On this day in comedy May 22, 2001 Actor Whitman Blount Mayo passed away.
Best known to audiences as Grady Wilson, Fred G. Sanford’s friend on the hit 1970s NBC sitcom Sanford and Son, Mayo was a seasoned show business professional when the opportunity arose. That meeting comes. After serving a stint in the Army during the Korean War, the veteran attended various colleges in Southern California and got into acting by playing small roles in small films. His first known film role was in 1966’s The Black Klansman.
Mayo’s big television break came while he was working in theater. Producer Norman Lear saw him and offered Mayo the role of Grady on his sitcom. Mayo played the role in four shows. On the original Sanford and Son Grady were among the many friends Fred (Redd Foxx) came around. Grady will talk trash to Aunt Esther (LaWanda Page) and show the nurturing side of Lamont (Fred’s son played by Demond Wilson). When Foxx skipped shows while contract negotiations were underway, Mayo took over as that sage host.
NBC liked Grady and gave Mayo his own show. Grady has the character living in Beverly Hills with her humorless daughter and her humorless husband. Grady didn’t last long, but Whitman Mayo did. He goes right back to Sanford and Son, where there’s still plenty of humor. When it was canceled, Mayo landed another Sanford and Son spin-off, Sanford Arms co-starring Theodore Wilson (notice how many Wilson characters are on board? Grady Wilson’s name comes from Lamont’s real name Sanford is Grady Demond Wilson.). The main problem with Sanford Arms was that the show didn’t have a single Sanford (Foxx and Demond Wilson were gone) and therefore didn’t last very long. However, it is not a long-term problem. Redd Foxx returns as Fred G. Sanford for another spin-off, Sanford. It was Foxx, a famous actor, Dennis Burkley joined by Aunt Esther and Grady. Unfortunately, the show failed to attract viewers and Sanford was the last of the spin-offs.
Whitman Mayo remains active with many interests. He has acted in movies (The Main Event, D. C. Cab, Boyz N the Hood). He makes children’s shows (That’s Cat, Sesame Street). He guest-starred on sitcoms (Full House, Different Strokes, 227, Martin), opened a travel agency, taught drama at Clark Atlanta University and in 1996, the public sought him out as a stunt that Conan O’Brien performed. He wanted Grady on his show and Mayo finally appeared on Late Night after weeks of publicity stunts.
The beloved artist died of a heart attack at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta.
