TV Icon Norman Lear Dead At 101
A look back at just some of his accomplishments and his life is above (a full obit is here). Most of his shows were before my time, but I of course knew them through reruns. I do remember watching Diff’rent Strokes in its last few seasons, but had no idea that Lear also produced movies like The Princess Bride and Fried Green Tomatoes. And even when he wasn’t directly creating programs, his production company was behind shows like 227 and The Facts Of Life. (His IMDB reads like a history of television.) Tonight, all of the broadcast networks (ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, CW) will pay tribute to Lear with an in memoriam card running at 8:00 PM.
Below, watch one of Lear’s last public messages, when he turned 101 over the summer. Most of us aren’t this coherent and thoughtful in our 40s. He lived a truly great life:
After just watching a group of writers and actors on both coasts wish me a happy birthday, I can’t help but think back to my very first WGA strike in 1960. It was a different America then and has me reflecting on all of the Americas I’ve known for 101 years. pic.twitter.com/Pr478QFYeO
— Norman Lear (@TheNormanLear) July 27, 2023
