LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The actor best known as "Tom Willis" on the TV show "The Jeffersons" has died. Franklin Cover portrayed George and Louise Jefferson's white neighbor in the sitcom, which ran from 1975 to 1985. In the role, he was in an interracial marriage with a black woman. A publicist says Cover died of pneumonia Sunday at an actor's home in Englewood, New Jersey. He'd been living there since December 2005 while recuperating from a heart condition. Cover was 77 and had been in show business for nearly six decades. His credits include "The Jackie Gleason Show," "All in the Family," "Will and Grace" and "ER." Cover also appeared in several films, including "The Great Gatsby," "The Stepford Wives" and "Wall Street."
Actor Franklin Cover, neighbor `Tom Willis' to `The Jeffersons,' dies at 77
The actor best known as "Tom Willis" on the TV show "The Jeffersons" has died. Franklin Cover portrayed George and Louise Jefferson's white neighbor in the sitcom, which ran from 1975 to 1985. In the role, he was in an interracial marriage with a black woman.
