NORMAN LEAR,
1922-2023
Norman Lear, the writer-producer who put political and social commentary front and center in his sitcoms, became one of Hollywood’s most outspoken liberals and would become a record-label owner late in life, died Tuesday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 101.
“Norman lived a life of creativity, tenacity and empathy,” said Lear’s family in a statement. “He deeply loved our country and spent a lifetime helping to preserve its founding ideals of justice and equality for all. Knowing and loving him has been the greatest of gifts. We ask for your understanding as we mourn privately in celebration of this remarkable human being.”
A dominant force in television in the 1970s and into the early '80s, he explored bigotry, feminism and the generational shift in working-class families in All in the Family. He dealt with two sides of the American experience for Black families in two other shows: the struggles of the upwardly mobile in the All in the Family spinoff The Jeffersons and poverty in Good Times. His Maude featured TV’s first outspoken feminist; it, too, was an All in the Family spinoff. Lear's programs addressed virtually every significant issue of the era, among them abortion rights, civil rights, opposition to war, inflation and racial discrimination.
Lear’s hits, created and run with partner Bud Yorkin, all had lengthy tenures. All in the Family premiered on CBS in January 1971 and continued until 1979; Maude ran from 1972 to 1978; The Jeffersons from 1975 to 1985 and Good Times 1974-79. Lear was also behind Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, Sanford and Son and One Day at a Time.
Unabashed politically, he backed liberal causes, founding People for the American Way in 1981 to counteract the conservative Moral Majority and Christian evangelists and in 1989, the Environmental Media Association to make the entertainment industry more environmentally responsible. He distributed millions of dollars from his family foundation to Planned Parenthood, the ACLU and other nonprofit endeavors, created a voter-registration group to help elect President Obama and financed campaigns to defeat Republican candidates. He also funded the Norman Lear Center at the USC Annenberg School for Communication, a research and public policy institution dedicated to the convergence of entertainment, commerce and society.
In 2000, Lear purchased an early copy of the Declaration of Independence and, in 2001-02, sent it on a road trip to more than 100 cities in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
Born and raised in Connecticut, Lear decided to venture into comedy writing after he got out of the Air Force at the end of World War II. He and a friend, Ed Simmons, got their start with Danny Thomas before moving to The Colgate Comedy Hour, writing for Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. They last worked together on The Martha Raye Show.
In 1958 Lear struck a partnership with Yorkin, which they called Tandem Productions. It produced Andy Williams’ variety show and multiple movies and specials and was behind Come Blow Your Horn with Frank Sinatra, Divorce, American Style and The Night They Raided Minsky’s before the partners turned their attention to series television.
In 1982, Lear, Yorkin and Jerry Perenchio purchased Avco Embassy Pictures, renaming it Embassy Communications. Among its celebrated releases was 1984's Rob Reiner-directed This Is Spinal Tap. After selling Embassy and Tandem in 1985, Lear founded Act III Communications, which released two other notable Reiner films, Stand by Me and The Princess Bride.
Lear entered the music business in 1999, purchasing the Concord Music Group with entertainment executive Hal Gaba and Tailwind Capital. During Lear's ownership, it acquired the Fantasy, Stax and Rounder labels, forged deals with Starbucks and Paul McCartney and released Ray Charles’ multimillion-selling Grammy winner Genius Loves Company. Concord merged with Village Roadshow Entertainment Group in 2008 and was sold to Wood Creek Capital Management in 2013.
Lear received a National Medal of Arts in 1999 and a Kennedy Center Honor in 2017. In 1984, he was among the first inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame.
I loved Norman Lear with all my heart. He was my second father. Sending my love to Lyn and the whole Lear family.
— Rob Reiner (@robreiner) December 6, 2023
Without Norman Lear, who headed Embassy Pictures in the early 80s, This Is Spinal Tap would never have been made. Would have liked him anyway. RIP, boss.
— Michael McKean (@MJMcKean) December 6, 2023
R.i.p. Norman Lear. A master of story telling and a healer through his shows! He is what all of showbiz should be aspiring to. He is the consummate creative producer we have long abandoned in the industry. pic.twitter.com/svGWzG1CMj
— John Leguizamo (@JohnLeguizamo) December 6, 2023
Anyone who ever had a chance to say something pointed or political in an American television entertainment owes Norman Lear their adoration and awe. He saw what was possible in that vacuous glowing box and, almost singularly, he made it so.
— David Simon (@AoDespair) December 6, 2023
Just heard about Norman Lear. He was 101. What a long life in television and film as well as being an activist and philanthropist. What an extraordinary man he was! Brilliant, kind and funny.
— Barbra Streisand (@BarbraStreisand) December 6, 2023
Today, we mourn the loss of the legendary Norman Lear: a decorated veteran, a patriotic champion of our civil liberties and a towering titan of American culture.
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) December 6, 2023
Norman broke down barriers between communities and inspired generations of Americans with his magnificent artistry. pic.twitter.com/sCkxrK9M8i
