He was a renaissance man in television in the 70's, but Norman Lear had already made his mark elsewhere.
Lear served in the Air Force in World War II, and flew over 50 missions in the Mediteranean theater. After that, and after a stint as a salesman, Lear began his comedy career writing a simple 7 minute skit for Danny Thomas that caught the attention of agent--and later, producer---David Susskind, which led to gigs writing for Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis, Martha Raye, George Gobel, and others.
Turning to television, Lear co-created the Western, The Deputy, with Henry Fonda as its star, though Allen Case had the lead role. It lasted two seasons, but it was the beginning of a prolific career as a writer & producer of television.
In 1971, Lear adapted the British comedy, 'Til Death do us Part, into the smash hit series, All in The Family, which ran for 9 seasons before morphing into Archie Bunker's Place for another four. Family also spun off a whole family tree of sitcoms that, in turn, also led to spin-offs. Maude, for example, begat Good Times. The Jeffersons led to a short-lived series for Marla Gibbs' character, Florence, in Checking In, which lasted a month. Over at NBC, Sanford & Son, adapted from another British series, Steptoe & Son, begat the short-lived Grady. When Redd Foxx left for ABC and a short-lived variety series, Sanford & Son became The Sanford Arms, but that, too, failed.
There were the clunkers, too, but Lear balanced it out by writing for movies. His scripts led to "Come Blow Your Horn", "Divorce, American Style", and Dick Van Dyke's 1971 opus, "Cold Turkey". Lear produced a pair of films directed by former Family co-star Rob Reiner, "The Princess Bride" (1987) & "Stand by Me" (1986), and also produced 1991's "Fried Green Tomatoes".
With the Moral Majority gaining power in Washington, Lear founded People For The American Way as a counter, which led to his being condemned by Moral Majority founder Jerry Falwell as an enemy of the people, which he was not. Falwell and others like him had been corrupted by the temptations of political power.
Lear was awarded a Kennedy Center Honor in 2017, but threatened to boycott the event if then-president Donald Trump attended. Trump passed, so Lear accepted his award in person.
Norman Lear passed away on Tuesday at 101, a long, full life completed. Rest in peace.
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