Damon Evans

Damon Evans, born November 24, 1949, in Baltimore, Maryland, is an American actor whose career has spanned stage, television, and opera. He is perhaps most widely recognized for portraying Lionel Jefferson on the CBS sitcom The Jeffersons, a role he took on as the second actor to play the character. He also appeared as the young Alex Haley, covering the ages of 17 through 25, in the ABC television miniseries Roots: The Next Generations.

Evans received his early training at the Interlochen Center for the Arts, where he studied on a Reader's Digest Scholarship. Following graduation, he enrolled at the Boston Conservatory of Music. During his time in Boston, he performed in Three productions at the Theatre Company of Boston: Two If by Sea, Hair, and The Corner.

His stage career advanced through Off-Broadway work before reaching Broadway. Off-Broadway credits include A Day in the Life of Just About Everyone, Bury the Dead for the Urban Arts Corp, and Love Me, Love My Children. Evans made his Broadway debut in The Me Nobody Knows, and his Broadway work between 1970 and 1972 also included Lost in the Stars, Hello, Dolly!, Via Galactica, and Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope. He additionally toured in the authorized concert version of Jesus Christ Superstar, performing both the roles of Judas and Jesus Christ.

In the late 1980s, Evans took on the role of Sportin' Life in Trevor Nunn's production of George Gershwin's opera Porgy and Bess at the Glyndebourne Festival. The role had been originated by John W. Bubbles and was originally written for jazz bandleader and singer Cab Calloway. The production featured the Glyndebourne Chorus and the London Philharmonic, both conducted by Sir Simon Rattle, and Evans reprised his performance in the 1993 television adaptation of that same production.

Evans was present at the 1969 Stonewall Riots and is gay. In a 2025 interview with The Advocate, he posthumously discussed the sexuality of his Jeffersons castmate Sherman Hemsley, describing it as an open secret among those in their social circle. Evans recalled that the two frequented the same bars and parties, and that Hemsley had a longtime partner whose boyfriend attended tapings of the show. Evans stated that he did not understand why it needed to be hidden, noting that Hemsley did not like being in the spotlight.