Fred G. Sanford - wikipedia Fred G. Sanford For other people named Fred Sanford, see Fred Sanford ( disambiguation ). Fred G. Sanford First appearance `` Crossed Swords '' ( Sanford and Son ) Last appearance `` To Keep a Thief '' ( Sanford ) Created by Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin, based on Albert Steptoe created by Galton and Simpson Portrayed by Redd Foxx Information Gender Male Occupation Junk / antiques dealer Spouse ( s ) Elizabeth Winfield Sanford ( deceased ) ( 1908 - 1950 ) Children Lamont Sanford ( son ) ( born September 27, 1940 ) Relatives Frances Sanford Victor ( sister ) Esther Winfield Anderson ( sister - in - law ) Ethel Winfield ( sister - in - law ) Essie Winfield ( mother in - law ) Elroy Winfield ( father in - law ) Leotus Sanford ( uncle ; deceased ) Fred G. Sanford is a fictional character portrayed by actor / comedian Redd Foxx on the 1972 -- 1977 NBC sitcom Sanford and Son and the 1980 -- 1981 NBC sitcom Sanford. Foxx, whose real name was John Elroy Sanford, modeled the character after his real - life older brother, Fred Glenn Sanford ( Fred died in 1965, seven years before the show premiered ). The character Fred is an elderly, widowed, sarcastic, and cantankerous junk dealer. He is the proprietor of `` Sanford and Son '', a junk and antique dealership which he runs out of his home, along with his son Lamont. Foxx appeared in all episodes of the series except nine ( due to a contract dispute Foxx had with NBC ) in 1974. In 1999 TV Guide ranked him # 36 on its list of the 50 Greatest TV Characters of All Time. Contents 1 Background 2 Personality 2.1 Reactions 2.2 Prejudices 2.3 Relationships with women 3 References 4 Notes Background Fred G. Sanford was born in St. Louis, Missouri on January 20, 1907 ( the episode `` Happy Birthday, Pop '' celebrated his 65th birthday that aired in 1972 ). In 1946, he, his wife Elizabeth Winfield and their son Lamont ( Demond Wilson ) moved to the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles. Fred was left with the responsibility of rearing Lamont alone after his wife suddenly died the following year. Lamont dropped out of high school, subsequently joining his father in the junk business. Lamont, as he was known, was actually his middle name ; Fred and Elizabeth could never decide on a first name. ( In another episode, Lamont was known as `` Lamont Grady Sanford ''. ) Fred is portrayed as being irritable and wanting everything done his way. He is known for grouchy disposition, his bad cooking, and his innumerable delusions of grandeur. He is bow - legged and walks with an affected stagger, presumably brought on by his ( self - diagnosed ) arthritis. Fred never gives much credit to his son Lamont, believing him to be gullible and unintelligent ( often referring to Lamont as a `` big dummy '' ). Unhappy about his calling as a junk man, Lamont accepts his plight more for the love of his father than the junk business itself. Fred often involves himself in various get - rich - quick schemes, and as such, Lamont has to keep constant watch over his father. When Lamont would express an interest in having a life for himself, Fred would try to convince him of the importance of running the family business ( which he referred to as `` the empire '' ) after he is gone. Fred often feigned illness in attempt to guilt his son into staying home and taking care of him whenever Lamont had plans to go out. Similarly, Fred often ruined Lamont 's efforts to have a quiet romantic night at home with a lady companion ( at one point, Fred repeatedly interrupted Lamont 's amorous efforts so often that the young lady ended up sneaking away while Fred and Lamont argued loudly in the kitchen ). Personality This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( April 2010 ) Reactions When asked over the phone for his name, he frequently responds, `` Fred Sanford. That 's S-A-N-F-O-R-D period '' or `` Fred G. Sanford. The ' G ' is for... '', with `` G '' standing for a word applicable to the situation. Some instances have included `` gon na cry '', `` genius '', `` gee '', `` grandpa '', `` gompergoo '' and as Lamont himself once said in the episode, `` The Reverend Sanford '', `` Glory glory, Hallelujah ''. It is never revealed what the `` G '' actually stands for in his name. In one episode, Lamont 's full name was said to be `` Lamont Grady Sanford, '' a clue that Fred G. Sanford could be `` Fred Grady Sanford. '' Another trademark involves Fred becoming riled by somebody, assuming a fight stance, and wildly swinging his fists in multiple directions ; often he would pose the question, `` How would you like one across yo ' lip ? '' or, with fist raised, `` How would you like one of these where you sneeze ? ''. He also frequently attempts to avoid any kind of labor, especially when asked by Lamont, by referring to his arthritis ( which he pronounced `` arthur-itis '' ) while holding up a deliberately gnarled fist. Fred spends much of his free time watching television ( having an affinity for daikaiju films such as the Godzilla series ) and drinking an alcoholic concoction of his own invention called `` Champipple '' ( a portmanteau of champagne and Ripple ). Another recurring joke is his poor vision ; whenever he gets ready to make a phone call, he opens a drawer under the phone and pulls out several pairs of glasses ( to help him see the phone dial ) and tries each one on. ( The pair he picks usually does n't improve his vision, anyway. ) He also often kept valuables or stashes of cash in a secret drawer in that same chest of drawers, which would open after a series of knocks on the dresser and / or foot stamps on the floor. In what would become the character 's best known trademark, when something would alarm him, or when things did n't go the way he wanted them to, Fred would inevitably have a simulated heart attack, accentuated by clutching his chest and crying out to his late wife : `` Oh, this is the big one ! You hear that, Elizabeth ? ! I 'm coming to join you, honey ! '' ( When Lena Horne guested on the program, and Lamont saw her, he reacted the same way : `` I think I 'm havin ' one, pop ! My first one and it 's a big one... you hear that, mom ? Your little boy 's comin ' to join ya... with a mustache ! '' ) Fred often clashed with Elizabeth 's older sister, Lamont 's aunt Esther Anderson ( LaWanda Page ). Aunt Esther and her family had opposed Fred 's marrying Elizabeth from the very beginning, and Fred and Esther continue their mutual animosity unabated, despite the best efforts of Lamont. Fred makes a habit of teasing Esther because he thinks she is unattractive ( Fred once told Esther, `` I could stick your face in some dough and make gorilla cookies ! '' ). For her own part, Esther took no sass from Fred, often referring to him as a `` heathen '', `` sucka '' and `` fish - eyed fool '', and she often tried to use her Bible to change Fred 's ways ( both figuratively and literally ; Esther both quoted from the Bible and also often tried to whack Fred with the heavy purse that she carried it in ). Much of the show 's comedy came from the interplay between opinionated Fred and his strong - willed sister - in - law. Prejudices Throughout the series ' run, Fred ( despite being African - American ) was often portrayed as being prejudiced himself. He often insults his Puerto Rican neighbor Julio in various ways, including deprecating his culture and making fun of his accent. He also insults Lamont 's Asian friend, Ah Chew, calling him `` Choo Choo '' and threatening to `` really close peanut butter jar '' when Ah Chew attempted to hug him. He states at one point that `` ai n't nothin ' on earth uglier than a 90 - year - old white woman. '' His ignorance towards other cultures causes him a severe embarrassment when a Japanese family, interested in buying Fred 's land, invites him and Lamont to dinner. The grown daughter sees him eating what he mistakenly thinks are grapes, and smiles `` Oh, Mr. Sanford ! I am so happy ! You like the fish eyes ! '' Perhaps the biggest affront to Fred 's sensibilities came when he discovered his beloved younger sister -- whom he had raised himself after their parents died -- had married a white man ( who was also extremely fond of hugging, further earning him Fred 's ire ). Despite this, one of Fred 's closest friends during the series was a Jewish man named Goldstein ; at one point, Fred dons a yarmulke in order to go over to Goldstein 's house and eat chicken soup. During a later episode, Fred attempts to trace his family tree and is mistakenly led to believe he has Jewish ancestry. Relationships with women Fred was depicted as having an eye for the ladies. In addition to his longtime girlfriend Donna, Fred attempted to hook up with topless waitress `` Fast '' Fanny, a traveling saleswoman named Carol, and even celebrities such as Lena Horne and Della Reese. Fred wasted no opportunities to flirt with attractive women regardless of location or situation, such as nurses ( at the clinic where he got screened for tuberculosis, Fred remarked that a nurse had `` TB... Terrific Body ! '' ; similarly, when an attractive nurse came into his hospital room offering a back rub to calm him down, Fred immediately began primping once she left the room ), stewardesses ( a running gag in the episode where Fred takes his first plane trip involved his constant leering at the attractive stewardess whenever she walked away ), and receptionists ( when the receptionist at the dental clinic said `` I just need to have you answer a few questions, '' Fred came back with `` And may I ask you one or two questions as well. '' ) Lamont once remarked to Fred `` You 're just a dirty old man ! '' ; Fred immediately replied, `` And I 'm gon na be one until I 'm a dead old man. '' Fred is also very untrusting of Lamont 's friend Rollo ( Nathaniel Taylor ) often referring to him as a convict because of his style. Fred has two best friends, Grady Wilson ( Whitman Mayo ) and Bubba Bexley ( Don Bexley ). Even though Fred thinks the two are dim - witted, he knows that they are more than reliable and can always lend him a helping hand. References Jump up ^ `` Fred Sanford : Stubborn, Sharp - Witted, Smart ''. NPR. Retrieved 2010 - 09 - 26. Jump up ^ `` Networks cutting up the year into four seasons ''. Broadcasting : 48. 1980 - 02 - 18. Jump up ^ TV Guide Guide to TV. Barnes and Noble. 2004. p. 651. ISBN 0 - 7607 - 5634 - 1. Notes ^ Libra Rising All Over Lamont Episode Number : 40 ^ My Brother - in - Law 's Keeper Episode Number : 82 ^ Fred Sings the Blues Episode Number : 135 ^ Fred, the Reluctant Fingerman Episode Number : 41 Sanford and Son Characters Fred G. Sanford Esther Anderson Grady Wilson Episodes Episodes Spin - offs Grady Sanford Arms Sanford Related Steptoe and Son `` Sanford and Son Theme ( The Streetbeater ) '' Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fred_G._Sanford&oldid=861088334 '' Categories : Fictional characters introduced in 1972 Fictional junk dealers Sanford and Son characters Fictional African - American people Fictional characters from Missouri Cultural depictions of people Hidden categories : Articles needing additional references from April 2010 All articles needing additional references Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 25 September 2018, at 00 : 59 ( UTC ). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: what was the name of fred sanfords wife
Answer: Elizabeth Winfield Sanford