Lamont Sanford

Lamont Sanford is a fictional character on the NBC sitcom Sanford and Son, which aired from 1972-1977. Lamont Sanford was portrayed by Demond Wilson.

Biography
Lamont Sanford was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on September 27, 1940, to Fred G. Sanford and Elizabeth Winfield. Fred, Elizabeth, and Lamont moved to Watts, a neighborhood in South Central Los Angeles, in 1946; however, Elizabeth tragically died when Lamont was seven years old. Lamont quit high school to help his father run the family junk business.

View of Sanford and Son
Lamont viewed the family business, Sanford and Son, as a burden, and it is implied that he only stayed in Watts to help his father Fred (Redd Foxx). Lamont tried to leave the business a few times, but it never worked out. In the first episode, Crossed Swords, he bought a valuable porcelain statue for $15, and attempted to auction it for much more to fund his way out. However, Fred's overenthusiastic shill bidding forces Lamont to buy the statue himself (and pay the $200 commission), and Fred later drops the statue, breaking it. Lamont still tries to leave, but when the truck won't start, decides to stay with Sanford and Son after realizing he has no money and nowhere to live.

Interaction with Fred
Early in the series, Lamont and Fred disagree on many things, as in Steptoe and Son, the show Sanford and Son was based on. As the series goes on, Lamont becomes more of an open-minded progressive, trying to enlighten his father; much as Mike was to Archie on All in the Family, Sanford and Son's sister show.