Redd Foxx
Stand-up comedian · 1922–1991

Redd Foxx

Who Redd Foxx is

Redd Foxx (born John Elroy Sanford in St. Louis and raised on Chicago's South Side) was a stand-up comedian and actor whose raunchy nightclub act and more than 50 comedy records made him known as the King of the Party Records. He was one of the first Black comics to play to white audiences on the Las Vegas Strip, and he starred as Fred G. Sanford in NBC's Sanford and Son (1972–77), winning a Golden Globe. He died in 1991 after a heart attack on the set of The Royal Family.

At a glance

Born
1922
Died
1991
Style
Adult party records, Party records and nightclub circuit
Stand-up specials
HBO On Location with Redd Foxx and Redd Foxx: Video in a Plain Brown Wrapper
Albums
Laff Of The Party Vol. 1, Racy Tales, Laffarama and 3 more
On screen
Sanford and Son, The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast, Redd Foxx, aka The Redd Foxx Comedy Hour and 8 more

Specials, shows and podcasts

Stand-up specials

Albums

On screen

Comedians like Redd Foxx

Each linked to them by something on the record — a stage they both came through, a bill, a show, a style or a home town.

Every stand-up comedian with a page, A to Z →

Career timeline

  1. 1922Born
  2. 1956Laff Of The Party Vol. 1 (1956) Album
  3. 1959Racy Tales (1959) Album
  4. 1960All the Fine Young Cannibals (Redd, piano player at Rose's; uncredited, 1960) On screen
  5. 1961Laffarama (1961) Album
  6. 1966Both Sides of Redd Foxx (1966) Album
  7. 1969Jokes I Can't Tell On Television (1969) Album
  8. 1970Cotton Comes to Harlem (Uncle Budd / Booker Washington Sims, 1970) On screen
  9. 1972Sanford and Son (Fred G. Sanford, 1972–77, NBC) On screen
  10. 1974The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast (himself, 1974) On screen
  11. 1975You Gotta Wash Your Ass (1975) Album
  12. 1976Norman... Is That You? (Ben Chambers, 1976) On screen
  13. 1977Redd Foxx, aka The Redd Foxx Comedy Hour (host, 1977–78, ABC) On screen
  14. 1978HBO On Location with Redd Foxx (1978) Special
  15. 1980Sanford (Fred G. Sanford, 1980–81) On screen
  16. 1983Redd Foxx: Video in a Plain Brown Wrapper (1983) Special
  17. 1986The Redd Foxx Show (Al Hughes, 1986, ABC) On screen
  18. 1987Ghost of a Chance (Ivory Clay, 1987) On screen
  19. 1989Harlem Nights (Bennie Wilson, 1989) On screen
  20. 1991The Royal Family (Alfonso Royal, 1991) On screen
  21. 1991Died

Questions about Redd Foxx

What stand-up specials has Redd Foxx released?

HBO On Location with Redd Foxx and Redd Foxx: Video in a Plain Brown Wrapper.

What TV shows and films are they in?

Sanford and Son, The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast, Redd Foxx, aka The Redd Foxx Comedy Hour, Sanford, The Redd Foxx Show and The Royal Family, among 11 credits.

Who are some comedians like them?

Richard Pryor (also in Sanford and Son), Don Rickles (also in The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast), Freddie Prinze (also in The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast), George Wallace (also in The Redd Foxx Show) and Godfrey Cambridge (also in Cotton Comes to Harlem).

The full SUCDb record

The full record — the career in order, the specials and credits, and the sources for each — is on SUCDb, with their place on the Legends ballots.

Their SUCDb record →

Sources

Updated 5 October 2026 · the record checked 27 September 2026