Redd Foxx was actually born John Elroy Sanford on December 9, 1922 in St. Louis, Missouri, which made his starring in Sanford and Son even more meaningful for him.

According to his website, Foxx was John Elroy Sanford in 1922. Named after baseball player Jimmie Foxx, the future comedian left home at 13 and played washboard with a Chicago band to pay rent.

Redd Foxx’s real name was John Elroy Sanford. He changed his name to Foxx in the mid-1900s while he was trying to grow his comedy career doing nightclub routines in New York City.

Redd Foxx was born John Elroy Sanford on December 9, 1922, in St. Louis, Missouri. His parents nicknamed him ‘Red’ due to his ‘ruddy’ complexion. His family was poor, and his mother, Mary ...

Born John Elroy Sanford, raised on Chicago’s South Side, and relocated to Harlem, he was known for keeping it real. In The Autobiography of Malcolm X (1965), Malcolm X called “’Chicago Red ...