Lear, Norman, 1922–2023,
American television and film producer, director, and writer, b. New Haven,
Conn. He wrote for comedians and television shows during the 1950s, and
subsequently wrote and directed such films as Come Blow Your
Horn (1963) and Cold Turkey (1971). Returning
to television, he created, produced, and wrote All in the
Family (1972–79), a show that revolutionized situation
comedies with its main character, the bigoted but lovable Archie Bunker, and
with story lines that tackled a variety of controversial subjects. The show
topped the ratings for five years, won Lear four Emmys, and generated two
spin-offs, the similarly controversial Maude
(1972–78) and The Jeffersons (1975–85). He
also produced other television shows, such as the comedy Sanford and
Son (1972–77) and the soap opera parody Mary
Hartman, Mary Hartman (1976–77), and later produced
several films, e.g., Fried Green Tomatoes (1991) and a
documentary on Pete Seeger (2007). A
political progressive, Lear was (1981) a founder of the liberal organization
People for the American Way.
See his memoir Even This I Get to Experience (2014); S. Campbell, The Sitcoms of Norman Lear (2006).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
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