Sherman Hemsley quotes:

I was in a play in elementary school and had to jump up and run away. I was nervous and tripped and fell down and everyone laughed. Their laughter made me relax, so I pretended it was part of the show.

I'm just an old hippie. You know, peace and love.

I'm proud to be from Philadelphia.

Making people laugh was automatic.

I don't slam doors in people's faces, and I'm not a bigot.

I always told my mother I wanted a job where I could have a lot of fun and have a lot of time off. She asked me where I was going to find that, and I said, 'I don't know, but it's out there.

I loved it, but had to forget about acting after elementary school because it was the sort of thing you just didn't do in my rough neighborhood.