Redd Foxx 1922 – 1991

Biography

Redd Foxx was born John Elroy Sanford in St. Louis, Missouri, and grew up in Chicago, where he began performing comedy in clubs. He became famous for his raunchy party records of the 1950s, which made him a hero of Black nightclub comedy, and for his profane, quick-witted stand-up style. In 1972 he found mainstream television stardom as Fred Sanford, the junk dealer of Sanford and Son, whose catchphrase This is the big one! became part of American speech. The show ran for six seasons and made Foxx one of television’s best-loved comedians. He later starred in several more sitcoms and continued performing live. He died in Los Angeles, California, in 1991, collapsing on the set of his television series The Royal Family. His Sanford and Son character, with his junkyard and his heart attacks, remains a touchstone of American television comedy.