WHO IS NORMAN LEAR?
Norman Milton Lear, an American television writer, producer, and political activist, was born in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. He is most renowned for creating revolutionary television sitcom series such as All in the Family, Maude, One Day at a Time, Good Times, The Jeffersons, and Sanford and Son. Lear possessed joint ownership of Tandem Productions, T.A.T. Communications, Avco Embassy Pictures, and Embassy Communications, Inc. at various periods. Subsequently, he established and assumed the role of chairman at ‘Act III Communications’, a company renowned for producing significant films such as The Sure Thing and The Princess Bride. Lear, who identified himself as a “liberal”, established an organization named ‘People for the American Way’ to promote progressive causes.
He championed First Amendment rights, maintained a passive role in ‘The Nation’ magazine, and was associated with the influential “Malibu Mafia” group. For his extensive career, he created more than seventy projects. He was bestowed with numerous accolades and distinctions, including the prestigious National Medal of Arts. Additionally, he was among the inaugural group of seven television pioneers to be admitted into the esteemed Television Academy Hall of Fame. Norman Lear died on December 5, 2023, at his residence in Los Angeles.
Early Years of Norman Lear
Birth and Childhood
Norman Milton Lear was born on July 27, 1922, in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. His parents were Jeanette (née Seicol) and Hyman “Herman” Lear, with his father working as a traveling salesman. He was brought up in Connecticut in a Jewish family and participated in a Bar Mitzvah ceremony. Claire Lear Brown was his younger sister. At the age of nine, Lear witnessed his father’s incarceration for the sale of counterfeit bonds. He saw his father as a “rascal” and subsequently revealed that the personalities of Archie Bunker and Edith Bunker from the television show All in the Family were partially influenced by his parents.
At the age of nine, Lear encountered the anti-Semitic remarks made by radio priest Father Charles Coughlin, which Lear later stated had influenced his lifelong commitment to campaigning. Lear obtained his bachelor’s degree from Weaver High School in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1940. Subsequently, he enrolled at Emerson College in Boston but subsequently withdrew in 1942 to join the United States Army Air Forces. In September of that year, Lear joined the United States Army.
Norman Lear joined the 772nd Bombardment Squadron, which was sent to the Mediterranean Theater of Operations during World War II. He worked as a radio operator and gunner on Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers. He was awarded the Air Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters in recognition of his completion of 52 combat flights. He was dismissed from service in 1945.
The Professional Journey of Norman Lear
Entertainment Industry
Norman Lear embarked on a career in public relations after being influenced by his uncle Jack, in the aftermath of the Second World War. Subsequently, Lear relocated to California where, by chance, he collaborated with his brother-in-law, Ed Simmons, who aspired to be a comedy writer. Simmons was married to Lear’s first cousin, Elaine. Together, they began crafting comedic sketches for television programs featuring Martin and Lewis, Rowan and Martin, and various others, all the while engaging in miscellaneous employment. Lewis enlisted the services of Lear and Simmons to enhance his performances alongside Martin, and by 1950, Lear and Simmons assumed the role of their primary scriptwriters.
In the 1950s, Lear and Simmons were frequent contributors to the American comic duo’s regular performances on NBC’s ‘Colgate Comic Hour’. Furthermore, Lear created and developed the NBC sitcom The Martha Raye Show. He authored opening monologues for the NBC variety program The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show from 1956 until 1961. Lear collaborated with Roland Kibbee to produce his inaugural television series, The Deputy (1959-61), featuring Henry Fonda as the lead. In 1958, Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin established a film and television production firm named “Tandem Productions”.
In 1974, Norman Lear established T.A.T. Communications alongside talent agent Jerry Perenchio. TAT adapted the 1981 telefilm The Wave from the The Third Wave experiment. The show received the Peabody Award in 1981, the Young Artist Award in 1981, and an Emmy in 1982. Meanwhile, Lear and Yorkin separated in 1975. Lear authored and penned the screenplay for the American satirical-comedy film Divorce American Style (1967), with Dick Van Dyke in the lead role. Lear received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.
The 1971 satirical-comedy film Cold Turkey, starring Dick Van Dyke, was directed, produced, and co-written by Lear. Subsequent iterations of Lear encompassed productions such as Sunday Dinner (1991), The Powers That Be (1992-93), 704 Hauser (1994), and Channel Umptee-3 (1997-98). Lear launched a podcast called All of the Above with Norman Lear on May 1, 2017.
Additional Pursuits
In 1980, Lear established the progressive advocacy organization ‘People for the American Way’ in the United States intending to oppose the Christian right’s agenda, which was initiated by the founding of Moral Majority in 1979. He publicly championed the promotion of secularism and voiced criticism against the beliefs held by the Conservatives and Christians. In March 1982, Lear created a two-hour television special titled I Love Liberty which aimed to advocate for liberal ideas. In his memoir Even This I Get To Experience, he stated that he was the producer of the four-day special event ‘Liberty Weekend’ in 1986.
He openly advocated for the First Amendment and progressive ideals. He served as a passive investor in ‘The Nation’ magazine and was affiliated with the “Malibu Mafia” clique, which contributed funds to support liberal and progressive initiatives and politicians. In 1989, he established the organization called ‘Business Enterprise Trust’, which operated until 1998. ‘Business Enterprise Trust’ honored outstanding social ideas, displays of bravery, and adherence to ethical principles in American business.
The Norman Lear Center, a research and public policy center located in the USC Annenberg School for Communication, was established in 2000 with a donation from Norman Lear, after whom it was named. Lear also served on the National Advisory Board of the Young Storytellers Foundation and contributed articles to ‘The Huffington Post’. He held the position of trustee emeritus of ‘The Paley Center for Media’, an American cultural institution. In 2001, he and his wife, Lyn, spent $8.1 million to acquire one of the initial printed editions of the Declaration of Independence.
Lear orchestrated the “Declaration of Independence Road Trip” within ten years, in which the document was disseminated to the American public by being showcased in all 50 states. The artwork was exhibited at several venues, such as the Live 8 concert in Philadelphia, the 2002 Olympics, and the Super Bowl XXXVI, as well as various museums and presidential libraries.
Awards and Acknowledgments
In 1999, President Bill Clinton awarded Norman Lear with the National Medal of Arts. Lear and Yorkin were both recipients of the Women in Film Lucy Award in the same year. The Hollywood Walk of Fame features Lear’s star at the specific address of 6615 Hollywood Boulevard. In addition, he was awarded the fourth annual Woody Guthrie Prize in 2017, the Kennedy Center Honors in 2017, and the Britannia Award for Excellence in Television in 2019.
Personal Aspect of Norman Lear’s Life
Family and Personal Life
Lear was in a marital union with Charlotte Rosen from 1943 till 1956. Their daughter, Ellen Lear, was born in 1947 and works as a sex therapist. The duration of his second marriage to Frances Loeb spanned from 1956 to 1986. Frances allegedly obtained a divorce payment of $112 million, making it one of the most substantial settlements ever recorded. Their daughters, Kate Breckir LaPook and Maggie Beth Lear were born in 1958 and 1959, respectively.
Kate holds a high-level position in a company, while her spouse, Jonathan LaPook, serves as a medical correspondent for CBS News. Lear and Frances are the grandparents of two individuals named Zoe and Griffin Katz. Lear entered into matrimony with Lyn Davis in the year 1987. Benjamin Davis Lear, as stated in his biography Even This I Get to Experience, was born on July 10, 1988. The couple welcomed their twin daughters, Madeline Rose Lear and Brianna Elizabeth Lear, into the world in 1994. Lear also served as the godfather to Katey Sagal, an American actress and singer-songwriter.
Norman Lear died on December 5, 2023, at his residence in Los Angeles from natural causes. At the time of his demise, he had reached the age of 101.