By achiu
5:42am PST, Dec 6, 2023
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Norman Lear — the television pioneer who's produced, written, created or developed more than 100 shows including the '70s classic sitcoms "All in the Family," "Maude," "Sanford and Son," "One Day at a Time," "The Jeffersons" and "Good Times" — died on Dec. 5 at 101.
During his decades in the industry, he also earned the unofficial title of Mr. Popularity in Hollywood, having rubbed shoulders with (and kissed the cheeks of) acting legends, up-and-coming singers and everyone in between.
Join Wonderwall.com as we celebrate his legacy with a look back at some of his most famous friends…
Keep reading to see how everybody who's anybody in Hollywood loved Norman…
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George Clooney long sang the praises of his fellow entertainment icon-political activist. George narrated a short biopic about Norman Lear when he won a 2017 Kennedy Center Honor, saying his pal "made television accountable and changed its role in our culture forever" and calling him "a patriot, a family man, our friend and one of the most influential producers of our time." George (pictured with Norman at People for the American Way's Spirit of Liberty Awards in Los Angeles in September 2005) also spoke about the producer in the 2016 documentary "Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You."
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Robin Williams shared a moment with Norman Lear at a New York City benefit for People for the American Way in October 1985. The producer founded the progressive advocacy group in 1980 to challenge the Christian right agenda of the '80s political organization Moral Majority; it has remained a favorite of Hollywood heavyweights who lend their star power to efforts ranging from fundraising for liberal causes to encouraging young people to vote.
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Two of the industry's most talented ladies, Reese Witherspoon and Kirsten Dunst, flanked Norman at an event for Declare Yourself, a nonprofit campaign he founded to inspire young adults to participate in the election process, in March 2004.
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Norman Lear hung with the late, great Bea Arthur (the star of his hit sitcom "Maude") and actor Paul Rodriguez of the short-lived ABC series "a.k.a. Pablo" in 1984.
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Norman Lear hung with Oscar-winning actor and director Robert Redford and comic legend Chevy Chase at a Sundance Gala in New York City in October 2008. Eight years later, the Sundance founder had high praise for Norman when he honored the multi-hyphenate at his annual film festival. "He brought humanity, edge, humor and vulnerability into the mainstream," Robert told the crowd, "and we owe him a great debt for that."
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Norman Lear shared a laugh with "All in the Family" stars Jean Stapleton and Sally Struthers at a 1978 party for the groundbreaking CBS show's cast at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., where Archie Bunker's famous armchair still sits on display in the National Museum of American History.
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Viola Davis cozied up to honoree Norman Lear at the annual Rape Treatment Center Brunch fundraiser in Beverly Hills in October 2012. The Oscar winner played Florida Evans, the role immortalized by Esther Rolle, in a 2019 live staging of Norman's hit '70s sitcom "Good Times."
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Norman Lear planted one on Kathleen Turner at the Spirit of Liberty Awards in New York City in November 1996. When asked whom she admires in a 2021 Netflix interview, the "Kominsky Method" actress named Norman — along with Michelle Obama and Eleanor Roosevelt.
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When the Nanny met the Producer! Fran Drescher and Norman Lear hung at the Casting Society's annual Artios Awards in October 1991.
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"All in the Family" star Carroll O'Connor played cantankerous Archie Bunker after Norman Lear created the seminal sitcom, which premiered in January 1971. While ratings initially were lackluster, the show won several Emmys the following year and became the top-rated show on TV for the next five years.
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Kerry Washington played Helen Willis, half of the first interracial couple featured on American primetime TV, in a 2019 live special that re-created episodes of two iconic Norman Lear sitcoms, "All in the Family" and its spinoff "The Jeffersons." The pair are pictured together two years earlier at the Writers Guild Awards in Beverly Hills in February 2017.
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Norman Lear's pet cause was getting young people to vote, and he found a kindred spirit in up-and-comer Jake Gyllenhaal at Declare Yourself's "Hollywood Celebrates Democracy" event in March 2004.
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Makin' Whoopi… smile! Norman Lear embraced pal Whoopi Goldberg at New York City's 92nd Street Y in October 2014.
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Norman Lear, who purchased one of the first published copies of the U.S. Declaration of Independence for $8.1 million in 2001 and took it on a tour so the country could experience its "birth certificate" firsthand, later co-produced a filmed dramatic reading of the document on July 4, 2001, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. The film, with readers including Winona Ryder, Michael Douglas, Renee Zellweger and Mel Gibson, was introduced by acting icon Morgan Freeman (seen here with him in New York City in September 2003).
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Norman Lear and Christina Aguilera hung at a Declare Yourself voter registration launch in front of the singer's billboard in Los Angeles in September 2004.
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Norman Lear reunited with Rob Reiner (who played Meathead on "All in the Family" before becoming a successful director) and his dad, comedy legend Carl Reiner, at the Hollywood hand and footprint ceremony for the famous father and son in April 2017.
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"V" is for vote! Rosario Dawson and Norman Lear flashed hand signals at the Voto Latino Action Awards in Hollywood in November 2007.
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Everybody knows Norman Lear's name… including former "Cheers" star Ted Danson, who hung with the prolific renaissance man at a charity event in Los Angeles's Pacific Palisades neighborhood in October 2008.
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Jimmy Smits and Norman Lear both got a piece of the award named for the producer at the Imagen Awards — which recognize those who encourage positive portrayals of Latinos in the entertainment industry — in Los Angeles in August 2006.
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Norman Lear wrapped a protective arm around former first lady Nancy Reagan at a John Wayne Cancer Institute benefit in Beverly Hills in April 2006.
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Are they greeting each other or getting ready to arm wrestle? Norman Lear and Sylvester Stallone locked fists at a party for producer and movie executive Mike Medavoy's birthday in Los Angeles's Bel Air neighborhood in January 2008.
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When Norman Lear says something funny, you just can't stop the feeling! Justin Timberlake shared a laugh with the producer at a Beverly Hills party for Norman's Declare Yourself nonprofit campaign in September 2007.
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Norman Lear was a happy-looking third wheel as then-first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and ABC anchor Diane Sawyer exchanged stories from their college days at a November 1993 event.
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Norman Lear surrounded himself with socially conscious — and beautiful — stars Gabrielle Union and Amber Tamblyn at a Declare Yourself event in Beverly Hills in March 2004.
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Norman Lear presented Warren Beatty (pictured with wife Annette Bening) with the Eleanor Roosevelt Award at a Southern California Americans for Democratic Action gala in September 1999.
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Norman Lear cozied up to Kristen Bell at Declare Yourself's "Hollywood Turns 18" party in September 2007.
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Normal Lear has always supported a multitude of causes, including the Los Angeles Rape Foundation. He rubbed shoulders with "Friends" star David Schwimmer at the organization's annual brunch in Beverly Hills in October 2005.
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Winners' toast! Norman Lear and Alan Alda clinked Emmy awards after receiving the Special Founders trophies in New York City in November 2012.
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Iron Man, meet Mr. Hollywood! Robert Downey Jr. and Norman Lear caught up at the Los Angeles premiere of "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" in December 2011.
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Norman Lear added podcaster to his lengthy resume in 2017, chatting with famous folks ranging from Carol Burnett and Sean Penn to Rob Reiner and Judd Apatow (plus America Ferrara, pictured here with him at a 2016 premiere) on "All of the Above With Norman Lear."
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Who knew he was a Harry Potter fan? Norman Lear hung with Daniel Radcliffe backstage at the hit Broadway musical "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" in New York City in March 2011.
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Norman Lear and Bob Saget were mutual admirers. The TV visionary interviewed the "Full House" star-turned-stand-up comedian on his podcast, "All of the Above with Norman Lear," in July 2018 (the same month the two both attended the AARP TV for Grownups honors in Los Angeles, pictured here). The day after Bob's sudden death on Jan. 9, 2022, Norman tweeted: "Bob Saget was as lovely a human as he was funny. And to my mind, he was hilarious. We were close friends and I could not have loved him more."
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Despite their differences in political affiliations (Norman Lear is an avowed Democrat, while Arnold Schwarzenegger was the Republican governor of California), the two looked happy to catch up at the Glad Food Protection Products Food Fairy Tales gala in Burbank, California, in October 2014.
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Triple threat! Comedy legends Norman Lear and Carl Reiner were on hand to attend pal Mel Brooks' hand and footprint ceremony at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood in September 2014.
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Norman Lear and Amy Poehler — who appeared on his podcast in May 2017 — hung out together two years earlier, in April 2015, at the premiere of "Adult Beginners" in Hollywood.
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Anne Hathaway was all smiles hanging with Norman Lear at the AFI Awards in Los Angeles in January 2015.
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Norman Lear celebrated the 40th anniversary of the barrier-breaking sitcom "The Jeffersons" at Morehouse College in Atlanta in November 2015 with events including a book signing and a party with the likes of Usher.
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Norman Lear was in good company with fellow TV legend Garry Marshall — who created hits like "Happy Days," "Laverne and Shirley" and "Mork and Mindy" — and "Full House" hottie John Stamos at the TV Land Icon Awards in Santa Monica, California, in April 2016.
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Mackenzie Phillips has maintained a deep bond with Norman Lear ever since he created the '70s sitcom "One Day at a Time" and cast her as Julie Cooper. So deep, he attended a milestone birthday party of hers in 2019! "I've known him since I was 15. And I just turned 60. And he was at my party," Mackenzie (pictured with Norman at the premiere of Netflix's "One Day At A Time" reboot in Hollywood in December 2016) told Closer Weekly in 2019. "I was so moved."
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Lena Dunham went into fangirl mode with Norman Lear during a Cinema Cafe chat with him at the Sundance Film Festival in 2016. During her conversation with the writer-producer-activist, the "Girls" star at one point joked, "I literally was already planning a text to my business partner that was like, 'Let's just marry Norman Lear and run away,'" before adding, "I know he is in a committed relationship. I respect that. I am not looking for too much. I just think it would be a nice life for us."
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Norman Lear, who supported comedy legend Carol Burnett as they presented the award for outstanding comedy series at the 2017 Emmys (pictured), took home the Carol Burnett Award at the Golden Globes in 2021 — at 98 years young.
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Norman Lear chatted with Outkast's Andre 3000 next to the TV producer's rare copy of the U.S. Declaration of Independence in July 2004 while it was on a multi-year road trip so that Americans — including celebs! — could experience the country's "birth certificate" firsthand.
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Actors, singers, leaders of the free world… another day meant another accolade from a famous friend when Norman Lear received the National Medal of Arts and Humanities Award from then-President Bill Clinton in Washington, D.C., while first lady Hillary Clinton looked on in September 1999.
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Norman Lear hung with two of Hollywood's most civically minded — and hottest — stars, Leonardo DiCaprio and Ben Affleck, along with wife Lyn Lear and grandson Ben Lear at the Democratic National Convention in Boston in July 2004.
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Dyn-o-mite! Jimmie Walker shot to fame as Jimmie "J.J." Evans on Norman Lear's '70s hit "Good Times," the first Black two-parent family sitcom on American TV. The duo caught up decades later at AARP's TV for Grownups honors in Los Angeles in July 2018.
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Four years after Norman Lear chatted with Lin-Manuel Miranda at the 2017 Imagen Awards (pictured), the pair's documentary on "West Side Story" star Rita Moreno premiered in 2021. "Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It" was produced by both men and featured interviews with the actress herself along with stars including the "Hamilton" creator, Gloria Estefan, Morgan Freeman, Whoopi Goldberg, Eva Longoria and Chita Rivera. Keep reading to see the grand red carpet entrance Norman made with Rita in 2018…
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Rita Moreno — who buzzed down the red carpet on a scooter with Norman Lear at the Golden Globe Awards in January 2018 — played the family matriarch in the Latinx reimagining of his '70s sitcom "One Day at a Time," which debuted in 2017 and ran for four seasons.
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Norman Lear looked like the new member of a hot new rap trio when he got together with Andre 3000 and LL Cool J at Declare Yourself's "Hollywood Celebrates Democracy" event in March 2004.
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Michael Douglas (pictured with Norman Lear at a Netflix Emmy nominee party in 2018) was one of the Hollywood heavyweights who took part in a reading of the Declaration of Independence as part of the American tour of the producer's rare original copy of the document.
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Always seeking to persuade young people to get to the voting booths, Norman Lear enlisted former child star Drew Barrymore, seen here with him announcing the National Youth Voter Empowerment Campaign at Washington University in Washington, D.C., in November 2003.
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Sean Hayes starred in the 2019 live staging of Norman Lear's "All in the Family" — and in October 2018, he and his "Will and Grace" co-stars Megan Mullally, Debra Messing and Eric McCormack joined Norman on the red carpet at the GLSEN Respect Awards.
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Odd man out! TV and movie man Norman Lear appeared to be caught in the middle of a spirited discussion between music men Lionel Richie and LL Cool J — fellow recipients of Kennedy Center Honors in 2017 — at a dinner hosted by then-U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C.
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Norman Lear and Jimmy Kimmel teamed up to bring some of Norman's classic sitcoms back to life, in star-studded fashion, on ABC's "Live in Front of a Studio Audience" — a series of specials that Jimmy conceptualized and both men executive produced. The three shows that have aired included episodes of "All in the Family" (with Woody Harrelson as Archie Bunker), "The Jeffersons" (Jamie Foxx played George Jefferson), "Good Times" (with Jay Pharoah as J.J.), "Facts of Life" and "Diff'rent Strokes" (which featured a slew of stars like Kevin Hart, John Lithgow, Damon Wayans, Jennifer Aniston and Gabrielle Union). Keep reading to see one of the OG stars who made a cameo on "Facts of Life"…
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Norman Lear's company, Tandem, produced the '80s sitcoms "Facts of Life" and its spinoff "Diff'rent Strokes" — and both shows got the "Live In Front of a Studio Audience" treatment in December 2021. Jennifer Aniston, Kathryn Hahn, Gabrielle Union and Allison Tolman played Blair, Jo, Tootie and Natalie from "Facts of Life." After the show ended, Norman planted a big one on the original Tootie, actress Kim Fields, who made a cameo on the star-studded production.
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Marisa Tomei called Norman Lear "our North Star" when he won the third-ever Carol Burnett Award at the Golden Globes in 2021. Marisa played shrill but lovable Edith Bunker in the "Live In Front of a Studio Audience" version of "All in the Family."
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Norman Lear hung with fellow civic-minded celeb Susan Sarandon at the People for the American Way Foundation Awards in Washington, D.C., in December 2004.
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Where is the love? It's right there between will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas and Norman Lear, who gave each other the thumbs-up at New York City's Tribeca Film Festival in May 2004.
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At a 30th anniversary celebration for Norman Lear's progressive advocacy organization People For The American Way, Alec Baldwin shared the secret of his success with the audience: "It has taken me 30 years to learn that it's who your co-star is. And I'm a genius," he said at the June 2011 event. "I piggybacked onto the great Norman Lear." At the same event, actor Ed Begley Jr. introduced Alec (pictured with his mentor at a New York City fundraiser in October 2008) by proclaiming, "No one infuriates the right wing more than this man… except Norman Lear."
