Frances Lear- Truth About Norman Lear’s Ex-wife

Frances Lear was an American activist, magazine publisher, editor, and writer. She is also popular for being the ex-wife of Norman Lear. Frances Lear’s ex-husband Norman is a top Hollywood television writer and film and television producer. The Icon has produced, written, created, or developed over 100 shows. Many popular 1970s sitcoms starred Lear, including All in the Family, Maude, Sanford and Son, One Day at a Time, The Jeffersons, and Good Times.

Frances Lear: Bio Summary

Lear was born on September 30, 1996, with only a first name, Evelyn, to an unwed mother at the Vanderheusen Home for Wayward Girls in Hudson, New York. At 14 months, she was adopted by Aline and Herbert Loeb of Larchmont, New York, who changed her name from Evelyn to Frances.

Her adoptive father committed suicide when she was ten years old after losing his business during the Great Depression. According to her autobiography, her mother remarried, and when Frances was 12, her stepfather began molesting her. In Northampton, Massachusetts, she attended the Mary A. Burnham School for Girls.

She began her career at Lord & Taylor as a buyer for women’s sportswear. She was married and divorced twice when she was young, first to Arnold Weiss and then to Morton Kaufman (or Kaufmann). She married television producer Norman Lear in Las Vegas in 1956. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the age of 50. She became involved in the women’s movement, civil rights, and mental health issues.

Frances Lear worked on Minnesota U.S. Senator Eugene McCarthy’s presidential campaign during the 1968 Democratic primaries. She later worked on behalf of the Equal Rights Amendment with the National Organization for Women.

Frances Lear and Morman Lear’s marriage.

Norman Lear met his ex-wife, Frances Loeb between 1955 and 1956. The former love birds met through one of Norman’s friends in the Army with whom he had served in Italy. Frances was 32 when she first met Norman and they started dating each other. The couple dated for almost a year and got married in 1956. They got married in a beautiful ceremony in the presence of their friends, family, and loved ones. Their marriage was blessed when they welcomed two daughters, Maggie Lear and Kate Lear. Before Frances Lear, Norman was married to Charlotte Lear.

Frances Lear and Morman Lear’s divorce

In 1983, the couple entered a period in which everything began to fall apart. Frances was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the age of 50. She also became addicted to alcohol, which wreaked havoc on their marriage. Everything she had gone through as a child was still fresh in her mind and began to weigh on her.

Norman Shared in his memoir– The aspiring publisher lived a life shaped by her bipolar disorder, alcoholism, and suicide attempts. “Everything I knew about her difficult and colorful life before I appeared at her front door fascinated me,”

Norman and Frances Lear decided to call their marriage a quit after 28 years. They divorced in 1985. Their divorce generated one of the biggest settlements of the time, a whopping $112 million. When asked about the settlement, Frances told The New York Times that she was “very much part of his thinking and Norman could not have done his shows without me.”

Norman Lear’s ex-wife started a women’s magazine called Lear’s in 1988 and became an activist for the women’s movement, civil rights, and mental health. She published an autobiography in 1992, The Second Seduction, and at the time of her death had written another book, Frances Lear’s Guide to Work and Family in the 21st Century. She died of breast cancer at age 73.  Lear He has been married to Lyn Davis since 1987 and the two are still together for about 3 and a half decades now.