Did Griff Die?

A misleading article titled Remembering Harold Sylvester's "Griff" on Married with Children was recently posted on TVOverMind.com. This caused me to pause for a second and think about one of the most under-rated characters on Married with Children. 

Was Griff, Al Bundy’s co-worker, dead or alive?  The bad news: Griff hasn’t done much since the GREATEST SHOW EVER.  The good news: there’s no sign that Griff has shuffled off this mortal coil. 

I researched Griff and found out a lot about Harold Sylvester.   This TV shoe salesman and charter member of NO MA’AM  (I’m wearing the T shirt as I write this) was a high school basketball star in New Orleans.  Shades of Al’s long-gone glory days as a football star? Nope, “Griff” went on to become the first black athlete to win a scholarship at Tulane.

Griff may have been introduced as the token black guy on Married with Children, but he was a strong character. He was in 44 episodes on the show and even got divorced on the show, even though he has actually been married since 1970.

After Married with Children, Sylvester showed a bunch of talent, appearing in several movies and TV series.   He even wrote, directed and produced a movie. Passing Glory was about basketball, the first black team to play in a white league, and was nominated for a couple of awards.

My favorite scene and a relevant moment of equality is when Al and Griff pass the black and white Big Un's back and forth showing a moment of pure equality. 

Long live Griff!