Post by Harrybutt on Feb 11, 2006 4:27:59 GMT -6
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: February 11, 2006
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 10 (AP) — Franklin Cover, who became a familiar face as George and Louise Jefferson's neighbor in the long-running sitcom "The Jeffersons," died on Sunday in Englewood, N.J. He was 77.
The cause was pneumonia, said his publicist, Dale Olson. He had been living at the Lillian Booth Actors' Fund of America home since December 2005 while recuperating from a heart condition.
In his nearly six decades in show business, Mr. Cover made numerous appearances on television shows, including "The Jackie Gleason Show," "All in the Family," "Who's the Boss?," "Will & Grace," "Living Single," "Mad About You" and "E.R."
He began his career on the stage and appeared in numerous Broadway productions, including "Any Wednesday," "Wild Honey" and "Born Yesterday."
But Mr. Cover was best known for his role as Tom Willis, a white man married to a black woman, on "The Jeffersons."
Tom and his wife lived in the same upscale apartment building that George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley) moved his family into after making money in the dry-cleaning business. Mr. Cover often played a comic foil to Mr. Hemsley's blustering, opinionated black businessman. The show ran from 1975 to 1985.
Mr. Cover also appeared in films, including "The Stepford Wives" and "Wall Street."
He is survived by his wife, Mary; his son, Bradford; his daughter, Susan; and one grandson.
