- Norman Lear was a Hollywood icon and legend
- He was responsible for countless TV classics
- He was passed on at the age of 101
The entertainment world is no stranger to the dizzying highs and crushing lows of showbiz, and no one knows this better than the legendary TV producer Norman Lear, age 99. His profession: television writer and producer. With a career that's had more twists and turns than a Hollywood thriller, Lear's journey is a testament to the relentless spirit of Tinseltown's finest!
The hot streak that cooled off
"Thank you for the moving outpouring of love and support in honor of our wonderful husband, father, and grandfather," Lear’s family said in a statement.
"Norman lived a life of creativity, tenacity, and empathy. 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."
Lear, the mastermind behind the groundbreaking '70s sitcom 'All in the Family,' experienced a hot streak that would make any producer green with envy.
But even legends face their flops, and in 1975, Lear's 'Hot L Baltimore' checked out of ABC after just 13 weeks. The sitcom, set in a dilapidated hotel and based on Lanford Wilson's play, couldn't secure its reservation in the hearts of viewers.
Lear had already established himself as a top comedy writer and captured a 1968 Oscar nomination for his screenplay for 'Divorce American Style' when he concocted the idea for a new sitcom, based on a popular British show, about a conservative, outspokenly bigoted working-class man and his fractious Queens family.
'All in the Family' became an immediate hit, seemingly with viewers of all political persuasions. Following a few more short-lived shows, Lear's winning streak had fizzled out by the mid-1980s. His later projects, like '704 Hauser' (1994), which featured a Black family in Archie Bunker's old digs, barely had time to warm up the airwaves before getting the axe.
The comeback kid
But you can't keep a good man down! Lear kept his fingers on the pulse of television, even lending his genius to a few episodes of 'South Park' in 2003, the animated series that pushed boundaries just as 'All in the Family' did in its heyday. Fun fact: "Eric Cartman," the show's notorious rabble-rouser, owes a bit of his DNA to Archie Bunker!
Despite a wrestling series body-slammed by HBO and a retirees' show, 'Guess Who Died?', that couldn't find its audience, Lear never lost his mojo. In 2017, Netflix rolled out the red carpet for his 'One Day at a Time' reboot, celebrating a Latino family and earning rave reviews for three seasons.
Fast forward to 2021, and Lear, at 99, was still in the game! TBS announced a 'Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman' reboot with Emily Hampshire, proving that age is just a number when it comes to creativity.
And let's not forget the animated 'Good Times,' a 'Who's the Boss?' revival, and a sitcom with Laverne Cox and George Wallace about a family embracing change.
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Here is what we know
What a legend!
Another sad loss
Lear's partnership with Jimmy Kimmel even brought live recreations of 'All in the Family' and 'The Jeffersons' to our screens, with Woody Harrelson and Jamie Foxx stepping into iconic shoes. Talk about a blast from the past!
He also founded the Norman Lear Center at the University of Southern California to explore the relationship between entertainment, commerce and society. In 2014, he published the memoir 'Even This I Get to Experience.' Married three times, Lear is survived by his third wife Lyn Davis, six children and four grandchildren.
So, here's to Norman Lear, the indefatigable icon whose rollercoaster career is a masterclass in resilience and reinvention. The man may have faced flops, but his legacy is an unending series of television triumphs!
