WHO GOT MARRIED AT LIGHTING SPEED…

Muhammad Ali & 1st Wife, Sonji Roi

Dated for one month. Divorced in 2 years.

Michael Jackson & Lisa Marie Presley

Married after dating for four months. They’re marriage lasted two years.

Monica & NBA Player, Shannon Brown

Engaged after 6 months of dating. Married in 2010; divorced in October 2019.

Mariah Carey & Nick Cannon

Dated for one month. Married in 2008; divorced in 2016.

The post ‘Jeffersons’ Actress Still Gorgeous, But Some Called Her Crazy For Marrying Husband So Fast appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Remember “Jenny” from “The Jeffersons?” Although on TV she was married to “Lionel,” but REAL LIFE actress, Berlinda Tolbert, shocked many when she married her husband/former CBS journalist, Bob Reid, at lightening speed…probably before they even knew each other’s favorite color, but their love is real. Wait ’til you hear this…

Berlinda Tolbert and Bob got married after dating for only 11 DAYS! Nope, that is NOT a typo. They met in Atlanta in 1979, fell in love within a few days, and married a few days later in Rhode Island, NY, during Valentine’s Day weekend. The first seven years of their marriage was long distance- Berlinda lived in L.A. and Bob couldn’t leave his job in N.Y. So they often commuted.

SEE RECENT PHOTO OF BERLINDA & BOB NOW…

They’re pretty private. So, the above photo on the left is the most recent one we’ve seen of Berlinda and Bob, it was taken a few years ago, but good enough. Their pic on the right was snapped around 1985.

Bob once spoke to told Ebony Magazine about how their once bicoastal marriage: “We had not had a chance to get to know each other well at all.” Neither of them were okay with that, so Bob changed to a CBS job that didn’t require him to travel. Jumping the broom in just 11 days may seem strange, but Berlinda and Bob have proved their naysayers wrong because word on the Old School curb is that they’re STILL together! Wow, and who said love at first sight wasn’t possible? Rare as hell, but still possible.

5 MORE POPULAR CELEBS WHO GOT MARRIED AT LIGHTING SPEED…

Muhammad Ali & 1st Wife, Sonji Roi

Dated for one month. Divorced in 2 years.

Michael Jackson & Lisa Marie Presley

Married after dating for four months. They’re marriage lasted two years.

Monica & NBA Player, Shannon Brown

Engaged after 6 months of dating. Married in 2010; divorced in October 2019.

Mariah Carey & Nick Cannon

Dated for one month. Married in 2008; divorced in 2016.

The post “Jeffersons” Actress Is Still Beautiful, But Many Called Her Crazy For Marrying Hubby So Fast appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Remember “Jenny” from “The Jeffersons?” Although on TV she was married to “Lionel,” but REAL LIFE actress, Berlinda Tolbert, shocked many when she married her husband/former CBS journalist, Bob Reid, at lightening speed…probably before they even knew each other’s favorite color, but their love is real. Wait’ til you see this…

Berlinda Tolbert and Bob got married after dating for only 11 DAYS! Nope, that is NOT a typo. They met in Atlanta in 1979, fell in love within a few days, and married a few days later in Rhode Island, NY, during Valentine’s Day weekend. The first 7 years of their marriage was long distance- Berlinda lived in L.A. and Bob couldn’t leave his job in N.Y. So they often commuted.

SEE RECENT PHOTO OF BERLINDA & BOB NOW…

They’re pretty private, so the photo on the left is the most recent one we’ve seen of Berlinda and Bob, it was taken just a few years ago, but good enough. Their pic on the right was snapped around 1985.

Bob once spoke to told Ebony Magazine about how their once bicoastal marriage: “We had not had a chance to get to know each other well at all.” Neither of them were okay with that, so Bob changed to a CBS job that didn’t require him to travel. Jumping the broom in just 11 days may seem strange, but Berlinda and Bob have proved their naysayers wrong because word on the Old School curb is that they’re STILL together! Wow, and who said love at first sight wasn’t possible? Rare as hell, but still possible.

5 MORE POPULAR CELEBS WHO GOT MARRIED AT LIGHTING SPEED…

Muhammad Ali & 1st Wife, Sonji Roi

Dated for one month. Divorced in 2 years.

Michael Jackson & Lisa Marie Presley

Married after dating for four months. They’re marriage lasted two years.

Monica & NBA Player, Shannon Brown

Engaged after 6 months of dating. Married in 2010; divorced in October 2019.

Mariah Carey & Nick Cannon

Dated for one month. Married in 2008; divorced in 2016.

The post “Jeffersons” Actress Is Still Beautiful, But Many Called Her Crazy For Marrying Hubby So Fast appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Remember “Jenny” from “The Jeffersons?” Although on TV she was married to “Lionel,” but REAL LIFE actress, Berlinda Tolbert, shocked many when she married her husband/former CBS journalist, Bob Reid, at lightening speed…probably before they even knew each other’s favorite color, but their love is real. Wait’ til you see this…

Berlinda Tolbert and Bob got married after dating for only 11 DAYS! Nope, that is NOT a typo. They met in Atlanta in 1979, fell in love within a few days, and married a few days later in Rhode Island, NY, during Valentine’s Day weekend. The first 7 years of their marriage was long distance- Berlinda lived in L.A. and Bob couldn’t leave his job in N.Y. So they often commuted.

SEE RECENT PHOTO OF BERLINDA & BOB NOW…

They’re pretty private, so the photo on the left is the most recent one we’ve seen of Berlinda and Bob, it was taken just a few years ago, but good enough. Their pic on the right was snapped around 1985.

Bob once spoke to told Ebony Magazine about how their once bicoastal marriage: “We had not had a chance to get to know each other well at all.” Neither of them were okay with that, so Bob changed to a CBS job that didn’t require him to travel. Jumping the broom in just 11 days may seem strange, but Berlinda and Bob have proved their naysayers wrong because word on the Old School curb is that they’re STILL together! Wow, and who said love at first sight wasn’t possible? Rare as hell, but still possible.

5 MORE POPULAR CELEBS WHO GOT MARRIED AT LIGHTING SPEED…

Muhammad Ali & 1st Wife, Sonji Roi

Dated for one month. Divorced in 2 years.

Michael Jackson & Lisa Marie Presley

Married after dating for four months. They’re marriage lasted two years.

Monica & NBA Player, Shannon Brown

Engaged after 6 months of dating. Married in 2010; divorced in October 2019.

Mariah Carey & Nick Cannon

Dated for one month. Married in 2008; divorced in 2016.

The post “Jeffersons” Actress Is Still Gorgeous, But Many Called Her Crazy For Marrying Hubby So Fast appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

A few of us were at the ILOSM office today, having one of our brainstorm idea sessions, and someone randomly blurted out the name Damon Evans a.k.a. “Lionel” #2 from The Jeffersons. Remember him? (FYI: He is not related to Mike Evans, who played the first “Lionel” on the show). Damon let the cat of the bag when he publicly revealed that he hated playing “Lionel” on The Jeffersons and deeply regrets doing the show.

Turns out, he has some very interesting and deep reasons for this. Check out an interview that Damon did with interviewer, Keith Boykin…

Damon Evans on how The Jefferson’s sitcom negatively affected his life…

Damon Evans: If I had to make that particular choice over again, that is accepting or not accepting the role of ‘Lionel’ and replacing actor Michael Evans, I definitely would have refused the role.

… The question asked of me will always be “Which ‘Lionel’ are you, the first or the second?” In retrospect, I think it was actually an impossible task to undertake because most people don’t seem to remember that Michael Evans was the first ‘Jefferson’ to appear on All in the Family. Both Weezy and George were cast later. Also, Sherman Hemsley was not the original George Jefferson.

Damon is referring to this fun fact about the show’s beginning cast: From the character’s first appearance on All in the Family, producer, Norman Lear, had pegged Sherman Hemsley to play “George Jefferson.” But when All in the Family became a hit, Hemsley was tied up on Broadway as the co-star of Purlie, and was understandably reluctant to break his contract. Lear improvised and hired Mel Stewart as a sort of “placeholder.” In the sitcom’s storyline, Stewart posed as “George Jefferson” when he joined “George’s” wife, “Louise” (played by Isabel Sanford), for dinner at the ‘Bunker’ home. It was later revealed that he was actually “Henry Jefferson,” “George’s” brother. 

Damon revealed that his sexual preference became an issue for him on The Jeffersons as well.

KB: Wow. I’m learning a lot today. It sounds like you didn’t enjoy doing the show. Did you?

Damon Evans: Not really. No! I uprooted myself from a role as a classical music student and was thrust in the public’s eye overnight. Talk about stress and adjustment issues. However, that said, the first year on the show was quite a heady experience. There I was a total unknown one day, and the next appearing on network television in one of the top 10 TV shows on the air. I had not even seen one episode of the show before I took over the part, and the producers discouraged me from ever watching any of the episodes in which Mike had appeared. There was such a marked difference in our interpretations of the role.

Losing my anonymity at such a young age was devastating to me. Besides, I was just becoming aware that I was a gay man and the conflict of the expectations of Hollywood and the role of ‘Lionel’ placed me in enormous emotional, psychological, and spiritual conflict with myself. My family, on the other hand, couldn’t have been happier. There I was ‘Lionel’ which was to them the epitome of what they wanted me to be, but ‘Lionel’ was just a role I played as an actor. To this very day, I don’t think they have a clue as to who I really am, and that’s there loss.

KB: You mean they don’t know you’re gay? 

Damon: No, they do know I’m gay but they won’t accept it.

Damon Evans on never meeting the 1st “Lionel.”

Evans also stated that he never had a chance to meet the first Lionel, played by Mike Evans, who was also the co-creator of the “Good Times” sitcom:

Damon Evans: I was the second ‘Lionel’ and I never met Mike, although I did meet his mother one Sunday in church during the first year I was doing the show. That is the closest I ever got to meeting and/or knowing Mike Evans, his mother. I always tell people that I am the one without the ‘fro and the one who married Jenny on TV. Sometimes, that is still not enough for some people to differentiate us apart.

On what advice he would tell others who want to follow in his footsteps and pursue an acting career.

Damon Evans: Don’t forsake their values to their ultimate goal. Because once you get there you’ll find out that there is no there there. And most of all, you don’t have yourself when you get there. Don’t forsake values. … I heard Gladys Knight say this, that we all get lost in the maze of materialism, but there’s a greater force if you believe in it, that brings us back home. Let’s just say this, I’ve taken detours but I always come back home.

Wow! I guess you can say that we all learn something new everyday, don’t we? Damon sure had all of us fooled. We wish that brotha the best though. Maestro cue the outro music! *Singing* “Well we’re moving on up! To the east si-i-ide!…”

[Source]

The post “Lionel” Confessed He Hated Being On “The Jeffersons” But He Sure Had Us Fooled appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

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The post See Why Many Called “Jeffersons” Actress Crazy For Marrying Hubby So Fast appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

We all remember “Jenny Willis,” “Tom’s” and “Helen’s” daughter on The Jeffersons, but many of us didn’t hear much from her outside of a few other roles in films like Harlem Knights, Goodfellas, and such.

Berlinda Tolbert was 22 years old when she first stepped onto the scene as “Jenny” in 1975 and today she is 65 years young. Since she was one of our favorites on the show, our ILOSM staff searched to find out some info on her whereabouts now and lo and behold, we’ve located her.

Check out how good Belinda Tolbert’s looking these days!

Her last role (as far as we know) was in a 2011 independent movie, Last Ride on the Midwest Pacific. Here’s a snippet of an interview that Berlinda did with JET about what she’s doing now.

Are you working on any projects now?

BT: I’m taking a temporary break. I don’t have any disenchantment with Hollywood. I wanted to turn my attention to my parents, who’ve been so wonderful to me, at a time in their lives when it’s important to have their daughter there for them. We are a close family. My parents have and still are supportive of me and my work. They continue on the journey with me. They would often visit me during the time I was doing The Jeffersons. Recently, my father became ill and was hospitalized. He did not recover and passed away. My mother is now in her mid-80s and requires medical and physical attention. I make sure all her needs are met.

What are you planning for your comeback?

BT: I haven’t thought about a comeback. I don’t have any anticipation for anything. My focus at the moment is the medical needs and physical concerns of my parents and now, more recently, my mother. While I have been in some discussions about a project over the past three months, I’m not thinking about tomorrow. It’s more about the service I can do today. I’m not 22 anymore. I wouldn’t want to be 22 again. I’m just enjoying the opportunity to service my mother.

What’s another career highlight for you?

BT: In the early ’70s, when I was in acting school, Martin Scorsese gave me my first film part in one of Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro’s early works. More than a decade later, in 1989, I ran into him when he was receiving the Courage in Filmmaking award. I didn’t think he would remember me, some school kid from years ago. But he didn’t forget; he remembered my name. He spoke to me about the day and night we shot my scenes. Two weeks after that meeting, he reached out to me and said he was working on another movie and wanted me to play Sam Jackson’s girlfriend in GoodFellas. Once I got on the set, I felt like I was at home.

Well, well, well, it’s good to see that our girl, Belinda, is alive and well, and most importantly following her heart and taking care of her Mom. We wish her Mother well and hopefully we’ll hear more from “Jenny” in the future.
[Source]

The post Ever Wondered What Happened To Jenny From “The Jeffersons?” Found Her! appeared first on I Love Old School Music.