Donald Thomas Bexley (March 10, 1910April 15, 1997) was an American actor and comedian, best known for playing Bubba Bexley on the 1970s television sitcom Sanford and Son. Early life Bexley was born in either Jamestown, Virginia or Detroit, Michigan to Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Bexley. His father was a Bible scholar and teacher, and his mother a classical vocalist. "I was born with a flair for the stage, as I had always been a clown – even during early adolescence," Bexley wrote in 1983. Career In his career, Don Bexley has been an orchestra director, singer, dancer, stand-up comedian, and actor. In the early 1940s, Bexley started doing comedy in upstate New York. He worked with Milton Berle, Danny Kaye, and Henny Youngman, and danced with Sammy Davis Jr. Bexley was the first black stand-up comedian to do the hotel circuit in the Borscht Belt. During his travels, he met many black entertainers, including Redd Foxx. They worked in New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and New Jersey. Early in his career, he performed with a dance group called Three Shades of Rhythm. Before his television debut, he did theater in Los Angeles and New York City. Redd Foxx and Sanford and Son When Bexley returned from Europe in 1969, he and Foxx were cast together in Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970). Upon Bexley's arrival from Asia in 1971, Foxx sent for him to join the sitcom Sanford and Son. Foxx convinced Bud Yorkin and Aaron Ruben to hire Bexley to play one of Fred G. Sanford's friends. At the time, Bexley was 62 years old and never had appeared on television before. Bexley gained popularity for his portrayal as Bubba on the series, a very successful "rerun sitcom" today. Sanford and Son was an instant hit and remained in the top 10 programs for 5 of 6 years from 1972 to 1977. Bexley reprised Bubba in the short-lived sequel Sanford Arms, which had many of the same characters but not Foxx and Demond Wilson. Later career He appeared in many television shows such as Cheers, Hunter and Laverne & Shirley as well as the 1976 film Sparkle. One of his later appearances on television was in an episode of Foxx's The Royal Family. In the episode, "New Beginnings", Bexley made a special guest appearance as an old friend of Al Royal's (Foxx) who attends his funeral. In 1989, Bexley