Norman Lear
Born 1922 · Age 103
American screenwriter, producer, political activist and philanthropist who created and produced groundbreaking television sitcoms (All in the Family, The Jeffersons, Maude, Sanford and Son, Good Times, One Day at a Time) and founded advocacy and cultural organizations.
Compare Your Trajectory
See how your career milestones stack up against Norman Lear and other industry leaders.
Life & Career Timeline
Heard antisemitic broadcasts that shaped lifelong activism
At age nine Lear heard Father Charles Coughlin on the radio, which he later cited as inspiring his lifelong devotion to democratic ideals and opposition to bigotry.
Won scholarship to Emerson College
Won a scholarship to Emerson College in an American Legion oratorical contest about the U.S. Constitution.
Graduated Weaver High School
Graduated from Weaver High School in Hartford, Connecticut.
Enlisted in U.S. Army Air Forces
Enlisted in September 1942 and served as a radio operator and gunner in B-17 bombers with the 772nd Bomb Squadron, 463rd Bomb Group.
Dropped out of Emerson College to enlist
Left Emerson College and enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces to serve in World War II.
Discharged from military
Discharged from the Army Air Forces after flying 52 combat missions; received the Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters.
Hired to write for Martin & Lewis / Colgate Comedy Hour
Three weeks before the duo's first Colgate Comedy Hour appearance Lear and partner Ed Simmons were hired to write for Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin; launched his TV writing career.
Major Martin & Lewis writing contract reported
1953 Billboard article reported Lear and Simmons were guaranteed $52,000 each to write five Martin & Lewis appearances.
Worked on Honestly, Celeste! and produced The Martha Raye Show
Enlisted as writer on Honestly, Celeste! and became a producer of NBC's The Martha Raye Show.
Wrote for The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show
Wrote opening monologues and material for The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show (which aired 1956–1961).
Founded Tandem Productions with Bud Yorkin
Co-founded Tandem Productions (Lear & Bud Yorkin), a production company that became central to Lear's TV and film output.
Created TV series The Deputy
Created his first television series, a half-hour western The Deputy for Revue Studios, starring Henry Fonda.
Film work: Come Blow Your Horn (producer/writer credit)
Expanded into feature films, including involvement with Come Blow Your Horn (1963).
Academy Award nomination for Divorce American Style
Wrote the screenplay for Divorce American Style; nominated for an Academy Award (Best Screenplay).
Piloted early versions of what became All in the Family
ABC rejected two pilots (Justice for All, 1968; Those Were the Days, 1969) for a blue-collar family sitcom before CBS picked it up.
Directed film Cold Turkey
Directed the feature film Cold Turkey (released 1971) starring Dick Van Dyke.
All in the Family premiered on CBS
All in the Family premiered January 12, 1971; later became the top-rated show and shifted the sitcom toward social and political issues.
Launched multiple hit sitcoms (Maude, Sanford and Son)
Maude and Sanford and Son premiered in 1972 (Maude spin-off from All in the Family; Sanford and Son adapted from British Steptoe and Son).
Primetime Emmy Awards (multiple early wins)
Won several Primetime Emmys in the early 1970s for All in the Family and related work; total career Emmys numbered six.
Good Times premiered
Good Times premiered (1974–1979), notable as a major show centered on an African-American family.
Founded T.A.T. Communications with Jerry Perenchio
Alongside Jerry Perenchio Lear co-founded T.A.T. Communications (1974), often associated with Tandem/T.A.T. production activities.
One Day at a Time and The Jeffersons premiered
One Day at a Time (1975–1984) and The Jeffersons (1975–1985, a spin-off of All in the Family) premiered.
Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman launched in first-run syndication
Placed Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman into first-run syndication in January 1976, initially on 128 stations.
Peabody Lifetime Achievement Award (first)
Honored with a Peabody Award (lifetime achievement, 1977) for contributions to television.
Eric Monte lawsuit settlement
Screenwriter Eric Monte sued Lear and others; Monte received a $1 million settlement, residuals on Good Times and 1% ownership of the show.
Put TV career on hold to address political activism
At the end of the 1970s Lear shifted focus toward mobilizing civic engagement and countering the growing influence of the Religious Right.
Hosted Quiz Kids revival
Began a 14-month run as host of a revival of Quiz Kids on the CBS Cable Network in fall 1981.
Founded People for the American Way
Founded the progressive advocacy organization to counter the political influence of the Christian right and defend First Amendment values (often cited as 1981).
Produced TV film 'The Wave' (1981)
T.A.T. produced the influential TV film The Wave about Ron Jones' social experiment (aired 1981).
T.A.T. Communications merged into Embassy
T.A.T. Communications (founded 1974 with Jerry Perenchio) merged with Avco Embassy and the combined entity was renamed Embassy Communications in January 1982.
Purchased Avco Embassy Pictures and formed Embassy Communications
With Jerry Perenchio bought Avco Embassy Pictures in January 1982; after merging with T.A.T. Communications the entity was renamed Embassy Communications.
Produced 'I Love Liberty' TV special
Produced the star-studded ABC special 'I Love Liberty' in March 1982 as a counterbalance to the Religious Right.
Inducted into Television Academy Hall of Fame
Named to the inaugural class of the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1984.
TV movie 'Heartsounds' aired
The television film Heartsounds aired on September 30, 1984 (Lear credited as part of TV productions list).
Divorce settlement with Frances Lear
Following separation in 1983 and divorce in 1985, Frances Loeb Lear received approximately $112 million from Norman Lear in the settlement.
Sold Embassy Communications to Columbia/Coca‑Cola
Lear and Jerry Perenchio sold Embassy's film and TV division to Columbia Pictures (then owned by Coca‑Cola) for $485 million in Coca‑Cola shares.
Founded Act III Communications
Founded Act III Communications (holding company for media interests) following the restructuring/sale of Embassy properties.
Executive producer credits on notable films
Act III and Lear were involved as presenters/executive producers on films later considered modern classics (e.g., This Is Spinal Tap, Stand By Me, The Princess Bride, Fried Green Tomatoes).
Married Lyn Davis
Married Lyn Davis (third wife) in 1987; she later became a documentary filmmaker and co-collaborator on civic projects.
Named Thomas B. McGrath president of Act III
Thomas B. McGrath became president and COO of Act III Communications in late 1987.
Formed Act III Television joint venture with Columbia
On February 2, 1989 Act III Communications and Columbia Pictures Television formed Act III Television to produce TV series.
Founded Business Enterprise Trust
Founded the Business Enterprise Trust (an educational program spotlighting social innovation in business); operated until 1998.
Published / operated business and trade publications
Act III purchased several business journals in the late 1980s; Channels magazine closed in 1990; Act III published Television Business International.
Produced Kids' WB series Channel Umptee-3
Produced Channel Umptee-3 (1997), notable as the first show to meet the FCC's then-new educational programming requirements.
Awarded National Medal of Arts
President Bill Clinton awarded Lear the National Medal of Arts in recognition of his impact on American culture.
Founded Norman Lear Center at USC Annenberg
Provided an endowment and helped establish the Norman Lear Center, a multidisciplinary research and public policy center studying entertainment and society.
Co-founded Environmental Media Association
Along with Lyn and others, co-founded or supported environmental/civic groups linked to the entertainment industry (EMA involvement often dated late 1980s/1990s).
Launched Declaration of Independence Road Trip
Organized a multi-year tour (2001–2004+) of the Dunlap broadside to museums, presidential libraries, the Olympics, Super Bowl XXXVI, and Live 8.
Purchased Dunlap broadside of the Declaration of Independence
Lear and his wife Lyn purchased one of the original Dunlap printings of the Declaration of Independence for $8.1 million to tour the nation.
Filmed dramatic reading of Declaration of Independence
Produced a filmed dramatic reading on July 4, 2001 at Independence Hall featuring numerous actors and introduced by Morgan Freeman and Kathy Bates.
Appeared on South Park and consulted on episodes
Voiced Benjamin Franklin in South Park episode 'I'm a Little Bit Country' and served as a creative consultant on episodes.
Founded Declare Yourself voter registration project
Established the nonpartisan Declare Yourself campaign to register 18–29-year-olds; credited with registering nearly 4 million young people.
Producers Guild Achievement Award in Television (renamed)
Received the Producers Guild of America's Achievement Award in Television (2006); the honor was renamed the Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television by 2007.
Published memoir 'Even This I Get to Experience'
Published his memoir in October 2014 (Penguin Press).
Peabody Lifetime Achievement Award (second)
Received a Peabody lifetime achievement award in 2016 recognizing his long cultural impact.
Documentary premiered at Sundance
Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You debuted as the opening-night film of the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.
Kennedy Center Honors recipient
Named a Kennedy Center Honoree in 2017; became the oldest recipient at age 95.
Executive producer of One Day at a Time reboot
Served as executive producer for the Netflix reboot of One Day at a Time (premiered 2017) centered on a Cuban-American family.
Launched podcast 'All of the Above with Norman Lear'
Began hosting a podcast on May 1, 2017 interviewing cultural figures and continuing civic commentary.
Sony honors and signed deal
Act III had a signed deal/first-look with Sony Pictures Television; Sony named the commissary and a building in his honor circa 2019.
Oldest Emmy recipient (LIVE In Front of a Studio Audience)
At age 97 he became the oldest recipient of an Emmy Award in 2019 for an installment of LIVE In Front of a Studio Audience.
Broke own record as oldest Emmy recipient
Won another Emmy in 2020 for LIVE In Front of a Studio Audience, beating his earlier record as oldest winner.
Executive producing revival projects
Announced as executive producer on projects including a revival of Who's the Boss? and reimagined Good Times and other development projects.
Received Golden Globe Carol Burnett Award
Awarded the Golden Globe's Carol Burnett Award for lifetime achievement in television in 2021.
Centennial celebrations and ABC special
100th birthday celebrated with an ABC special Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music and Laughter and many tributes.
Legacy: Produced/wrote/created over 100 shows
By the end of his life Lear had produced, written, created, or developed over 100 television shows and influenced generations of TV creators.
Died in Los Angeles
Died at his Los Angeles home on December 5, 2023 from cardiac arrest as a complication of heart failure; body cremated.
Key Achievement Ages
Explore what Norman Lear and others achieved at these notable ages:
Similar Trajectories
Mort Sahl
Born 1927 · Age 98
Canadian-born American comedian, actor and social satirist who pioneered improvised, newspaper-propped political stand-up and influenced generations of comics.
Hiroshi Yamauchi
Born 1927 · Age 98
Japanese businessman; third president of Nintendo (1949–2002) who transformed the company from a hanafuda playing-card maker into a global video-game giant; owner of the Seattle Mariners (1992–2013).
Catherine Ponder
Born 1927 · Age 98
American New Thought minister, founding minister of Unity Church Worldwide and prolific author focused on spiritual prosperity teachings.
Thich Nhat Hanh
Born 1926 · Age 99
Vietnamese Thiền (Zen) Buddhist monk, peace activist, prolific author and teacher; founder of the Plum Village tradition and a primary inspiration for engaged Buddhism and modern mindfulness in the West.
Zig Ziglar
Born 1926 · Age 99
American salesman, motivational speaker and author best known for his books and seminars (See You at the Top) and for founding Ziglar, Inc.
Louise Hay
Born 1926 · Age 99
American motivational author, speaker, publisher and AIDS advocate; author of You Can Heal Your Life and founder of Hay House and the Hay Foundation.