Lear, Norman

Lear, Norman (Milton)

(born July 27, 1922, New Haven, Conn., U.S.) U.S. producer, writer, and director. He first worked in public relations and later in television as a comedy writer and director (1950–59). He wrote and produced movies such as Come Blow Your Horn (1963), Divorce American Style (1967), and Cold Turkey (1971) before returning to television to create and produce hit series such as All in the Family (1971–83), for which he received four Emmy Awards; Maude (1972–78); Sanford and Son (1972–77); and The Jeffersons (1975–85). He founded the progressive activist group People for the American Way.

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Lear, Norman (Milton) (1922–  ) television producer; born in New Haven, Conn. After spending only one year at Emerson College in Boston, he launched a television writing career in 1950 on The Ford Star Review. In 1959 he formed Tandem Productions with Bud Yorkin, producing a series of successful movies as well as popular television shows. All in the Family, which was derived from a British television program but drew on memories of his father, was televised from 1971 to 1983; it focused on a bigoted blue-collar worker named Archie Bunker; his wife Edith, whom he called "dingbat"; his daughter Gloria; and his liberal son-in-law, Mike Stivic. It was a multiple Emmy winner and the most popular sitcom of its time. Other of his television hits include Sanford and Son, Maude, Good Times, and The Jeffersons. His syndicated soap opera satire Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (1976–77) developed a cult following. He broke new television ground by introducing substantive issues, controversy, and strong language to sitcoms. An outspoken liberal, he dedicated some of his immense earnings to founding People for the American Way (1981), a group that sponsors mailings, advertisements, and other outlets to combat what it regards as threats from the extreme Right.