Who Is Norman Lear’s Wife? All About Lyn Lear

Norman Lear and his wife Lyn Lear were married for 36 years before his death on December 5, 2023. The TV creator was 101 years old.

“He wouldn’t have wanted us all to grieve. And most of all … he would have wanted us to laugh,” Lyn said in a statement after her husband’s death.

The couple first met in 1984 through mutual friends. At the time, the legendary sitcom producer briefly reunited with his second wife, Frances Lear, after separating the previous year. However, the reunion didn’t last long.

Norman and Lyn married in 1987 and had three children.

Norman Lear’s 6 Children: Everything You Need to Know

“My wife is all about herself and I fell in love with that,” Norman once told PEOPLE. “She’s a wonderful human being. I love that she loves me.”

So who is Norman Lear’s wife? Here’s everything you need to know about Lyn Lear.

She is a director

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Lyn is a talented documentary filmmaker. Through her production company, Lyn Lear Productions, she has created a series of documentaries on a variety of cultural topics, including climate change, politics and mental health.

She was nominated for an Emmy

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In 2020, Norman made history as the oldest person to be nominated for an Emmy at the age of 98. In the same year, Lyn was also nominated.

It was nominated in the category of outstanding documentary or publicist film for big hack, A Netflix documentary she executive produced.

She has a doctorate in psychology

Before her career as a producer, Lyn studied psychology. She now has a doctorate in clinical psychology, according to her bio on her production company’s website, and was actually working on her degree when she met Norman.

In a PBS documentary Norman Lear: Just another version of you, Lyn explained that they connected because of her dissertation. “We definitely shared an overall understanding of religion and fundamentalism in America,” she said.

She and Norman were married for 36 years

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Lyn and Norman were married for more than three decades before his death in December 2023. She was Norman’s third wife. The famous producer was previously married to Charlotte Rosen from 1943 to 1956 and Frances Lear from 1956 to 1985.

Norman and Lyn first met in 1984 at a dinner hosted by him and his second wife, Frances, and Lyn was actually on a blind date with one of Norman’s friends that night. Lyn, who was working on her PhD at the time, later turned to him for help with her thesis.

“We had lunch a few weeks later,” Norman said in an interview with Los Angeles Times, “and over time we fell in love.”

He added that his marriage to Frances was already over by then, saying that their reunion only lasted about a month.

She and Norman had three children

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Norman and Lyn married in 1987. The following year they had their first child together, a son, Benjamin Davis Lear. In 1994, they had two more children, twin daughters Madelaine Rose and Brianna Elizabeth Lear.

Norman also had three children from two previous marriages. He and his first wife had one child together, Ellen Lear, in 1947, and he had two daughters with Frances: Kate Lear and Maggie Lear, born in 1957 and 1959, respectively.

Speaking with Los Angeles Times, Norman said Kate and Maggie weren’t “keen to meet the replacement woman [their] mother” at first, adding, “but they love me. I have great daughters, great daughters.”

Norman also had four grandchildren: Daniel, Noah, Griffin and Zoe.

She supported Norman’s work ethic

Despite turning 101 in July 2023, Norman had no plans to stop working before his death in December 2023.

In an interview with CBS Sunday Morning In 2021, Lyn remarked that Norman was “not the type to retire”.

In addition to supporting his work ethic, Lyn had to learn to live with her husband’s legacy.

“Being married to someone famous, there’s an adjustment,” she said Entertainment Weekly. “You have that whole ‘Who am I in this relationship? I’ve done a lot, too'”

She is a dedicated environmentalist

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Lyn is very passionate about environmental and political issues. In 1987, she and Norman co-founded the Environmental Media Association with Cindy Horn. EMA works to promote environmental causes in the entertainment industry.

In 2016, Lyn was recognized by UCLA’s Institute for the Environment and Sustainability for her contributions to sustainability, according to a bio on her production company’s website.

She and Norman founded a non-profit organization together

The multi-hyphenate is also a dedicated philanthropist, as was her husband.

In 1997, she and Norman founded The Lear Family Foundation to support nonprofit organizations across the country. The foundation has partnered with a number of organizations, including Hollywood Health and Society, Rainforest Alliance, Planned Parenthood and The Rape Foundation.

She and Norman prioritized spending quality time together

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With their long-term relationship, the couple contributed to communication and finding time for each other. While speaking with PBS for Norman Lear: Just another version of you documentary, Lyn shared that she and Norman tried to “have breakfast together as much as possible.”

She added that although they “have very different worlds”, they would come together to talk about their day as often as they could.

We always have dinner together in the evening and talk about a lot of things in the evening, she said then. “We arrange meetings and to talk about things… And when we drive to the place, we talk in the car. We talk as much as we can.”

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Source: HIS Education