Norman Lear, the author, director and producer credited with revolutionising US prime-time tv, has died.
A spokesperson for Lear, aged 101, stated he died on Tuesday night time at his Los Angeles dwelling surrounded by his household.
His exhibits, which embody All In The Family and Maude, helped outline prime-time tv by means of his daring and controversial comedies within the Nineteen Seventies.
Lear’s exhibits additionally launched the careers of Rob Reiner and Valerie Bertinelli and made middle-aged superstars of Carroll O’Connor, Bea Arthur and Redd Foxx.
All In The Family was based mostly on the British TV comedy Till Death Us Do Part and was immersed within the headlines of the day, whereas additionally drawing upon Lear’s childhood reminiscences of his tempestuous father.
By the top of 1971, All In The Family was primary within the rankings and character Archie Bunker was a popular culture fixture, with then-US President Richard Nixon amongst its followers.
The present coated hard-hitting subjects like racism, feminism and the Vietnam War.
But Nixon objected to an episode a couple of shut pal of Archie’s who seems to be homosexual, privately fuming to White House aides that the present “glorified” same-sex relationships.
A 1972 episode of the spin-off sequence Maude additionally sparked protests because the title character turned the primary on tv to have an abortion.
Lear created tv nicely into his 90s, rebooting One Day At A Time for Netflix in 2017 and exploring earnings inequality for the documentary sequence America Divided in 2016.
Read extra on Sky News:
Paul McCartney pays tribute to Wings guitarist who died
US actors’ union hails ‘monumental victory’ for strike deal
Taylor Swift topped Time journal’s Person of the Year
His success additionally enabled him to precise his political views past the small display screen – he actively donated to Democratic candidates within the US.
In 2000, Lear and a associate purchased a duplicate of the Declaration of Independence for $8.14m (£6.45m) and despatched it on a cross-country tour.
Lear was additionally on Forbes journal’s record of the 400 richest folks in America in 1986, with an estimated web price of $225m (£178m).
But he didn’t make the lower the next 12 months after a $112m (£88.7m) divorce settlement for his second spouse, Frances.
He is survived by his third spouse Lyn and his six youngsters.
Source: information.sky.com”