Donald Thomas Bexley

 Donald Thomas Bexley (March 10, 1910 – April 15, 1997)

In his career, Don Bexley was 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 entertainers, including Redd Foxx. They worked in New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and New Jersey. 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. Bexley reprised Bubba in the short-lived sequel Sanford Arms, which had many of the same characters but not Foxx and Demond Wilson. He appeared in many other 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. Bexley had a close friendship with Redd Foxx until Foxx's death in October 1991. He was an honorary pallbearer at Foxx's funeral in Las Vegas.

Bexley lived much of his life in Los Angeles, but after injuring his hip, moved to Hampton, Virginia, in 1996 to live with a friend, who served as his caregiver. Bexley died of heart and kidney failure on April 15, 1997, at Hampton Sentara Hospital. He was 87 years old. Bexley is buried at Hampton Memorial Gardens in Hampton, Virginia.