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Norman Lear
Actor, Producer, Writer, Director, Additional Credits
Born July 27, 1922Died December 5, 2023 (101 years)
Norman Milton Lear (July 27, 1922 – December 5, 2023) was a legendary American television writer and producer who produced such 1970s sitcoms as All in the Family, Sanford and Son, The Jeffersons, Good Times, Maude. As a political activist, he founded the advocacy organization People for the American Way in 1981 and has supported First Amendment rights and progressive causes.
Born in New Haven, Connecticut, to Enie/Jeanette (Sokolovsky) and Hyman "Herman" Lear, a traveling salesman. His grandparents were all Russian Jewish immigrants. Jeanette was the inspiration for the character Edith Bunker, and Herman for Archie Bunker. Lear won a one year-scholarship to Emerson College. He dropped out when news about Pearl Harbor struck, and decided to enroll in the United States Army. He was nineteen. In the army, Norman was a radio operator. He was discharged in 1945.
Norman landed a press agent job but was not being paid well so decided to pursue another career. In 1954, he was a writer for the CBS sitcom, Honestly, Celeste! Lear then became the producer of NBC's The Martha Raye Show. In 1959, he created his first TV series with Roland Kibbee, The Deputy, on NBC, starring Henry Fonda. In 1967 his comedic writing career began. He wrote and produced the 1967 film, Divorce American Style, and directed the film, Cold Turkey, starring Dick Van Dyke. All In The Family came about when Lear read a British column on the show "Til Death Do Us Part", about a father and a son-in-law who fought about everything politically. He immediately knew it was just like him and his father. Lear tried to sell the "blue" collar sitcom to ABC, and two pilots were filmed and rejected. A third pilot was filmed, and CBS picked up the show. It premiered on January 12, 1971.
When it was first aired, a big warning appeared on the screen stating none of the content being presented should be taken seriously and should only be seen for the purpose of hilarity. Next came Sanford And Son, along with creator Bud Yorkin, in 1972. It was inspired by British sitcom Steptoe and Son. In All In The Family, a guest-star named Bea Arthur appeared in an episode and in 1972 the first spin-off was formed called Maude, starring Arthur. A memorable episode from Maude which struck a degree of controversy was the abortion episode. A spin-off from Maude, Good Times, with the maid character played by Esther Rolle, premiered in 1974, dealing with issues like poverty, crime, welfare and life in low-income African-American housing areas. This wasn't the only sitcom to depict life for African-Americans: in 1975 The Jeffersons, another spin-off from All In The Family, followed. All In The Family received multiple Emmy awards. Good Times ran for five seasons till 1979, with multiple Golden Globe nominations. Maude ran for six seasons, till 1978, receiving multiple Emmy and Golden Globe wins and nominations. Sanford and Son ended in 1977 with a Golden Globe win and several Emmy nominations. All In The Family ended in 1979, after nine seasons. Next came another spin-off of the show called Archie Bunker's Place, with Caroll O'Connor and Danielle Brisebois. Archie Bunker's Place ended in 1983, and was his last successful television show.
Lear made a comeback in 1990 with several short-lived shows, including Sunday Dinner and 704 Hauser.
Born in New Haven, Connecticut, to Enie/Jeanette (Sokolovsky) and Hyman "Herman" Lear, a traveling salesman. His grandparents were all Russian Jewish immigrants. Jeanette was the inspiration for the character Edith Bunker, and Herman for Archie Bunker. Lear won a one year-scholarship to Emerson College. He dropped out when news about Pearl Harbor struck, and decided to enroll in the United States Army. He was nineteen. In the army, Norman was a radio operator. He was discharged in 1945.
Norman landed a press agent job but was not being paid well so decided to pursue another career. In 1954, he was a writer for the CBS sitcom, Honestly, Celeste! Lear then became the producer of NBC's The Martha Raye Show. In 1959, he created his first TV series with Roland Kibbee, The Deputy, on NBC, starring Henry Fonda. In 1967 his comedic writing career began. He wrote and produced the 1967 film, Divorce American Style, and directed the film, Cold Turkey, starring Dick Van Dyke. All In The Family came about when Lear read a British column on the show "Til Death Do Us Part", about a father and a son-in-law who fought about everything politically. He immediately knew it was just like him and his father. Lear tried to sell the "blue" collar sitcom to ABC, and two pilots were filmed and rejected. A third pilot was filmed, and CBS picked up the show. It premiered on January 12, 1971.
When it was first aired, a big warning appeared on the screen stating none of the content being presented should be taken seriously and should only be seen for the purpose of hilarity. Next came Sanford And Son, along with creator Bud Yorkin, in 1972. It was inspired by British sitcom Steptoe and Son. In All In The Family, a guest-star named Bea Arthur appeared in an episode and in 1972 the first spin-off was formed called Maude, starring Arthur. A memorable episode from Maude which struck a degree of controversy was the abortion episode. A spin-off from Maude, Good Times, with the maid character played by Esther Rolle, premiered in 1974, dealing with issues like poverty, crime, welfare and life in low-income African-American housing areas. This wasn't the only sitcom to depict life for African-Americans: in 1975 The Jeffersons, another spin-off from All In The Family, followed. All In The Family received multiple Emmy awards. Good Times ran for five seasons till 1979, with multiple Golden Globe nominations. Maude ran for six seasons, till 1978, receiving multiple Emmy and Golden Globe wins and nominations. Sanford and Son ended in 1977 with a Golden Globe win and several Emmy nominations. All In The Family ended in 1979, after nine seasons. Next came another spin-off of the show called Archie Bunker's Place, with Caroll O'Connor and Danielle Brisebois. Archie Bunker's Place ended in 1983, and was his last successful television show.
Lear made a comeback in 1990 with several short-lived shows, including Sunday Dinner and 704 Hauser.
Known For
Norman Lear Filmography
| 2021 | History of the Sitcom (TV Series) · as Producer |
| 2005 | |
| 2004 | Jack & Bobby (TV Series) |
| 1997 | South Park (TV Series) |
| 1996 | E! True Hollywood Story (TV Series) |
| 1989 | The Simpsons (TV Series) · as Norman Lear (voice) |
| 1971 | Cold Turkey · as Crying Man (uncredited) |
| 1963 | Come Blow Your Horn · as Party Guest (uncredited) |
| 2025 | Boots (TV Series) · as Executive Producer |
| 2025 | Clean Slate (TV Series) · as Executive Producer |
| 2024 | Before We Forget · as Executive Producer |
| 2024 | Good Times (2024) (TV Series) · as Executive Producer |
| 2023 | I Got a Monster · as Executive Producer |
| 2021 | Live in Front of a Studio Audience: 'The Facts of Life' and 'Diff'rent Strokes' · as Executive Producer |
| 2021 | Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It · as Executive Producer |
| 2020 | I Carry You with Me · as Executive Producer |
| 2019 | Live in Front of a Studio Audience: 'All in the Family' and 'Good Times' · as Executive Producer |
| 2019 | Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's 'All in the Family' and 'The Jeffersons' · as Executive Producer |
| 2017 | One Day at a Time (2017) (TV Series) · as Executive Producer |
| 2016 | America Divided (TV Series) · as Executive Producer |
| 2008 | El Superstar: The Unlikely Rise of Juan Frances · as Executive Producer |
| 2007 | Pete Seeger: The Power of Song · as Executive Producer |
| 2000 | Way Past Cool · as Executive Producer |
| 1998 | Those Were the Days · as Executive Producer |
| 1994 | 704 Hauser (TV Series) · as Executive Producer |
| 1992 | The Powers That Be (TV Series) |
| 1991 | Fried Green Tomatoes · as Executive Producer |
| 1991 | All in the Family: 20th Anniversary Special · as Executive Producer |
| 1987 | The Princess Bride · as Executive Producer |
| 1985 | American Masters (TV Series) · as Executive Producer |
| 1985 | 227 (TV Series) · as Executive Producer |
| 1984 | Heartsounds · as Executive Producer |
| 1984 | A.K.A. Pablo (TV Series) |
| 1982 | Square Pegs (TV Series) · as Executive Producer |
| 1982 | Silver Spoons (TV Series) · as Executive Producer |
| 1982 | I Love Liberty · as Executive Producer |
| 1982 | Gloria (TV Series) · as Executive Producer |
| 1980 | Sanford (TV Series) · as Executive Producer |
| 1980 | Palmerstown, U.S.A. (TV Series) |
| 1979 | Archie Bunker's Place (TV Series) · as Executive Producer |
| 1979 | The Facts of Life (TV Series) · as Executive Producer |
| 1977 | Forever Fernwood (TV Series) · as Executive Producer |
| 1977 | All That Glitters (TV Series) · as Executive Producer |
| 1976 | The Nancy Walker Show (TV Series) |
| 1976 | Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (TV Series) |
| 1975 | One Day at a Time (TV Series) |
| 1975 | Grady (TV Series) · as Executive Producer |
| 1975 | Hot L Baltimore (TV Series) |
| 1975 | The Jeffersons (TV Series) · as Executive Producer |
| 1974 | Good Times (TV Series) |
| 1973 | |
| 1972 | Maude (TV Series) · as Executive Producer |
| 1972 | Sanford and Son (TV Series) |
| 1971 | |
| 1971 | All in the Family (TV Series) |
| 1970 | Start the Revolution Without Me · as Executive Producer |
| 1968 | |
| 1968 | Justice for All · as Executive Producer |
| 1967 | |
| 1966 | ABC Stage 67 (TV Series) · as Executive Producer |
| 1965 | |
| 1963 | |
| 1953 | General Electric Theater (TV Series) |
| 2025 | Seen & Heard (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2024 | Gary · as Self - Producer, Good Times |
| 2024 | Good Times (2024) (TV Series) · as Self (voice) |
| 2023 | Dick Van Dyke 98 Years of Magic · as Self |
| 2023 | Being Mary Tyler Moore · as Self (voice) |
| 2022 | Sr. · as Self |
| 2022 | Gratitude Revealed · as Himself |
| 2022 | |
| 2022 | Right to Offend: The Black Comedy Revolution (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2022 | Lucy and Desi · as Self |
| 2022 | Janet Jackson. (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2021 | The Super Bob Einstein Movie · as Self |
| 2021 | |
| 2021 | Adventures in Christmasing · as Himself |
| 2021 | King of Cool · as Self |
| 2021 | |
| 2021 | 2021 Golden Globe Awards · as Self - Honoree |
| 2020 | The Reagans (TV Series) · as Self - Founder, People For The American Way |
| 2020 | The Comedy Store (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2020 | |
| 2020 | Pioneers in Skirts · as Self |
| 2020 | In My Own Words (TV Series) · as Self - Creator: One Day At A Time |
| 2020 | Find Your Groove · as Self |
| 2020 | Stars In The House (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2020 | Visible: Out on Television (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2020 | Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time (TV Series) · as Self - Video Clue Presenter |
| 2019 | Live in Front of a Studio Audience: 'All in the Family' and 'Good Times' · as Self - Co-Host |
| 2019 | It Takes a Lunatic · as Self |
| 2019 | The 71st Primetime Emmy Awards · as Self - Presenter |
| 2019 | The Kelly Clarkson Show (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 2019 | |
| 2019 | Biography: I Want My MTV · as Self |
| 2019 | Robert Scheer: Above the Fold · as Self |
| 2018 | Viewer Direction Advised · as Self |
| 2018 | Norman Lear, A Mini Documentary · as Self |
| 2018 | Viewer Direction Advised · as Self |
| 2018 | To Dine For with Kate Sullivan (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2018 | Somebody Feed Phil (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2017 | |
| 2017 | The IMDb Show (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 2017 | The 69th Primetime Emmy Awards · as Self - Presenter |
| 2017 | Sammy Davis, Jr.: I've Gotta Be Me · as Self |
| 2017 | The Hollywood Masters (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2017 | If You're Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast · as Self |
| 2017 | The History of Comedy (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2016 | America Divided (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2016 | To Tell The Truth (2016) (TV Series) · as Self - Panelist |
| 2016 | Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2016 | Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You · as Self |
| 2015 | StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2015 | Sinatra: All or Nothing at All (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2015 | The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore (TV Series) · as Self - Panelist |
| 2014 | Unsung Hollywood (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2014 | The Tanning of America (TV Series) · as Self - Producer, All In The Family |
| 2014 | Late Night with Seth Meyers (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2012 | Corpus Christi: Playing with Redemption · as Self |
| 2012 | Casting By · as Self |
| 2012 | |
| 2012 | Larry King Now (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 2012 | PoliticKING with Larry King (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 2012 | Finding Your Roots (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2012 | CBS Mornings (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 2011 | America in Primetime (TV Series) · as Self - Creator, All In The Family |
| 2011 | On Story (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2010 | Ghetto Physics · as Self |
| 2009 | The Dr. Oz Show (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 2009 | Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg · as Self |
| 2009 | Make 'Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2007 | The Brothers Warner · as Self - Producer |
| 2005 | Iconoclasts (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2004 | TV Land Moguls (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2004 | Tavis Smiley (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 2003 | Bitter Jester · as Self |
| 2003 | imagine... (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2003 | Real Time with Bill Maher (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2003 | Jimmy Kimmel Live! (TV Series) · as Self - Remembering Fred |
| 2003 | |
| 2002 | TV Tales (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2002 | NOW (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2000 | |
| 1999 | Television: The First Fifty Years · as Self - Interviewee |
| 1998 | CBS: The First 50 Years · as Self |
| 1997 | The Roseanne Show (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 1997 | The View (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 1996 | Everybody Loves Raymond (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1996 | Access Hollywood (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1996 | The Daily Show (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1996 | Corwin · as Self |
| 1994 | WGN Morning News (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1993 | Late Night with Conan O'Brien (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 1992 | Late Show with David Letterman (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 1992 | Color Adjustment · as Self |
| 1991 | All in the Family: 20th Anniversary Special · as Self - Host |
| 1990 | Intimate Portrait (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1989 | The Arsenio Hall Show (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 1987 | Biography (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1986 | One Voice · as Self - Audience Member |
| 1986 | The Oprah Winfrey Show (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 1985 | American Masters (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1984 | Jeopardy! (TV Series) · as Self - Clue Giver |
| 1983 | The 35th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards · as Self - Presenter |
| 1982 | Late Night With David Letterman (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 1982 | Traveling Hopefully · as Self - Television Producer |
| 1981 | Entertainment Tonight (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1980 | The Alan Thicke Show (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 1979 | CBS Sunday Morning With Jane Pauley (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 1978 | The 30th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards · as Self - Presenter |
| 1977 | The 29th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards · as Self |
| 1976 | Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 1975 | Saturday Night Live (TV Series) · as Self - Host |
| 1975 | Good Morning America (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 1974 | Dinah! (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1973 | Tomorrow with Tom Snyder (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 1973 | AFI Life Achievement Award (TV Series) · as Self - Audience Member |
| 1971 | All in the Family (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1968 | 60 Minutes (TV Series) · as Self - Television Producer (segment "norman Lear, Norman Lear") |
| 1968 | The Dick Cavett Show (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 1962 | The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1962 | The Merv Griffin Show (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 1961 | The Mike Douglas Show (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1952 | Today (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 1950 | The Colgate Comedy Hour (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2019 | |
| 2003 | Chappelle's Show (TV Series) |
| 1994 | 704 Hauser (TV Series) |
| 1984 | A.K.A. Pablo (TV Series) |
| 1982 | |
| 1971 | Cold Turkey · as Screenplay |
| 1971 | All in the Family (TV Series) |
| 1968 | The Night They Raided Minsky's · as Screenplay |
| 1967 | Divorce American Style · as Screenplay |
| 1966 | ABC Stage 67 (TV Series) |
| 1963 | Come Blow Your Horn · as Screenplay |
| 1959 | The Deputy (TV Series) |
| 1956 | Tennessee Ernie Ford Show (TV Series) |
| 1954 | The George Gobel Show (TV Series) |
| 1950 | Four Star Revue (TV Series) |
| 1950 | The Colgate Comedy Hour (TV Series) |
| 1998 | |
| 1994 | 704 Hauser (TV Series) |
| 1992 | The Powers That Be (TV Series) |
| 1971 | |
| 1971 | All in the Family (TV Series) |
| 1968 | |
| 1954 | The George Gobel Show (TV Series) |
| 2019 | Live in Front of a Studio Audience: 'All in the Family' and 'Good Times' · as Original Series Creator |
| 2017 | One Day at a Time (2017) (TV Series) · as Original Series Developed By |
| 2001 | Independence Day 2001 · as Segment Producer |
| 1998 | Those Were the Days · as Written By |
| 1985 | Maguy (TV Series) · as Sitcom Maude |
| 1978 | America 2Night (TV Series) · as Created By |
| 1977 | Sanford Arms (TV Series) · as Developed By |
| 1977 | Fernwood 2Night (TV Series) · as Creator |
| 1977 | All That Glitters (TV Series) · as Created By |
| 1976 | All's Fair (TV Series) · as Developed By |
| 1976 | The Dumplings (TV Series) · as Developed With |
| 1976 | Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (TV Series) · as Developed By |
| 1975 | One Day at a Time (TV Series) · as Developed By |
| 1975 | The Jeffersons (TV Series) · as Developed By |
| 1974 | Good Times (TV Series) · as Developed By |
| 1972 | Maude (TV Series) · as Created By |
| 1972 | Sanford and Son (TV Series) · as Developed By |
| 1968 | Justice for All · as Written By |
| 1953 | Scared Stiff · as Additional Dialogue |