Louise Jefferson

Louise Jefferson
Louise with husband George (front) and son Lionel.
Created by	Norman Lear
Portrayed by	Isabel Sanford
Information
Gender	Female
Occupation	Home-maker, philanthropist
Family	Harold Mills (father) Maxine Mills (sister) Jason Mills (nephew) Julie Williams (niece)
Spouse(s)	George Jefferson (1952)
Children	Lionel Jefferson (son)

Louise Jefferson (née Mills) was a supporting character, portrayed by Emmy Award-winning actress Isabel Sanford, who appeared first on the television series All in the Family. She later became one of the main characters in its spinoff series, The Jeffersons. Her role lasted from 1971 to 1985, from her debut on All in the Family through the final episode of The Jeffersons. She was often referred to as "Weezie" by her on-screen husband, George Jefferson, and sometimes as "Mrs. J." by her neighbor Archie Bunker. She was first introduced on All in the Family as a neighbor of Archie and Edith Bunker. Sanford appeared in 252 out of the 253 episodes of the The Jeffersons.

Louise was similar in many respects to the character Edith Bunker in All in the Family. Both were kind-hearted and had hot-headed husbands, and they were both good friends; however, Louise was not nearly as naïve as Edith. Prior to George Jefferson's first appearance on All in the Family, Louise had to contend with the arguments between Henry Jefferson, George's brother, and Archie Bunker. While Louise recognized that Archie displayed some ignorance and bullheadedness, she saw similar traits in the Jefferson men. When Edith apologized for a poor attitude of Archie's, Louise remarked "Henry is no diplomat either". Unlike George and Henry, Louise was more favorably disposed to Archie Bunker, having visiting him when he had been hospitalized, and fondly remembering Archie during an episode of The Jeffersons when there was a flashback to All in the Family. Likewise, Archie bore no real animus towards Louise.

In the first few seasons of The Jeffersons, Louise dealt with insulting remarks from Mother Jefferson, George's mother. She was a calming influence in the household compared to George's temper tantrums and over-inflated ego. She was friends with Tom and Helen Willis, an interracial couple.