Norman Milton Lear (July 27, 1922 – December 5, 2023) was a legendary American television writer and producer who produced such 1970s sitcoms as All in the Family, Sanford and Son, The Jeffersons, Good Times, Maude. As a political activist, he founded the advocacy organization People for the American Way in 1981 and has supported First Amendment rights and progressive causes. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, to Enie/Jeanette (Sokolovsky) and Hyman "Herman" Lear, a traveling salesman. His grandparents were all Russian Jewish immigrants. Jeanette was the inspiration for the character Edith Bunker, and Herman for Archie Bunker. Lear won a one year-scholarship to Emerson College. He dropped out when news about Pearl Harbor struck, and decided to enroll in the United States Army. He was nineteen. In the army, Norman was a radio operator. He was discharged in 1945. Norman landed a press agent job but was not being paid well so decided to pursue another career. In 1954, he was a writer for the CBS sitcom, Honestly, Celeste! Lear then became the producer of NBC's The Martha Raye Show. In 1959, he created his first TV series with Roland Kibbee, The Deputy, on NBC, starring Henry Fonda. In 1967 his comedic writing career began. He wrote and produced the 1967 film, Divorce American Style, and directed the film, Cold Turkey, starring Dick Van Dyke. All In The Family came about when Lear read a British column on the show "Til Death Do Us Part", about a father and a son-in-law who fought about everything politically. He immediately knew it was just like him and his father. Lear tried to sell the "blue" collar sitcom to ABC, and two pilots were filmed and rejected. A third pilot was filmed, and CBS picked up the show. It premiered on January 12, 1971. When it was first aired, a big warning appeared on the screen stating none of the content being presented should be taken seriously and should only be seen for the purpose of hilarity. Next came Sanford And Son, along with creator Bud Yorkin, in 1972. It was inspired by British sitcom Steptoe and Son. In All In The Family, a guest-star named Bea Arthur appeared in an episode and in 1972 the first spin-off was formed called Maude, starring Arthur. A memorable episode from Maude which struck a degree of controversy was the abortion episode. A spin-off from Maude, Good Times, with the maid character played by Esther Rolle, premiered in 1974, dealing with issues like poverty, crime, welfare and life in low-income African-American housing areas. This wasn't the only sitcom to depict life for African-Americans: in 1975 The Jeffersons, another spin-off from All In The Family, followed. All In The Family received multiple Emmy awards. Good Times ran for five seasons till 1979, with multiple Golden Globe nominations. Maude ran for six seasons, till 1978, receiving multiple Emmy and Golden Globe wins and nominations. Sanford and Son ended in 1977 with a Golden Globe win and several Emmy nominations. All In The Family ended in 1979, after nine seasons. Next came another spin-off of the show called Archie Bunker's Place, with Caroll O'Connor and Danielle Brisebois. Archie Bunker's Place ended in 1983, and was his last successful television show. Lear made a comeback in 1990 with several short-lived shows, including Sunday Dinner and 704 Hauser.
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Biography from TMDB.
- July 27, 1922
- December 5, 2023 (aged 101)
- New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Producer, writer, actor and director
- 35 on MovieCove · 66 credits in all
What are Norman Lear's films like?
Across their 30 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Self.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 2 · Wry 2 · Earnest 20
Light 21 · Serious 2 · Dark 2
Grounded 17 · Stylized 6 · Heightened 2
Gentle 11 · Charged 13 · Intense 1
Steady 19 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 1
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 8 · Funny 10
Slow burn 16 · Even-paced 8 · Relentless 1
Casual 14 · Engaged 10 · Full focus 1
Easy watch 18 · Affecting 5 · Heavy 2
Resolved 23 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy11
- Bittersweet15
- Ambiguous1
- Cyclical2
- Other1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Norman Lear's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 22 of their 35 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (11).
- Chappelle's Show (2003) · writer · free
- Jack & Bobby (2004) · actor · free
- Good Times (1974) · producer · free
- I Carry You with Me (2020) · producer · free
- The Jeffersons (1975) · creator · free
- Cold Turkey (1971) · actor, director, writer, producer · free
- Square Pegs (1982) · producer · free
- Maude (1972) · producer · free
- The Facts of Life (1979) · creator · free
- One Day at a Time (1975) · producer · free
- Archie Bunker's Place (1979) · creator · free
Subscription and free streaming for Norman Lear's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
66 credits, 35 with a MovieCove page; 54 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Boots(2025)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all shows
Before We Forget(2024)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Clean Slate(2025)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all shows
Good Times(2024)
Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all shows
I Got a Monster(2023)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
I Carry You with Me(2020)
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
History of the Sitcom(2021)
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
One Day at a Time(2017)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows
Playing for Change 3 - Songs Around the World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
A Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
Jack & Bobby(2004)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all showsTV Revolution (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
Way Past Cool (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)
Chappelle's Show(2003)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows
Channel Umptee-3 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
South Park(1997)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows
E! True Hollywood Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
704 Hauser (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)
The Powers That Be (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
Fried Green Tomatoes(1991)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
Sunday Dinner (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
All in the Family: 20th Anniversary Special (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
The Simpsons(1989)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows
The Princess Bride(1987)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Heartsounds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)
P.O.P. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)
a.k.a. Pablo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)
I Love Liberty(1982)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
Square Pegs(1982)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows
Palmerstown, U.S.A. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
Archie Bunker's Place(1979)
Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all shows
The Facts of Life(1979)
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all showsHanging In (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
Apple Pie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
America 2-Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
A Different Approach (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
A Year at the Top (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
Fernwood 2 Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
All That Glitters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
The Nancy Walker Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
All's Fair (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
One Day at a Time(1975)
Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all shows
Hot l Baltimore (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)
The Jeffersons(1975)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all shows
Good Times(1974)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films
Maude(1972)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all shows
Sanford and Son (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)
Cold Turkey(1971)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
All in the Family(1971)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films
Divorce American Style(1967)
Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films
Never Too Late (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
Come Blow Your Horn(1963)
Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films
The Deputy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
Scared Stiff(1953)
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
The Colgate Comedy Hour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)
Justice for All (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Those Were the Days (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 64 titles, 62 of them dated from 1950 to 2025.
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
Awards
6 Primetime Emmys, a Golden Globe and 5 other major awards from 26 major nominations, 1968–2022.
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Variety Special (Live)
- Golden Globe, won
- Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Variety Special (Live)
- Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Variety Special (Live)
- Writers Guild Award, won
- Producers Guild Award, won
- Writers Guild Award, won
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Informational Special
Show 10 earlier yearsShow fewer
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Drama/Comedy Special
- Writers Guild Award, won · Variety, Musical or Comedy
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program
- Writers Guild Award, won
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Comedy Series
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Special Classification of Outstanding Program and Individual Achievement
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Comedy Series
- Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Comedy Series
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Comedy Series
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding New Series
- Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Series - Comedy
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Single Program - Drama or Comedy
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Writing Achievement in Comedy
- Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding New Series
- Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Series - Comedy
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Writing Achievement in Comedy
- Oscar, nominated · Best Writing, Story and Screenplay - Written Directly for the Screen
+1 other major body · 1 nomination
- Writers Guild Award, nominated · Best Written American Comedy
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do Norman Lear's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 72nd percentile, the median of all 18; across their 25 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 82nd percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up17
- 50th to 74th9
- 25th to 49th7
- Below 25th2
Shape of the crowd
12 of their 35 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved8
- Divisive2
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser12
- Broadly Agreed2
- Mixed10
Reviewers score the dialogue 65/100 and the plot and story 51/100 in their films, across 18 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Norman Lear's work okay for kids?
Across up to 5 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity runs heavier than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Norman Lear work with?
People who share at least 2 of Norman Lear's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Brent Miller shares the most, 11.
Directors
- Bud YorkinShared titles: I Love Liberty (1982), Cold Turkey (1971), Start the Revolution Without Me (1970), Divorce American Style (1967), Come Blow Your Horn (1963)See all 5 shared titles with Bud Yorkin
- Andy FisherShared titles: Live in Front of a Studio Audience: 'The Facts of Life' and 'Diff'rent Strokes' (2021), Live in Front of a Studio Audience: 'All in the Family' and 'Good Times' (2019), Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's 'All in the Family' and 'The Jeffersons' (2019)See all 3 shared titles with Andy Fisher
- James BurrowsShared titles: Live in Front of a Studio Audience: 'The Facts of Life' and 'Diff'rent Strokes' (2021), Live in Front of a Studio Audience: 'All in the Family' and 'Good Times' (2019), Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's 'All in the Family' and 'The Jeffersons' (2019)See all 3 shared titles with James Burrows
Actors
- Jimmy KimmelShared titles: Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music & Laughter (2022), Live in Front of a Studio Audience: 'The Facts of Life' and 'Diff'rent Strokes' (2021), The Super Bob Einstein Movie (2021), Live in Front of a Studio Audience: 'All in the Family' and 'Good Times' (2019), Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's 'All in the Family' and 'The Jeffersons' (2019)See all 5 shared titles with Jimmy Kimmel
- Laverne CoxShared titles: Clean Slate (2025), Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music & Laughter (2022)See all 2 shared titles with Laverne Cox
- Jay PharoahShared titles: Good Times (2024), Live in Front of a Studio Audience: 'All in the Family' and 'Good Times' (2019)See all 2 shared titles with Jay Pharoah
- Asante BlackkShared titles: Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music & Laughter (2022), Live in Front of a Studio Audience: 'All in the Family' and 'Good Times' (2019)See all 2 shared titles with Asante Blackk
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Aaron DrakeShared titles: Live in Front of a Studio Audience: 'The Facts of Life' and 'Diff'rent Strokes' (2021), Live in Front of a Studio Audience: 'All in the Family' and 'Good Times' (2019), Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's 'All in the Family' and 'The Jeffersons' (2019)See all 3 shared titles with Aaron Drake
- Gary BaumShared titles: Live in Front of a Studio Audience: 'The Facts of Life' and 'Diff'rent Strokes' (2021), Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's 'All in the Family' and 'The Jeffersons' (2019)See all 2 shared titles with Gary Baum
- Tom ScottShared titles: The Super Bob Einstein Movie (2021), Square Pegs (1982)See all 2 shared titles with Tom Scott
- Ferris WebsterShared titles: Start the Revolution Without Me (1970), Divorce American Style (1967)See all 2 shared titles with Ferris Webster
Producers
- Brent MillerShared titles: Boots (2025), Clean Slate (2025), Before We Forget (2024), Good Times (2024), I Got a Monster (2023), Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music & Laughter (2022), Live in Front of a Studio Audience: 'The Facts of Life' and 'Diff'rent Strokes' (2021), Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It (2021), I Carry You with Me (2020), Live in Front of a Studio Audience: 'All in the Family' and 'Good Times' (2019), Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's 'All in the Family' and 'The Jeffersons' (2019)See all 11 shared titles with Brent Miller
- Eric CookShared titles: Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music & Laughter (2022), Live in Front of a Studio Audience: 'The Facts of Life' and 'Diff'rent Strokes' (2021), Live in Front of a Studio Audience: 'All in the Family' and 'Good Times' (2019), Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's 'All in the Family' and 'The Jeffersons' (2019)See all 4 shared titles with Eric Cook
- Justin TherouxShared titles: Live in Front of a Studio Audience: 'The Facts of Life' and 'Diff'rent Strokes' (2021), Live in Front of a Studio Audience: 'All in the Family' and 'Good Times' (2019), Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's 'All in the Family' and 'The Jeffersons' (2019)See all 3 shared titles with Justin Theroux
- Will FerrellShared titles: Live in Front of a Studio Audience: 'The Facts of Life' and 'Diff'rent Strokes' (2021), Live in Front of a Studio Audience: 'All in the Family' and 'Good Times' (2019), Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's 'All in the Family' and 'The Jeffersons' (2019)See all 3 shared titles with Will Ferrell
