NORMAN LEAR

Norman Lear is a screenwriter and producer who was born in New Haven, Connecticut on July 27, 1922. He attended Emerson College before flying 52 combat missions over Europe during World War II. Upon his return, Lear began a successful career writing for television and producing programs in the 1950’s such as The Colgate Comedy Hour and The Martha Raye Show, ultimately leading to his iconic shows of the 1970s and ‘80s — All in the Family, Maude, Good Times, and The Jeffersons. In 2017, he served as executive producer to the critically acclaimed reimagining of his series One Day at a Time. In addition, Lear was a producer on the classic films Stand By Me (1986) and The Princess Bride (1987). He is a 2017 Kennedy Center Honoree; a recipient of the National Medal of Arts in 1999; the Peabody Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016; and is a member of the inaugural group of inductees to the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1984. He has won six Primetime Emmys and a Golden Globe. In 2021, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association awarded him the Carol Burnett Award for Achievement in Television. He received the National Medal of Arts in 1999.