Norman Lear
Biography
Norman Lear was an American screenwriter and producer whose television career spanned more than 70 years. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, he began as a comedy writer in the 1950s, penning sketches for Martin and Lewis and Rowan and Martin. He created his first series, the western The Deputy, in 1959. His breakthrough came with All in the Family, which premiered in 1971 and became the top-rated show for five years. He followed it with hit sitcoms including Sanford and Son, Maude, The Jeffersons, One Day at a Time, and Good Times. His shows were known for addressing social issues and were often shot on videotape before a live audience. He also wrote and produced the film Divorce American Style (1967) and directed Cold Turkey (1971). His honors included six Primetime Emmy Awards and two Peabody Awards, as well as the National Medal of Arts in 1999 and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2017. He died in 2023.
101years old at death
- Born New Haven
- Died Los Angeles
- Star sign: LeoThe sign runs July 23 to August 22
- Also credited as Norman Milton Lear
Movie Career
- Films
- 10
- Career span
- 60 years1963 to 2023
Genres
- Documentary70%, 7 films
- Comedy30%, 3 films
- Biography10%, 1 film
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First role
Lear created his first television series, the half-hour western The Deputy, for Revue Studios in 1959, with Henry Fonda starring.
Big break
Lear pitched ABC on a sitcom centered on a blue-collar American family. Two pilots, Justice for All in 1968 and Those Were the Days in 1969, were taped and turned down. A third pilot convinced CBS to pick up the show, All in the Family.
About the name
Lear's production company T.A.T. Communications, founded with Jerry Perenchio in 1974, took its name from the Yiddish phrase tuchus affen tisch, meaning putting one's ass on the line.
A first
Lear and Jim George produced Channel Umptee-3 for Kids' WB in 1997. The cartoon stood out as the first show to satisfy the Federal Communications Commission's newly introduced educational programming rules.
Behind the award
In 2017, Lear received the Woody Guthrie Prize from the Woody Guthrie Center, which honors an artist whose work reflects Woody Guthrie's spirit as a positive force for social change. Later that year, at 95, he was the oldest person to receive the Kennedy Center Honors.
Norman Lear movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
- Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons"2019as Self - host
IMDb rating 7.71.3K votes
Most often with
Andy Fisher and James Burrows directed two of these films together. Jimmy Kimmel appears in three of them, more than any other actor. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Jimmy Kimmel's page
Rob Reiner's page
Sean Hayes's page
Joan Darling's page
Andy FisherDirector, 2 films, 2019 to 2021
All films by Andy Fisher
All films by James Burrows
Awards
Ten awards and honors from 1973 to 2008, one of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emmy Awards | |||
| 1973 | Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series | All in the Family | Won |
| Other honors | |||
| 2008 | Marian Anderson Award | Won | |
| 1999 | Lucy Award | Won | |
| Air Medal | Won | ||
| Evelyn F. Burkey Award | Won | ||
| Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Award | Won | ||
| National Medal of Arts | Won | ||
| Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television | Won | ||
| Peabody Awards | Won | ||
| Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame | Honored | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.