Original Lionel Jefferson/"Good Times" co-creator dead at 57

Actor and writer Mike Evans died of throat cancer on December 14 in Twentynine Palms, California. Evans was born in Salisbury, North Carolina. His family moved to Los Angeles when Evans was a child and he studied acting at Los Angeles City College. In the early 1970s, Evans landed the role of Lionel Jefferson, the son of George and Louis Jefferson, who were Archie Bunker's neighbors on the comedy All in the Family. The Jeffersons were spun off into their own successful sitcom. During this same period Evans co-created with Eric Monte another popular sitcom, Good Times (1974-1979), featuring Jimmy "J.J." Walker and Esther Rolle in a family comedy set in the Chicago housing projects. Evans' work on Good Times prompted him to leave The Jeffersons, where he was replaced for four years by Damon Evans. Mike Evans returned to the role from 1979 to 1981. Evans also appeared in Love, American Style, The Streets of San Francisco, Rich Man, Poor Man, and Walker, Texas Ranger. He was 57.

Sources: Yahoo! News, IMDB