Norman Lear

Producer

July 27, 1922 (101 years)

† December 5, 2023

New Haven, Connecticut, USA

Biography

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 grandpa…

Filmography

6.8

One Day at a Time

The misadventures of a divorced mother, two teenage daughters, and new building superintendent in Indianapolis.

7.3

Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman

In the fictional town of Fernwood, Ohio, suburban housewife Mary Hartman seeks the kind of domestic perfection promised by Reader’s Digest and TV commercials. Instead she finds herself suffering the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune: mass murders, low-flying airplanes and waxy yellow buildup on her kitchen floor.

7.5

Sanford and Son

The misadventures of a cantankerous junk dealer and his frustrated son.

7.8

All in the Family

Archie Bunker, a working class bigot, constantly squabbles with his family over the important issues of the day.

7.8

One Day at a Time

In a reimagining of the TV classic, a newly single Latina mother raises her teen daughter and tween son with the "help" of her old-school mom.

8.0

Good Times

Good Times is an American sitcom that originally aired from February 8, 1974, until August 1, 1979, on the CBS television network. It was created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans, and developed by Norman Lear, the series' primary executive producer. Good Times is a spin-off of Maude, which is itself a spin-off of All in the Family along with The Jeffersons. The series is set in Chicago. The first two seasons were taped at CBS Television City in Hollywood. In the fall of 1975, the show moved to Metromedia Square, where Norman Lear's own production company was housed.

7.7

The Princess Bride

In this enchantingly cracked fairy tale, the beautiful Princess Buttercup and the dashing Westley must overcome staggering odds to find happiness amid six-fingered swordsmen, murderous princes, Sicilians and rodents of unusual size. But even death can't stop these true lovebirds from triumphing.

6.9

Maude

Well-educated and upper middle class, Maude Findlay is the archetypal feminist of her generation. She lives in suburban Tuckahoe, New York, with her fourth husband, Walter, their divorced daughter, Carol, and grandson Phillip.

8.0

Boots

After impulsively joining the U.S. Marine Corps, a bullied teen finds new purpose — and unexpected brotherhood — with his motley team of fellow recruits.

5.5

Good Times

In this edgy, irreverent reimagining of the TV classic, a new generation of the Evans family keeps their heads above water in a Chicago housing project.

7.7

Fried Green Tomatoes

Amidst her own personality crisis, a southern housewife meets an outgoing old woman who tells her the story of Idgie Threadgoode and Ruth Jamison, two young women who experienced hardships and love in 1920s Whistle Stop, Alabama.

7.0

Channel Umptee-3

Channel Umptee-3 is a Saturday morning animated television series created by Jim George and produced by Norman Lear that aired on The WB in 1997. Ogden Ostrich, Sheldon S. Cargo, and Holey Moley drive around the world in a van with their own underground television station, while fleeing the wrath of corporate-villain Stickley Rickets. This one-season cartoon show was designed to teach kids to appreciate the wonders of everyday things, such as sleep and water. The title is derived from the fictitious number “umpteen.”

6.3

Palmerstown, U.S.A.

Palmerstown, U.S.A. is a drama series. It centers on the lives of two 9-year-old best friends, one black and one white, growing up in a small Southern town during the 1930s.

6.4

Clean Slate

Harry is an old-school car wash owner in Alabama who has a lot of soul searching to do when the child he once called "son" returns after 17 years as a proud trans woman named Desiree. Her homecoming brings together a hilarious cast of friends, coworkers, and love interests as Desiree and Harry try to get it right the second time around.

7.8

The Powers That Be

The Powers That Be is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman that aired briefly on NBC from 1992 to 1993. Norman Lear served as executive producer for the show.

7.5

The Nancy Walker Show

The Nancy Walker Show is an American situation comedy which aired on ABC from September 30, 1976 until December 23, 1976. The series, produced by Norman Lear, was a starring vehicle provided to Nancy Walker after she gained a new-found television following as both maid Mildred on NBC's McMillan & Wife and as Ida Morgenstern, mother of Rhoda Morgenstern, on CBS' Rhoda; these roles had been preceded by a long, successful career in Broadway and movies.

7.8

Sunday Dinner

Sunday Dinner is an American sitcom which aired on CBS from June 2, 1991 until July 7, 1991. The series was produced by Norman Lear, and marked his return to television producing after an absence of several years. Lear's current wife Lyn Davis Lear served as co-producer on the series, which was the first official Lear show to be made under his latest production marquee Act III Productions.

4.6

Hot l Baltimore

Hot l Baltimore was a 1975 American television situation comedy series adapted from a hit off-Broadway play by Lanford Wilson.

6.3

Cold Turkey

Reverend Brooks leads his small Iowa town in a contest to stop smoking for a month. But some tobacco executives don't want them to win, and try everything they can to make them smoke. If townspeople don't go nuts from wanting a cigarette, or kill each other from irritation and frustration, they will win a huge prize.

7.0

I Carry You with Me

An epic love story spanning decades is sparked by a chance encounter between two men in provincial Mexico. Based on a true story, ambition and societal pressure propel an aspiring chef to leave his soulmate and make the treacherous journey to New York, where life will never be the same.