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 Helen Willis, played by Roxie Roker in the Season 5 episode "The Jeffersons Move Up", which was also The Jeffersons pilot episode. | ||||
| Personal Information | ||||
| Gender: | Female | |||
| Ethnicity | Black (of Jamaican descent) | |||
| Occupation/ Career: |
Housewife, mother and social worker | |||
| Spouse(s): | Tom Willis, married 1953 | |||
| Related to: | Allan Willis (son) Jenny Willis-Jefferson (daughter) Jessica Jefferson (granddaughter) | |||
| Character information | ||||
| Appeared on: | All in the Family | |||
| Episodes appeared in: | Season 5 episode "The Jeffersons Move On Up", also The Jeffersons pilot episode | |||
| Character played by: | Kim Hamilton/Roxie Roker | |||
Helen Willis (née Douglas) (portrayed first by Kim Hamilton in the All in the Family episode "Lionel's Engagement", then by Roxie Roker in the episode "The Jeffersons Move Up") is Louise's best friend and George's worst nightmare.
Helen is black, and her husband Tom is white; this would serve as a renowned aspect of The Jeffersons series. George, disliking racially mixed-marriages, constantly called both Helen and Tom "zebra" or "chocolate and vanilla". Helen often strikes back by calling him "shorty." As well, George enjoys calling Tom "honky", but he learned to get along with the two in later years during the sitcom.
In the fourth season, Helen and Louise work as volunteers at a service facility called "The Help Center", which opened in 1977. There is also a mention that she and Louise were the editors of the center's newsletter, a post the two decide to share after the drama of episode 67.
By the time of the end of The Jeffersons series, Helen had been married to Tom for 34 years. Helen and Tom have two children: Jennifer "Jenny" Willis (Berlinda Tolbert) and Allan Willis (first played by Andrew Rubin then Jay Hammer).
Kim Hamilton appeared in the role of Helen in the episode "Lionel's Engagement" in Season 5.