Golden Globes 2021: What is Norman Lear's net worth? 98-year-old iconic TV producer to get Carol Burnett Award
Legendary television producer and writer Norman Lear needs no introduction. The notable TV personality has produced a number of award-winning shows in his illustrious career and is in no mood to stop at all. Lear will be receiving the highly prestigious Carol Burnett Award during the all-virtual 78th Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, February 28.
Lear has been associated with various 1970s sitcoms such as ‘All in the Family’, ‘Sanford and Son’, ‘One Day at a Time’, ‘Good Times’ and ‘Maude’. In 2017, he served as an executive producer for 'One Day at a Time’, the reboot of his 1975-1984 show of the same name.
The iconic personality has received a lot of praise for his work over the years and continues to be a force to be reckoned with. Lear has also made a fortune by producing and penning some really amazing projects.
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Early Life and World War II
Born on July 27, 1922, in Connecticut, Lear grew up in a Jewish household and had a Bar Mitzvah ceremony. When he was nine, his father was sent to prison after being convicted of selling fake bonds. He did not like his father and often described him as a “rascal”. Before starting his career in the entertainment industry, Lear enrolled himself in the US Army and served in World War II as a member of the United States Army Air Forces.
After the war, Lear decided to pursue a career in public relations after taking inspiration from his uncle Jack. He moved to California and did everything to kick-start his career once again. However, Lear steered away from public relations and gathered an interest in writing. He wanted to become a comedy writer. He teamed up with one of his cousin’s husband named Ed Simmons to form a writing team.
The duo achieved a lot of success throughout the 1950s and would go on to churn out comedy sketches for Martin and Lewis, Rowan and Martin and many others. Lear and Simmons frequently collaborated with Martin and Lewis when they appeared on the ‘Colgate Comedy Hour’. In 1953, it was reported that Lear and Simmons were earning a record-breaking $52,000 apiece to write on three Martin and Lewis comedy specials.
In 1959, Lear created his first television series called ‘The Deputy’. The show achieved mild success and ran for two seasons.
In the late 1960s, Lear wrote a script for a sitcom that revolved around a blue-collar American family. After a lot of considerations, CBS finally took up the series and ordered a pilot episode for the series. Titled 'All in the Family', the show had its premiere on January 12, 1971. The ratings for the first season did not meet the network’s expectations.
However, the show triumphed at Primetime Emmys and took home three accolades, including outstanding comedy series. The wins prompted CBS to renew the show for a second season. Season 2 opened to massive response and made the show one of the highest-rated shows at the time.
Embassy Pictures and Coca-Cola sale
In 1982, Lear and his business partner Jerry Perenchio bought Avco Embassy Pictures. After working under the banner for three years, they sold the company to Columbia Pictures for $485 million in shares of The Coca-Cola Company. According to various reports, they received 40% in cash and the rest in The Coca-Cola company stock.
Real estate
After working in the industry for so long, there is no doubt that Lear has made a fortune out of it. He used the money to invest in real estate and has some really gorgeous-looking homes for himself and his third wife Lyn. In 1995, they brought a giant mansion in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles for $6.5 million.
Spread across eight acres of land, the property has everything that you could possibly think of. It has a 14,000 square-foot main home, swimming pool, spa, tennis courts, guest house, security offices, and a huge 35-car garage. The writer listed the house for sale in 2015 for a whopping price of $55 million. Meanwhile, in 2019, he listed the home once again for $40 million.
One of the properties that the pair owns is a two-bedroom condo near Central Park in New York City. They bought the house in 2008 for $10.2 million.
Awards
Lear has won numerous awards in his illustrious career. In 1971, he received two Primetime Emmys for ‘All in the Family’ and went on to win three more between 1972 and 2020. Apart from that, he was nominated for an Academy Award in 1968 and for writing the screenplay for ‘Divorce American Style’.
He received the Humanist Arts Award from the American Humanist Association in 1977 for all the social work he does for the vulnerable communities.