On December 5, 2023, American television lost one of its icons with the death of Norman Lear at the age of 101. The departure of the famous producer left a void that was difficult to fill, in addition to a large fortune.

Lear began his career in television entertainment in the 1950s as a writer for the variety show The Colgate Comedy Hour. On that show, Norman wrote sketches for the comedy duo of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, achieving great success.

Since then, his career was on a constant rise until 1982 when he teamed up with Bud Yorkin and Jerry Perenchio to buy the production company Avco Embassy Pictures, renaming it Embassy Communications.

Most of Lear's $200 million net worth at the time of his death came from the subsequent sale of this company in 1985 to The Coca-Cola Company for $485 million. Before taxes and adjusted for inflation, that figure is equivalent to $1.4 trillion today.

How many TV shows did Norman Lear produce?

After writing scripts for TV shows such as "The Deputy," Lear ventured into film, where his credits include the screenplay for "Divorce American Style," which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay.

He was a prolific producer whose talents brought to life shows like "Archie Bunker's Place," "Sanford and Son," "Maude," and "The Jeffersons" in the '70s. In the '80s, his work included "Quiz Kids," and "I Love Liberty," and films like "The Sure Thing," "Stand By Me," and "The Princess Bride."

The '90s did not treat Lear very well. His attempts with comedies such as "Sunday Dinner," "The Powers That Be," and "704 Hauser" did not have the desired success, and his attempt with an animated series, "Channel Umptee-3," was a clear failure.

His career as a producer includes 76 credits across films and television shows, plus six projects that are currently in production. As a writer, he worked on 49 productions, and 12 of his credits are as a production director.

His personal life

Norman Lear was married three times: in 1944 to Charlotte Rosen, in 1956 to Frances Loeb, and in 1987 to Lyn Davies. He had six children: Kate, Madeline, Benjamin, Maggie, Ellen, and Brianna.

His fortune would be much greater, but his divorce settlement with his second wife, Frances, in 1985 cost him $112 million ($320 million today). It was the largest divorce settlement in American show business up to that time.

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