On Sept.15, 2020, Norman Lear made television history at the age of 98.
The legendary television writer and producer became the oldest Primetime Emmy Award winner after Live In Front of a Studio Audience: ‘All in the Family’ And ‘Good Times,’ won the Emmy for Outstanding Variety Special (Live) during the second night of the virtual Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
Lear was 98 years and 50 days old when he received the award, according to Guinness World Records. The win also allowed him to break a record he had set only one year earlier.
In 2019, Lear became the oldest Emmy winner at age 97 after winning the same category for Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s ‘All in the Family’ And ‘The Jeffersons.’ His 2020 victory pushed the record even further.
Norman Lear attends the Declare Yourself Hollywood Turns 18 party at the Beverly Hills Cultural Arts Center on Sept. 27, 2007 in Beverly Hills, California.Photo by Chris Polk/FilmMagic
The award was another major moment in a television career that had already lasted for decades. Lear had created some of the most well-known sitcoms in American television, including All in the Family, Maude, The Jeffersons, Good Times, Sanford and Son and One Day at a Time.
Norman Lear’s Historic Emmy Win in 2020
The 2020 Emmy win came during a special time for television. The Creative Arts Emmy Awards were held virtually because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lear was recognized for the live television special that brought stars together to perform scenes from classic sitcoms he helped create. The special featured All in the Family and Good Times, two shows connected to Lear’s long television career.
At the time, Lear was already 98 years old. Yet he remained active in television and continued working on new projects.
His Emmy record was not the only milestone surrounding his 98th birthday. Lear turned 98 on July 27, 2020, and spent the day in Vermont with his family, including his six children and four grandchildren.
On his birthday, Lear shared a message about gratitude.
“My morning thought on my 98th birthday is where can I go out and dig a mind deep enough for the gratitude I feel, or how high can I fly to reach a place that meets the deepest amount of gratitude I feel?” he said. “If you’re watching this this long, I’m grateful to you for that, too. And my morning thought is … each man is my superior, each woman also my superior, in that I may learn from him and her.”
Just days later, Lear spoke about getting older and the passing of time.
“Good morning! So this is the day after my 98th birthday,” he began. “It was my birthday yesterday. I’m into my 99th year, and it feels remarkably like my 98th year, which felt remarkably like my 89th year. I don’t know, it’s all the same.”
Lear also talked about being closer to saying goodbye to the people he loved.
“I can’t help, however, realizing I’m closer to that time when goodbyes are in order, I realize I’m not concerned about the going, I just don’t like the leaving,” he admitted. “And yesterday so solidified that, because I was with all my six kids and grandkids, and surrounded by all the love I receive, all the love I feel.”
“Leaving is hard. The thought of leaving is hard,” he added. “But the adventure of going remains to be seen. I’ll get back to you.”
View this post on InstagramNorman Lear’s Television Legacy
Lear’s historic Emmy win was closely tied to a career that changed American television.
His television career began in 1950 when he and writing partner Ed Simmons worked on The Ford Star Revue. They later wrote for Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin on The Colgate Comedy Hour.
Lear also wrote for movies. In 1967, he received an Academy Award nomination for Divorce, American Style.
His biggest television breakthrough came in 1971 with All in the Family. The sitcom followed the Bunker family and used comedy to explore major issues facing American society. Its success led to several spin-offs, including Maude and The Jeffersons.
Lear later created Good Times, which focused on an African American family in Chicago. The show dealt with subjects such as poverty, drug use, and crime.
He also created One Day at a Time, which followed a divorced mother raising two teenage daughters while trying to make ends meet. Sanford and Son became another major success after Lear adapted the British series Steptoe and Son for American television.
Lear’s work continued long after his most famous sitcoms ended. As he approached 100, he worked on a Latina-led version of One Day at a Time and helped produce live specials based on All in the Family and The Jeffersons. He also hosted the podcast All of the Above with Norman Lear.
His list of honors included six Emmy Awards, two Peabody Awards, the National Medal of Arts, and the Kennedy Center Honors. In 2017, he became the oldest recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors at age 95.
Lear died at his Los Angeles home on Dec. 5, 2023, at age 101. His death came more than three years after his record-setting Emmy victory.
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