Norman Lear

 That's the heart of it: My shows were not that controversial with the American people.

They were controversial with the people who think for the American people.

Norman Lear

Norman Milton Lear 

July 27, 1922 – December 5, 2023

I had the pleasure of meeting Norman Lear at a rally during the lad writers strike. He was heading to to podium to address the crowd. As he passed me I said, "You are my television hero". He stopped and turned to me and said, "Thank you for telling me right now". 

Norman Lear was an American screenwriter and producer who produced, wrote, created or developed over 100 shows. Lear created and produced numerous popular 1970s sitcoms, including All in the Family (1971–1979), Maude (1972–1978), Sanford and Son (1972–1977), One Day at a Time (1975–1984), The Jeffersons (1975–1985), and Good Times (1974–1979). His shows were credited with introducing political and social themes to the sitcom.

Lear was a World War II veteran who dropped out of college to fight fascism and considered himself an unabashedly patriotic American. “I am a patriot,” he wrote in a Washington Post op-ed published on his 99th birthday, “and I will not surrender that word to those who play to our worst impulses rather than our highest ideals.”

Norman Lear (top right) posing with fellow servicemembers during WWII.

Lear was fond of saying, “There’s not a single day that I don’t pick up the newspaper and think, ‘Thank God, we have People For the American Way.’” He was deeply troubled about the threat posed by authoritarianism, writing in a New York Times op ed published on his 100th birthday, “To be honest, I’m a bit worried that I may be in better shape than our democracy is.”

Good night Mr. Lear

Thank you for everything

Stay Tuned

Tony Figueroa