Norman Lear
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.
Cold Turkey
(Crying Man (uncredited))
Dean Martin: King of Cool
(Self)
Live in Front of a Studio Audience: The Facts of Life and Diff'rent Strokes
(Self - Host)
Pablo
(Self)
The Super Bob Einstein Movie
(Self)
Casting By
(Self)
Lucy and Desi
(Self)
Being Mary Tyler Moore
(Self (voice))
The Television Revolution Begins: "All in the Family" Is On the Air
(Self)
Those Were the Days: The Birth of "All in the Family"
(Self)
Funny Is Money
(Self)
Corpus Christi: Playing with Redemption
(Self)
Viewer Direction Advised
(Self)
Robert Scheer: Above the Fold
(Self)
A Different Approach
A Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin
Gratitude Revealed
(Himself)
The Newspaperman: The Life and Times of Ben Bradlee
(Self)
Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music and Laughter
(Self)
Norman Lear: A Life on Television
(Self)
A Case for Kindness
(Self)
"Sr."
(Self)
Come Blow Your Horn
(Party Guest (uncredited))
Adventures In Christmasing
(Himself)
Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You
(Self)
The Golden Girls: Lifetime Intimate Portrait Series
(Self)
If You're Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast
(Self)
Color Adjustment
(Self)
Perfect Moment
(Self)
The Brothers Warner
(Self - Producer)
I Want My MTV
(Self)
Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons"
(Himself (host))
Live in Front of a Studio Audience: "All in the Family" and "Good Times"
(Self - Co-Host)
Find Your Groove
(Self)
Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It
(Self)
All in the Family: 20th Anniversary Special
(Self - Host)
A Virtual Princess Bride Reunion
(Self)
Jack & Bobby
South Park
E! True Hollywood Story
Finding Your Roots
(Self)
Iconoclasts
(Self)
TV Revolution
Saturday Night Live
(Self - Host)
The Daily Show
(Self)
Intimate Portrait
(Self)
Late Night with Seth Meyers
(Self)
StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson
(Self)
Dinah!
(Self)
America Divided
(Self)
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
(Self)
The Mike Douglas Show
(Self)
Right to Offend: The Black Comedy Revolution
To Tell the Truth
(Self - Panelist)
Good Times
(Self (voice))
Stars in the House
(Self)
The Dick Cavett Show
(Self - Guest)
The Simpsons
(Norman Lear (voice))
Visible: Out on Television
(Self)
JANET JACKSON.
(Self)
Pete Seeger: The Power of Song
(Executive Producer)
Come Blow Your Horn
(Screenplay)
I Carry You with Me
(Executive Producer)
Cold Turkey
(Director)
Cold Turkey
(Screenplay)
The Night They Raided Minsky's
(Screenplay)
Heartsounds
(Executive Producer)
Never Too Late
(Producer)
Way Past Cool
(Executive Producer)
Divorce American Style
(Producer)
Come Blow Your Horn
(Producer)
Live in Front of a Studio Audience: The Facts of Life and Diff'rent Strokes
(Executive Producer)
Fried Green Tomatoes
(Executive Producer)
Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons"
(Writer)
The Night They Raided Minsky's
(Producer)
The Thief Who Came to Dinner
(Producer)
Playing For Change 3 - Songs Around The World
(Executive Producer)
Start the Revolution Without Me
(Executive Producer)
Cold Turkey
(Producer)
I Got A Monster
(Executive Producer)
Duino
(Executive Producer)
The Princess Bride
(Executive Producer)
I Love Liberty
(Executive Producer)
I Love Liberty
(Writer)
Scared Stiff
(Additional Dialogue)
Live in Front of a Studio Audience: "All in the Family" and "Good Times"
(Original Series Creator)
Live in Front of a Studio Audience: "All in the Family" and "Good Times"
(Executive Producer)
Divorce American Style
(Screenplay)
Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It
(Executive Producer)
All in the Family: 20th Anniversary Special
(Executive Producer)
Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman
(Producer)
Good Times
(Producer)
a.k.a. Pablo
(Writer)
a.k.a. Pablo
(Producer)
Hanging In
(Producer)
Hot l Baltimore
(Producer)
The Nancy Walker Show
(Producer)
All in the Family
(Writer)
All in the Family
(Director)
All in the Family
(Executive Producer)
All in the Family
(Producer)
The Powers That Be
(Director)
The Powers That Be
(Producer)
The Colgate Comedy Hour
(Writer)
A Year at the Top
(Producer)
Sunday Dinner
(Writer)
Sunday Dinner
(Producer)
Maude
(Executive Producer)
One Day at a Time
(Producer)
704 Hauser
(Writer)
704 Hauser
(Director)
Sanford and Son
(Producer)
Channel Umptee-3
(Producer)
Palmerstown, U.S.A.
(Producer)
One Day at a Time
(Executive Producer)
Good Times
(Executive Producer)
The Corps
(Executive Producer)
The Deputy
(Writer)
Chappelle's Show
(Writer)
Clean Slate
(Executive Producer)
Fernwood 2 Night
(Creator)
The Facts of Life
(Creator)
America 2-Night
(Creator)
All in the Family
(Creator)
The Jeffersons
(Creator)
Maude
(Creator)
Sanford and Son
(Creator)
All's Fair
(Creator)
Archie Bunker's Place
(Creator)
704 Hauser
(Creator)
a.k.a. Pablo
(Creator)
The Nancy Walker Show
(Creator)
All That Glitters
(Creator)
Mr. Dugan
(Creator)
The Deputy
(Creator)
Apple Pie
(Creator)
Those Were the Days
(Creator)
Justice for All
(Creator)
Sunday Dinner
(Creator)
Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman
(Creator)