[Dr. Sivana]

Demond Wilson was there to be the straight man to his colorful pops. What more could you ask of the actor ? He did his part.

A straight man has to do more than read his lines stiffly and not get with the flow of the characters around him. George Burns was straight man to Gracie Allen, and he held up his own end just fine. So did Eddie Albert with Eva Gabor. (Eddie Albert was a superior actor.)

Many of the great straight men were also genuine comics in their own right (e.g. Andy Griffith, Bob Newhart). When Demond Wilson got his chance with the lead (Baby I'm Back, The New Odd Couple), his limitations became more obvious.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Wilson was not a leading man, that is true. He was there to serve as the “sane man” and put-upon son to the zany Redd Foxx and nephew to LaWanda Page, along with the roster of guest characters. In that regard, I think he did just fine as Lamont Sanford - as a supporting character. Had he been more charismatic or “wacky” and played by other stars of the era, such as Cleavon Little (fresh off the failed “Temperatures Rising”) or Richard Pryor (or even Jimmie Walker), it would’ve been a totally different dynamic. S&S, after all, was meant as a vehicle for Foxx.

[dennisw]

Demond Wilson became a preacher man
https://people.com/archive/sanfords-son-demond-wilson-leaves-his-demons-behind-to-become-a-full-time-evangelist-vol-23-no-15/