Fred G. Sanford

Fred Sanford
Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx) in scene with Lena Horne from the episode "A Visit From Lena Horne" in 1973.
Vital Information
Nickname (s)	Ready Freddie, Freddie "G", Fred
Birthname	Fred G. Sanford
Born:	(1907-01-21)January 21, 1907 (presumed birthdate)
Born:	St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Occupation/ Career:	Junkman, founder/co-owner of Sanford & Son Salvage
Family and Personal Information
Related to:	Lamont Sanford (son) Elizabeth Sanford (wife, deceased) Esther Anderson (sister in-law)
Character information
Appeared on:	Sanford and Son, and Sanford
Episodes appeared in:	Sanford and Son: 135 episodes beginning with appearance in "Crossed Swords" in season 1 (series pilot) Sanford: 26 episode appearances beginning with "The Meeting: Part 1" in season 1
Character played by:	Redd Foxx

Fred G. Sanford was the focal character on the sitcom Sanford and Son, played by actor and comedian Redd Foxx.

Biography

Fred G. Sanford was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on January 21, 1905. Fred often told tales describing his alleged service in World War I or World War II (depending on the situation and context), but as Lamont once pointed out, Fred was 11 when World War I took place, and although conscripted into the United States Army for World War II, never went past Fort Dix. Fred has a sister and a brother named Jerome, and presumably more unnamed siblings.

Fred and his wife Elizabeth Winfield had a son Lamont, who was born on September 27, 1940, and in 1946, he, his wife, and their young son moved to Watts, a neighborhood in South Central Los Angeles. When Lamont was seven years old, Elizabeth died, leaving Fred to raise Lamont by himself. Lamont dropped out of high school to help Fred run the junk business, named Sanford and Son.

Personality

Reactions

When asked for his name, especially when talking via telephone, he usually responds, "Fred G. Sanford. S-A-N-F-O-R-D period.", which is also Fred's signature. Other times, he would respond with "Fred G. Sanford. The G stands for..." and then a word relating to the situation. Fred's actual middle name is not revealed.

When asked to work, Fred would sometimes claim that arthritis (he pronounced it "arthur-itis") would not allow him to work, showing Lamont his deliberately gnarled fist.

Fred and his sisters-in-law Ethel Winfield (Beah Richards) and Esther Anderson (LaWanda Page) despise each other; with the latter, being Esther, serving as his comic foils. Ethel appears thoughout the first season and part of the second; Esther first appears in the second season and was a recurring character throughout the remainder of the series. When Esther enters the Sanford house, Fred usually makes an exaggerated grimace; when she leaves, she usually shouts, "Oh Glory!" Fred often insults her appearance, likening her to wild animals and fictional monsters such as Godzilla, King Kong, or gorillas. She cringes, and tells him to "watch it, sucka." or, when angered, flays her purse wildly in his direction while issuing a barrage of insults of her own, usually including "fish-eyed fool", bean-eatin' bear hugger or "heathen."

Ignorant comments

Fred at times displayed tiny streaks of racism and ignorance through wisecracks directed some of Lamont's friends such as Ah Chew (Pat Morita), who is Japanese-American, and his Puerto Rican neighbor Julio (played by Gregory Sierra),which usually offending those around him. Most frequently these insults and comments were directed towards Julio, and were usually about his accent, culture, or native language.