<Tr> <Th> Years active </Th> <Td> 1971--1985 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Spouse (s) </Th> <Td> Helena Jefferson (m . 1976; d . 2002) </Td> </Tr> <P> Michael Jonas Evans (November 3, 1949--December 14, 2006) was an American actor, best known as Lionel Jefferson on both All in the Family and The Jeffersons . </P> <P> Evans was born in Salisbury, North Carolina . His father, Theodore Evans Sr., was a dentist, and his mother, Annie Sue Evans, a teacher . He attended Palmer Memorial Institute, a private school for young black Americans in Sedalia, North Carolina just outside Greensboro . His family later moved to Los Angeles, where he graduated from Los Angeles High School . He studied acting at Los Angeles City College . </P>

Who played lionel on all in the family