Don Bexley

At 87 years old, Don Bexley has this physical status:

Donald Thomas "Don" Bexley (March 10, 1910 – April 15, 1997) was an American actor and comedian, best known for playing Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx)'s friend Bubba Bexley on the 1970s television sitcom Sanford and Son.

Early life

Bexley was born in either Jamestown, Virginia or Detroit, Michigan to Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Bexley. His father was a Bible scholar and teacher, and his mother a classical vocalist. "I was born with a flair for the stage, as I had always been a clown – even during early adolescence," Bexley wrote in 1983.

Later life

In 1989, Bexley was awarded the Outstanding Senior Citizen of the Year award by the Support the Artists of America (STAA) in Orlando, Florida. Since moving to Hampton, Virginia (before that, he resided in the San Fernando Valley) during the 1990s, Bexley was still quite active, always working on new ideas for shows and live performances. Bexley made personal appearances and signed autographs on many occasions, including the Newmarket Fair Day-Talent Show in September 1996, and the Aberdeen Athletic Association in June 1996. One of Bexley's later signings was during his attendance at the NASA Langley Research Center's Black History Program in February 1997. These types of activities added to his longevity.

Personal life and death

Bexley had a close friendship with Redd Foxx until Foxx's death in October 1991. He was an honorary pallbearer at Foxx's funeral in Las Vegas. Their friendship lasted for nearly 50 years. Bexley lived much of his life in Los Angeles, but after injuring his hip, moved to Hampton, Virginia, in 1996 to live with a friend, who served as his caregiver. Bexley died of heart and kidney failure on April 15, 1997 at Hampton Sentara Hospital. He was 87 years old. He is survived by his wife Sally Bexley, daughters Donna and Stacies Marie, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.

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Career

Don Bexley has worked as an orchestra conductor, singer, dancer, stand-up comedian, and actor throughout his career. Bexley began doing comedy in upstate New York in the early 1940s. He performed with Milton Berle, Danny Kaye, and Henny Youngman, as well as danced with Sammy Davis Jr. Bexley was the first black stand-up comedian to do the Borscht Belt. He encountered many black entertainers, including Redd Foxx, on his travels. They worked in New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and New Jersey. He appeared with Three Shades of Rhythm early in his career. He appeared in Los Angeles and New York City before his television debut.

He and Foxx were cast together in Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970), when Bexley returned from Europe in 1969. Foxx sent Bexley to Sanford and Sons upon his arrival from Asia in 1971. Bud Yorkin and Aaron Ruben convinced Bexley to play one of Fred G. Sanford's closest friends, Bexley. Bexley, 60 years old at the time, never had seen television before. Bexley's portrayal as Bubba on the series is a hit "rerun sitcom" today. Sanford and Son was a snap hit and remained in the top ten programs for five years, from 1972 to 1977. In the short-lived sequel Sanford Arms, Bexley revived Bubba, although not Foxx and Demond Wilson.

He appeared in numerous television shows, including Cheers, Hunter, and Laverne & Shirley, as well as the 1976 film Sparkle. In an episode of Foxx's The Royal Family, one of his later appearances on television was included in a segment. Bexley made a special guest appearance in episode "New Beginnings" as an old friend of Al Royal's (Foxx) who attends his funeral. Bexley had a sitcom in the works that he had written and would have starred in, entitled Cee Cashman and 'Yul Stay Broke.' It was a tale about a Black Jew who owns a pawnshop. Bexley was still writing for stage and television well before his death. Clarence Williams, Sr., a Bexley friend, said the actor had written several scripts but that there were no current plans to produce them.

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