CHICAGO — Lynn Hamilton, the beloved actress known for her roles on Sanford and Son and The Waltons, has died. She was 95.
Hamilton passed away of natural causes at her home in Chicago on Thursday, June 19, 2025, her former manager and publicist, Rev. Calvin Carson, confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter.
Born Alzenia Lynn Hamilton on April 25, 1930, in Yazoo City, Mississippi, she was the daughter of Nancy and Louis Hamilton. At age 12, she moved with her family to Chicago Heights, Illinois, where she attended Bloom High School. She later studied acting at the prestigious Goodman Theatre in Chicago.
Hamilton began her career on stage, performing in community theater before making her Broadway debut in Only in America in 1959. She appeared in three additional Broadway productions and spent three years with the New York Shakespeare Festival, honing her craft in both classical and contemporary works.
Best remembered for playing Donna Harris, Fred Sanford’s girlfriend and later fiancée on the hit NBC sitcom Sanford and Son, Hamilton’s warm, steady presence made her a fan favorite. Her character, a registered nurse, was often the calm, dignified counterpart to Redd Foxx’s famously irritable Fred Sanford.
Hamilton first appeared on the show in February 1972, originally playing a landlady in the seventh episode. Her performance impressed producers, who cast her in the recurring role of Donna Harris, which would become one of her most iconic portrayals.
In addition to Sanford and Son, Hamilton won hearts as Verdie Grant Foster on The Waltons, a role she held from 1973 to 1981. As a neighbor to the Walton family, Hamilton’s character provided a rare, meaningful depiction of Black life in Depression-era rural America. She also portrayed cousin Georgia Anderson in Roots: The Next Generations and appeared on numerous television series including Good Times, 227, The Golden Girls, Port Charles, Dangerous Women, Mannix, Barnaby Jones, and Gunsmoke. From 1989 to 1991, she played Vivian Potter on the NBC daytime drama Generations, one of the first soap operas to feature an African American family at its center.
Despite persistent internet rumors suggesting she was the sister of fellow Sanford and Son actress LaWanda Page (who played Aunt Esther), the two were not related, though they became close friends during their time on the series. The misconception was publicly debunked by series star Demond Wilson in 2016.
In her personal life, Hamilton was married to poet and playwright Frank Jenkins for nearly five decades, from 1964 until his death in 2014.
Lynn Hamilton’s legacy lives on through her pioneering work in television and her enduring impact on audiences. Her characters brought strength, grace, and authenticity to the screen, paving the way for future generations of Black actresses.
She is survived by extended family, friends, and countless fans who will remember her contributions to stage and screen.
