Redd Foxx was the stage name of John Elroy Sanford, an American comedian and actor best known for his role on the 1970s sitcom Sanford and Son.

 Synopsis

Born in 1922, Redd Foxx was the stage name of John Elroy Sanford, an American comedian and actor. He left home around the age of 13 to become a performer. Foxx performed on the “chitlin circuit” of black nightclubs during the 1940s and 1950s. His stand-up comedy routines were once considered too racy for white audiences. Foxx found success on television in the 1970s with the popular show Sanford and Son. After his departure from the hit sitcom, he worked as Las Vegas headliner. Foxx died in 1991.

Early Life

Born John Elroy Sanford on December 9, 1922, in St. Louis, Missouri, African American comedian Redd Foxx achieved stardom with the hit 1970s sitcom Sanford and Son. He grew up in poverty. His father abandoned the family when Foxx was a young child. His mother was left to raise him and his older brother Fred on her own. Around the age of seven, Foxx discovered his knack for telling jokes.

Foxx never had much interest in school. According to the Los Angeles Times, he once said that “School meant nothing to me. Knowing that George Washington crossed the Delaware—how was that going to help me in a brick fight in St. Louis?” Foxx left home at the age of 13 to perform with a band. About four years later, he played with a group called the Bon Bons in Chicago.

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