Norman Lear is known for some of the popular shows on TV. The writer and producer with an iconic career is known for  All In The Family, The Jeffersons, Good Times, Maude, and countless more. For his contribution to the industry, he is the recipient of many awards, including five Emmys, the National Medal of Arts, and the Kennedy Center Honors. He is also a member of the Television Academy Hall of Fame.

Who are Norman Lear’s children?

The legendary screenwriter served in World War II before starting his incredibly successful entertainment career. Lear who turned 100 on July 27, 2022, has been married three times and is the father of 6 children. They are Kate Lear, Madeline Lear, Maggie Lear, Brianna Lear, Benjamin Lear, and Ellen Lear.

The Emmy winner married his first wife, Charlotte Rosen, in 1943 and welcomed their daughter, Ellen, in 1947. Their marriage lasted for 13 years and they called it a quit in 1956. Norman Lear married his second wife, Frances Loeb, from 1956 to 1985. The love birds moved to New York along with Ellen when she was a teenager. The couple welcomed two daughters together, Kate Lear and Maggie Lear, before their divorce. Loeb died in 1996 at the age of 73 after battling breast cancer.

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A few years after their divorce which cost him $112 million in divorce settlement, Norman Lear found love again. The iconic producer married his third wife, Lyn Davis Lear, in 1987. They welcomed their son, Benjamin Lear, in 1988. Their twin daughters, Brianna Lear, and Madelaine Lear, were born in 1994. Lear and his current wife Lyn’s love has been growing stronger and stronger since they tied the knot some decades ago.

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Though his eldest child and his youngest children have a wide age gap between them, the siblings get along pretty well and the legendary filmmaker also has an adorable relationship with his children. Keep reading to know more about Norman Lear’s daughters and sons.

Ellen Lear is the oldest child of Norman Lear

Ellen Lear is Norman’s daughter from his first marriage, she was born in 1947. As of 2023, she is 76 years old. According to a report by the Los Angeles Times, Lear’s eldest daughter, Ellen, is divorced and works as a sex therapist in New York.

Ellen though the oldest has led a relatively private life, despite the fact that her father is one of the most decorated and celebrated Hollywood icon of all time. In August 2019, The father and daughter posed for a rare Instagram photo. Their photo got fans talking as the father and daughter and daughter share a resemblance.

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Kate Lear is  a Broadway producer

Kate Lear is the second child of the legendary filmmaker. Following in the footsteps of her father Kate is a Broadway producer whose credits include Of Mice and Men and Catch Me If You Can. Kate is also a writer, arts advocate, and Board Chair of Ballet Hispánico, according to a 2022 listing on PBS.

She is married to physician Jonathan LaPook who is often featured as a medical correspondent on CBS. They are parents to two lovely children. Talking about her father’s longevity, Kate Lear, told PBS in an interview, “But to me, Norman Lear’s longevity has just as much to do with his in-born optimism. This is a man who goes to bed each night dreaming of the cup of coffee he will have in the morning, who has lived a life in which each meal magically turns out to be better than the one before , and who has said, many times, that he doesn’t want to wake up the day that he doesn’t have hope.“

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Maggie Lear is the third child of Norman Lear

Maggie Lear is Norman Lear’s third child and he and Frances Loeb’s second daughter together. According to Closer, Maggie went to school at New York University to pick up her master’s degree in social work. She is now the president of the Frances Lear Foundation, which focuses on criminal justice reform, arts education, social justice, and other progressive causes.

Benjamin Lear is Norman Lear’s son

Benjamin Lear is the only son of Norman. He is the eldest child of Norman and his third wife, Lyn Davis – was born in 1988. As of 2023, he is 35 years old. Ben is the only Lear child to follow in his father’s footsteps directly and venture into the world of television and movies. The New York University graduate who studied Music directed his first film called They Call Us Monsters in 2016 and in 2017 he directed Bad For The Boats.

Talking about his relationship with his father Benjamin Lear said -“I think we’ve both reached levels of self-awareness that have allowed us to look at the past with totally clear eyes and have a really authentic relationship,” Ben said in a June 2016 interview with the Los Angeles Times. “He’s 93, and I’m 27, and we can trade stories about, ‘Man, I just figured this thing out about myself the other day.’ We have a closer relationship now in the last four or five years than we had before.“

Brianna Lear and Madelaine Lear are twin sisters

Norman Lear is a father of twins- Brianna Lear and Madelaine Lear. Norman Lear and his third wife Lyn Lear welcomed twins Madelaine Rose and Brianna Elizabeth Lear in 1994. Norman was 72 at the time, and his wife was 47. Brianna is a graduate of the University of Southern California. Norman Lear’s twin daughter was one of the teams of graduate students at the USC’s Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. 

The filmmaker’s daughter was initially interested in pursuing an entertainment career with her father’s encouragement. Though she went down a different career path, she was still thankful for all of Norman’s support. 

“Growing up, we always saw plays and musical theater. Part of our time together which is, you know, maybe healthy and unhealthy [laughs], is we watch a lot of movies together. I definitely grew up as a child of the industry. My father and my Mom both really wanted me to pursue a career in acting and singing most of my life.” – Brianna Lear recalled

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She continued- “That’s what I thought I wanted to pursue,” Brianna Lear said in a 2018 interview. “And then I ultimately shifted gears, but it’s still something that’s really important to me. I am constantly reminded of the power of music and art in my own self-care. It’s something I definitely miss. And I want to find ways of incorporating it more.” Her twin sister Madelaine has remained out of the spotlight, forging her own path.

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