Norman Milton Lear was born on the 27th July 1922, in New Haven, Connecticut, USA, into a Jewish family, with a Ukrainian mother. He is a television producer as well as writer, and in the 1970s he produced such well known sitcoms as “Sanford and Son” (1972 – 1977), “All in the Family” (1971 – 1979), “Good Times” (1974 – 1979), “One Day at a Time” (1975 – 1984) and others. Lear is also known as the founder of a progressive advocacy group People for the American Way, and unsurprisingly is also a supporter of progressive causes and First Amendment rights. Norman Lear has been accumulating his net worth since 1950.
How much is the net worth of Normal Lear? Reportedly, his wealth stands at $50 million, accumulated during a career now spanning almost 60 years in the entertainment industry.
Norman Lear Net Worth $50 Million
Lear studied at Emerson College in Boston, but he dropped out in 1942 to join the US Army Air Corps, being awarded the Air Medal and serving until 1945, flying 52 bombing missions. Then he worked as a scriptwriter for comedies, and later he became a film director, as well as writing and producing. In 1971, his film “Divorce American Style” (1967) was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Written American Comedy.
Lear’s extraordinary success really began when producing the television series which showed the life of a humble family of working class, based on the “Till Death Do Us Part” format which came from England. Until then, the majority of American sitcoms had shown only a model of an ideal family. Although the 1960s were very eventful, ABC and other broadcasters had persistently avoided sensitive issues. Lear produced two pilot episodes that ABC rejected. He established a third, which was bought by CBS, and the first episode was broadcast in January 1971. The series flourished in the summer, and “All in the Family” (1971 – 1972) climbed quickly to the top of the ratings. Lear’s net worth increased considerably from this production.
Lear’s second success was also based on a British series, this time “Steptoe and Son” from which “Sanford and Son” (1972 – 1977) evolved. Lear’s long-standing partner in the production was Bud Yorkin, the main producer of the series. However, their ways parted in 1975, at which point Lear founded the production company, Tandem / TAT, and which became one of the most successful independent TV production companies in the 1970s. Although the issues with which Lear’s programs dealt have become obsolete to some extent today, the series remain popular, and might be bought on DVD. Of course, this series also helped the rise of Norman’s net worth.
Since the early 1990s, Lear’s efforts to push further into the television industry often failed. Of course, the work on television still increased Norman Lear’s net worth steadily. More, he was recognised by critics and audiences, too. He won the Emmy Award three times, and in 1975 he was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Lear was also awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Bill Clinton in 1999.
Finally, in the personal life of the producer and writer, he has been married three times. In 1943, he married Charlotte Rosen who gave birth to their daughter Ellen Lear. However, the couple divorced after 10 years of marriage. In 1956, he married Frances Loeb, the publisher of Lear’s Magazine. They have two daughters together, but divorced in 1983, with Lear paying a $112 million divorce settlement. In 1987, Norman married the psychologist Lyn Lear who also gave birth to a son. In 1994, twins were born to surrogate.
