Editing All in the Family (section)

===Supporting characters===
[[File:Archie and Lionel All in the Family 1971.JPG|thumb|When Archie visits a local blood bank to make a donation, he meets his neighbor, Lionel Jefferson, who is there for the same purpose.]]
* [[Sherman Hemsley]] as [[George Jefferson]], [[Isabel Sanford]] as his wife, [[Louise Jefferson|Louise]], and [[Mike Evans (actor)|Mike Evans]] as their son, [[Lionel Jefferson|Lionel]], Archie's [[African American|Black]] neighbors: George is Archie's combative Black counterpart; Louise is a smarter, more assertive version of Edith. Lionel first appeared in the series' premiere episode "[[List of All in the Family episodes#Meet the Bunkers|Meet the Bunkers]]"; Louise appeared later in the first season. Although George had been mentioned many times, he was not seen until 1973. Hemsley, who was Norman Lear's first choice to play George, was performing in the Broadway musical ''[[Purlie]]'' and did not want to break his commitment to that show. Lear kept the role waiting for him until he finished with the musical. Plots frequently found Archie and George at odds with each other while Edith and Louise attempted to join forces to bring about resolutions. George and Louise later moved to an apartment in Manhattan in their own show, ''[[The Jeffersons]]''. Lionel appeared in ''All in the Family'' as a college student and aspiring electrical engineer who early on did odd jobs around the neighborhood, including television and radio repair. 
* [[Mel Stewart]] as George's brother [[Henry Jefferson]]: The two appeared together only once, in a 1973 episode in which the Bunkers host Henry's going-away party, marking Stewart's final episode and Hemsley's first. After the Jeffersons were spun off into their own show in 1975, Stewart's character was rarely referred to again and was never seen. In the closing credits of "[[List of All in the Family episodes#Season 1: Spring 1971|The First and Last Supper]]" episode, [[Mel Stewart]] is incorrectly credited as playing George Jefferson. Stewart was actually playing George's brother Henry Jefferson, who was pretending to be George for most of the episode. (seasons 1–4, 8 episodes)
* [[Bea Arthur]] as Edith's cousin [[Maude Findlay|Maude]]: Maude was white-collared and ultraliberal, the perfect foil to Archie, and one of his main antagonists. She appeared in two episodes: "Cousin Maude's Visit", in which she took care of the Bunker household when all four were sick, and "[[Maude (pilot)|Maude]]" from the show's second season, which was basically a [[backdoor pilot]]. Her spin-off series, ''[[Maude (TV series)|Maude]]'', began in fall 1972. (season 2, 2 episodes)
* [[Betty Garrett]] and [[Vincent Gardenia]] as liberal Roman Catholic next-door neighbors Irene and Frank Lorenzo: Both first appeared as a married couple as Irene was trying to use the Bunkers' phone. During an argument earlier in the episode, Archie and Mike had broken the phone wire. Irene being a "handyman" of sorts with her own tools, which she carried in her purse, fixed it. Irene fixed many things at the Bunker house during her time on the show. She also had a sister who was a nun and appeared in one episode. "Edith's Christmas Story" reveals that Irene has had a [[mastectomy]]. Archie got her a job as a forklift operator at the plant where he worked. Irene was a strong-willed woman of Irish heritage, and Frank was a jovial Italian househusband who loved cooking and singing. He also was a salesman, but what he sold was never mentioned. Gardenia, who also appeared as Jim Bowman in episode eight of season one (as the man who sold his house to the Jeffersons) and as Curtis Rempley in episode seven of season three (as a swinger opposite [[Rue McClanahan]]), became a semiregular along with Garrett in 1973. Gardenia stayed for only one season as Frank Lorenzo, but Garrett remained until her character was phased out in late 1975. (seasons 4–6)
* [[Allan Melvin]] as Archie's neighbor and good friend [[Barney Hefner]]: Barney first appeared in 1972 as a recurring character. His appearances increased during subsequent seasons until he became a regular. He appeared as a regular in all four seasons of ''Archie Bunker's Place''. Melvin also appeared in first-season episode "Archie in the Lock-up" as a desk sergeant at a police precinct.