Norman Lear's illustrious career in television and film has been intertwined with his passion for political and social activism, as well as his dedication to philanthropy. Born in 1922 in New Haven, Connecticut, Lear's early life was marked by his service in World War II, where he flew 52 combat missions over Europe.
Following his military service, Lear began his television career, and it was during this period that he created some of his most iconic shows. The 1970s and 1980s saw the rise of his classic series, including All in the Family, Maude, Good Times, The Jeffersons, Sanford and Son, and Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, among others. These shows collectively reached as many as 120 million viewers per week, transforming the American cultural landscape and bringing social and political issues into the hearts of American homes.
However, with the emergence of the radical religious right in the 1980s, Lear temporarily put his career on hold to found People For the American Way, a nonprofit organization dedicated to defending all aspects of the First Amendment. This organization remains a relevant and effective force to this day.
Throughout his career, Lear has received numerous accolades and awards, including being one of the first seven television pioneers to be inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1984. In 1999, President Clinton presented Lear with the National Medal of Arts, praising him for holding up a mirror to American society and changing the way Americans view it.
Lear's memoir, Even This I Get to Experience, was published in 2014, and the 2016 documentary Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You received an Emmy nomination as the representative program for the PBS American Masters series. In 2017, Lear received a Peabody Lifetime Achievement Award and was a Kennedy Center Honoree.
In his personal life, Lear has been married to Lyn Davis Lear and is the father of six and the grandfather of four.
