Demond Wilson was born Grady Demond Wilson on October 13, 1946, in Valdosta, Georgia. He grew up in Harlen in New York City. He was only 4 years old when he appeared on Broadway in a revival of Green Pastures starring William Marshall and Ossie Davis. When he was 12 years old he danced at the Apollo Theatre. Demond Wilson studied acting at the American Community Theatre and at Hunter College in New York City. His studies were interrupted when he was drafted into the United States Army. He served in the 4th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army in Vietnam.
Demond Wilson's tour of duty ended in 1968, after which he appeared in various Off-Broadway plays. He made his film debut in an uncredited role in Cotton Comes to Harlem in 1970. He made his television debut in 1971 in a guest appearance on All in the Family, playing one of two burglars (the other was played by Cleavon Little) who hold the Bunkers hostage in their own home. It was the strength of that performance that led to Demond Wilson being cast as Lamont on Sanford and Son. Debuting at mid-season, the show proved to be smash hit. becoming the sixth highest rated show for the year in its first season.When Sanford and Son ended, it was not because of ratings, but because Redd Foxx took an offer of a multimillion dollar contract and his own variety show from ABC. NBC wanted to continue Sanford and Son after a fashion as Sanford Arms with Demond Wilson in the lead, but he turned the show down after a salary dispute.
In the Seventies, Demond Wilson also guest starred on Mission: Impossible, Laugh-In, and The Love Boat. He starred on the short-lived sitcom Baby...I'm Back! as Raymond Ellis, a man who returned to his family after having abandoned them years ago. It only lasted 13 episodes. He appeared in the movies The Organization (1971), Dealing: Or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues (1972), and Amazing Grace (1974).
In the Eighties, Demond Wilson played Oscar Madison on The New Odd Couple. The show only lasted 18 episodes. He guest starred on The Love Boat and Today's F.B.I. He appeared in the movie Full Moon High (1981). Demond Wilson left acting and was ordained as as a minister in the Church of God in Christ. He returned to occasionally acting in the movie Me and the Kid in 1993. In 2000, he appeared in the movie Hammerlock. He had a recurring role on the UPN sitcom Girlfriends, playing Kenneth Miles, the father of the character Lynn An (Persia White). He more recently had a regular role on the Pure Flix drama series Eleanor's Bench. In 2011, he toured with Nina Nicole in a production of The Measure of a Man by Matt Hardwick.
Sanford and Son is one of the most iconic television shows of all time, and much of the reason for that is Demond Wilson's performance as Lamont. He was the perfect straight man to Redd Foxx and the two had a great deal of chemistry. With Lamont, Demond Wilson convincingly portrayed a young man who wants to escape his current circumstances and better himself, but at the same time wants to look after his father. While Demond Wilson will always be best remembered as Lamont Sanford, he did play other roles. On The New Odd Couple, he did a good job of playing Oscar Madison, giving a performance that compares well to both Walter Matthau and Jack Klugman. In his Mission: Impossible guest appearance, he played a role far from Lamont or Oscar. He played Simmons, a hench of the villain who tortures Berlinger (Fritz Weaver), a millionaire and a dealer in stolen gems. In one of his guest appearances on The Love Boat, he played Isaac's Uncle Jesse, who appears to be somewhat shady. Demond Wilson was a great talent who played other roles beyond Lamont Sanford and played them well.
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