Norman Lear facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Norman Lear
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Lear in 1975
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Norman Milton Lear
July 27, 1922 New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
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| Died | December 5, 2023 (aged 101) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Years active | 1948–2023 |
| Known for | Sitcoms: All in the Family The Jeffersons Sanford and Son Good Times Maude Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman One Day at a Time |
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| Children | 6 |
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| Allegiance | United States of America |
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| Years of service | 1942–1945 |
| Rank | Technical sergeant |
| Unit | 463rd Bombardment Group Fifteenth Air Force |
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Norman Milton Lear (July 27, 1922 – December 5, 2023) was an amazing American writer and producer. He created, wrote, or helped develop over 100 TV shows! He was famous for the popular sitcoms of the 1970s. These included All in the Family, Maude, Sanford and Son, One Day at a Time, The Jeffersons, and Good Times. His shows were special because they brought important social and political topics into comedy.
Norman Lear won many awards for his work. These included six Primetime Emmys and two Peabody Awards. He also received the National Medal of Arts in 1999 and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2017. He was even part of the Television Academy Hall of Fame.
Beyond TV, Lear was known for his activism. He supported causes and politicians who believed in liberal and progressive ideas. In 1980, he started an organization called People for the American Way. This group worked to balance out certain religious influences in politics. He even toured the country with a copy of the Declaration of Independence in the early 2000s!
Contents
Norman Lear's Early Life and School
Norman Lear was born in New Haven, Connecticut. He was the oldest child of Jeanette and Hyman "Herman" Lear. His father was a traveling salesman. Norman grew up in a Jewish family in Connecticut. He had a younger sister named Claire.
When Norman was nine, his family lived in Chelsea, Massachusetts. He heard a radio priest named Father Charles Coughlin who said mean things about Jewish people. This experience made Norman want to speak up for what was right. He said it inspired his lifelong work as an activist. He also said that the character of Archie Bunker from All in the Family was partly inspired by his father.
Lear went to Samuel J. Tilden High School in Brooklyn, New York. He later graduated from Weaver High School in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1940. He then went to Emerson College in Boston. But in 1942, he left college to join the United States Army Air Forces.
His Time in the Military
Norman Lear joined the United States Army in September 1942. He served during World War II in the Mediterranean area. He was a radio operator and gunner on Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers. He flew 52 combat missions and received the Air Medal. Lear left the Army in 1945.
Starting His TV Career
After World War II, Lear worked in public relations. He was inspired by his uncle, who was a "press agent." Lear moved to California to start his career in publicity.
In the 1950s, Lear teamed up with writer Ed Simmons. They wrote comedy sketches for TV shows. They wrote for famous comedians like Martin and Lewis. In 1954, Lear also became a producer for The Martha Raye Show. He later wrote for The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show. In 1959, Lear created his first TV series, a western called The Deputy, starring Henry Fonda.
Making TV History
Norman Lear started as a comedy writer and then directed movies. He wrote and produced the 1967 film Divorce American Style. He also directed the 1971 film Cold Turkey.
The Success of All in the Family
Lear then tried to create a sitcom about a working-class American family. After a few tries, CBS picked up the show, which was called All in the Family. It started on January 12, 1971. At first, not many people watched it. But it won several Emmy Awards that year. The show became very popular and was the top-rated show on TV for five years! All in the Family was based on a British sitcom called Till Death Us Part.
More Hit Shows
Lear's next big hit was Sanford and Son. This show was also based on a British sitcom. Lear changed the setting to Los Angeles and the characters to African-Americans. Sanford and Son was an instant success.
Many more hit shows followed. These included Maude and The Jeffersons, which were spin-offs from All in the Family. He also created One Day at a Time and Good Times.
Most of Lear's sitcoms had a few things in common. They were filmed with a live audience. They also talked about important social and political issues of the time.
Lear worked with his producing partner, Bud Yorkin, for a long time. Their company was called Tandem Productions. Lear also started T.A.T. Communications in 1974. These companies were very successful at making independent TV shows in the 1970s.
His Later Work
In 1980, Lear started People for the American Way. This group worked to promote American values and counter certain political influences. In 1982, Lear and Jerry Perenchio bought Avco Embassy Pictures. They later renamed it Embassy Communications.
In 1985, Lear and Perenchio sold Embassy Communications to Columbia Pictures. Lear then started a new company called Act III Communications in 1986. This company produced more TV shows.
In 1997, Lear helped produce the Kids' WB cartoon series Channel Umptee-3. This show was important because it was one of the first TV shows to meet new rules for educational programming.
In 2003, Lear even lent his voice to the character of Benjamin Franklin on the cartoon show South Park. He also helped the writers of South Park with ideas.
In 2016, a documentary about him called Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You was released. In 2017, he was an executive producer for the new version of One Day at a Time on Netflix. He also hosted a podcast called All of the Above with Norman Lear. In 2014, Lear published a book about his life called Even This I Get to Experience.
Awards and Recognition
Norman Lear has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6615 Hollywood Boulevard.
In 1999, President Bill Clinton gave Norman Lear the National Medal of Arts. He said that Lear "held up a mirror to American society and changed the way we look at it." Also in 1999, he and Bud Yorkin received the Women in Film Lucy Award. This award recognized their work in improving how women are shown on TV.
The Producers Guild of America gave Lear an award in 2006. This award is now called the Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television.
In 2017, Lear received the Woody Guthrie Prize. This award is given to artists who speak up for those who are less fortunate.
On August 3, 2017, Lear was chosen for the 2017 Kennedy Center Honors. This is a very high honor for artists in the United States.
Lear also received many other awards, including:
- 1977: Peabody Awards: Lifetime achievement
- 1984: Television Academy: Hall of Fame
- 2007: Britannia Awards Excellence in Television
- 2017: National Hispanic Media Coalition Media Icon
- 2017: Peabody Awards: Lifetime achievement
Standing Up for What's Right
Norman Lear was a strong supporter of the First Amendment (which protects free speech) and liberal causes. He believed in fairness and progress.
People for the American Way
In 1981, Lear founded People for the American Way (PFAW). This group was created to balance out certain religious groups that were becoming very active in politics. PFAW worked to keep religion and politics separate.
Some people accused Lear of being an atheist or being against Christianity. However, Lear said he was not an atheist. He believed that religion should be kept separate from politics. He described himself as a "total Jew" but said he was not a strict follower of Jewish practices.
In 2000, he helped create the Norman Lear Center at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. This center studies how entertainment, business, and society connect.
The Declaration of Independence Tour
In 2001, Norman Lear and his wife, Lyn, bought a very old copy of the United States Declaration of Independence for $8.1 million. This was one of the first copies ever printed!
Lear didn't buy it just to collect it. He wanted to share it with the country. He organized the Declaration of Independence Road Trip. The document traveled all over the United States. It visited museums, the 2002 Olympics, Super Bowl XXXVI, and even a concert. Lear wanted Americans to see their country's "birth certificate" up close.
In 2004, Lear started Declare Yourself. This is a group that encourages young people aged 18 to 29 to register and vote. It has helped almost 4 million young people register!
His Personal Life
Norman Lear was married three times. His third marriage was to Lyn Davis in 1987. He had six children and four grandchildren. On July 27, 2022, he turned 100 years old!
Norman Lear passed away peacefully at his home in Los Angeles on December 5, 2023, at the age of 101.
TV productions
Note: The chart above does not include the made-for-television movies The Wave (aired October 4, 1981) or Heartsounds (aired September 30, 1984).
Images for kids
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Norman Lear in 2014, at the Austin Book Festival
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Lear receiving the 2017 Kennedy Center Honors
See also
In Spanish: Norman Lear para niños
