Lynn Hamilton, Actress On ‘Sanford And Son’ And ‘The Waltons,’ Dies At 95

Tele­vi­sion leg­end Lynn Hamil­ton, known for her roles on San­ford and Son and The Wal­tons, has passed away at the age of 95. Her dig­ni­fied pres­ence and nuanced per­for­mances endeared her to audi­ences dur­ing television’s gold­en era. News of her death on June 19, 2025, has prompt­ed fans to revis­it her impact­ful moments on screen.

As Don­na Har­ris on San­ford and Son, Hamil­ton brought emo­tion­al ground­ing to the show’s zani­ness. Her scenes with Redd Foxx’s Fred San­ford were sub­tle yet pow­er­ful, trans­form­ing comedic hijinks into mean­ing­ful char­ac­ter moments. As she often did, Lynn Hamil­ton gave weight to her char­ac­ter in ways that still res­onate with fans today

Related:

1. ‘San­ford and Son’ Actress Mar­lene Clark Dies At 85
2. Nathaniel Tay­lor From ‘San­ford And Son’ Dies At Age 80

Lynn Hamilton’s Legacy In TV History

Over her four-decade career, Lynn Hamil­ton carved out a place as one of television’s qui­et­ly pow­er­ful women. On San­ford and Son, she gave life to Don­na, bal­anc­ing humor with a sense of dig­ni­ty that enhanced episodes like those fea­tured in 15 Unbe­liev­able San­ford and Son Secrets Revealed. Her work helped the show main­tain its emo­tion­al core amid com­e­dy.

On The Wal­tons, Hamil­ton por­trayed Verdie Grant Fos­ter, a char­ac­ter whose qui­et strength helped broad­en the show’s rep­re­sen­ta­tion of African-Amer­i­can life. Her per­for­mance is in the same con­ver­sa­tion as those explored in 10 Unbe­liev­able Secrets About The Wal­tons. Beyond this, her guest spots on Good Times, 227, and The Gold­en Girls show­cased her range, qual­i­ties echoed in the pass­ing of actors like Hal Williams from ‘The Wal­tons’ and Richard Thomas defend­ing The Wal­tons’ val­ues

Celebrating Her Quiet Power

Trib­utes online have praised Hamilton’s grace­ful pres­ence and sub­tle impact. One fan wrote, “She brought calm wis­dom to every scene.” Com­menters dig­ging into San­ford and Son clips have been remind­ed of her emo­tion­al grav­i­tas, as seen in sto­ries about co-stars like Nathaniel Tay­lor from San­ford and Son. 

Lynn Hamil­ton smil­ing dur­ing a pub­lic appear­ance at a McCast­more Pro­duc­tions event / YouTube

Her lega­cy is one of steady influence—rare strength that nev­er shout­ed but always spoke deeply. In a tele­vi­sion land­scape that often leaned into stereo­types, Lynn Hamil­ton brought a depth that was rare, espe­cial­ly for Black women in sup­port­ing roles dur­ing that time. Her per­for­mances remain a blue­print for authen­tic­i­ty and grace. Her lega­cy is one of steady influence—rare strength that nev­er shout­ed but always spoke deeply. Through every char­ac­ter she played, she qui­et­ly rede­fined what it meant to be present, poised, and unfor­get­table.