who was the original actor to play george jefferson?
Sherman Hemsley. Sherman Alexander Hemsley (February 1, 1938 â July 24, 2012) was an American actor and comedian best known for his role as George Jefferson on the CBS television series All in the Family and The Jeffersons, Deacon Ernest Frye on the NBC series Amen and B.P. Richfield on the ABC series Dinosaurs.