Herman Lear: What happened to Norman Lear’s father?

Herman Lear

Herman Lear was the father of Norman Lear. Herman Lear’s son is an American producer, writer, and director known especially for his work on such seminal television series as All in the Family (1971–79), Sanford and Son (1972–77), and The Jeffersons (1975–85). For his works, he has received many awards, including five Emmys, the National Medal of Arts, and the Kennedy Center Honors. 

Herman Lear: Bio Summary

Full NameHerman King Lear
famous asFather of Norman Lear
Age64 years old at the time of death
Date of BirthMarch 19, 1893
Place of BirthNew Haven, New Haven County, Connecticut, United States
Date of deathDecember 23, 1957
Zodiac signPisces
NationalityAmerican
EthnicityJew
Children Norman Lear, Claire Lear
Spouse Jeanette Seicol

Who is Norman Lear’s father?

Herman Lear was born on March 19, 1893, in New Haven, New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. He is the son of  Solomon Lear and Anna Chane Ruchel Lear. Herman’s family was originally from Russia. Herman Lear was the only child of her parents, he had five siblings- They are Edward Yehudah Leib Lear, Halevi; Frances Ida Susskind; Jennie Janet Ruth Shawmut; Jacob Jake Jack S. Lear, and Eli Solomon Lear, Halevi. Herman and his family were Jews.

ALSO, READ; Claire Lear: Where is Norman Lear’s sister now?

Norman Lear’s father was a salesman

Norman Lear’s father, Herman Lear was a salesman, married to Jeanette Seicol, and a father of two children- Norman and his younger sister Claire Lear. When the screenwriter was nine years old and living with his family in Chelsea, Massachusetts, his father went to prison for selling fake bonds.

ALSO, READ; Jeanette Seicol: Who is Norman Lear’s mother?

Herman’s wife  Jeanette Seicol scrambled to make ends meet during his absence. “My mother tried to warn him,” he said. “But nobody ever told Herman anything.” He was later sent alone to live with his grandparents on York Street till his father returned.

Lear called his father’s arrest when he was 9 years old a defining moment in his life. Talking about the faithful day, he said -“The night that he was taken away, there were a ton of people at the house, and somebody puts their hand on my shoulder, and says, ‘You’re the man of the house now, Norman,’” Lear said in an interview with PBS NewsHour. “Nine years old — I’m the man of the house. What a fool that person was. But somehow I got it. You know, a sense of the foolishness of the human condition.

ALSO, READ; Charlotte Lear: Everything About Norman Lear’s ex-wife

When his father returned from prison three years later, tensions remained high. “I used to sit at the kitchen table and I would score their arguments,” he says of his parents. “I would give her points for this, him points for that, as a way of coping with it.

 The veteran filmmaker thought of his father, Herman Lear as a “rascal” and said that the character of Archie Bunker (whom Lear depicted as white Protestant on the show) was in part inspired by his father, the legendary filmmaker told Fresh Air‘s Terry Gross in an interview in 2014, while the character of Edith Bunker was in part inspired by his mother.

My father was the blusterer,” Lear said. “He had an opinion on everything, he knew everything. And he was a bit of a racist, although he would never, ever have thought so, or admitted it. So, he had shades of that.” He went on to say that Archie Bunker’s trademark catchwords “meathead” and “stifle” came directly from his father’s own lexicon.

ALSO, READ; Maggie Lear- Facts about Norman Lear’s daughter

Herman Lear’s death

Norman Lear’s father Herman Lear passed away on December 23, 1957, at the age of 64 in New Haven, New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. He was laid to rest at John Hay Memorial Park, Hartford, Hartford County, Connecticut, USA.

ALSO, READ; Lyn Lear- Everything About Norman Lear’s wife

Norman Lear who turned 100 on July 27, 2022, has been married three times and has six kids. In an Instagram post a day before his 100th birthday, Herman Lear’s son serenaded his followers with “That’s Amore,” the classic tune famously performed by his longtime friend and collaborator Dean Martin. “The miracle of being alive with everything that’s available to us and me turning 100 tomorrow,” Lear said in the video. “That’s as believable to me as today I’m 99.”

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  • Kennedy Gedzah is a graduate of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology-KNUST (2018). He is the Owner and has been the lead content creator at Dicytrends.com since 2020. His Passion for providing people with credible and well-researched information on the internet led him to build Dicytrends.com. With more than 5 years of experience in blogging and writing, he has amassed sufficient knowledge on various topics, including biographies, fashion and lifestyles, Entertainment, and more. You can contact him via email: Kgedzah@gmail.com

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Kennedy Gedzah

Kennedy Gedzah is a graduate of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology-KNUST (2018). He is the Owner and has been the lead content creator at Dicytrends.com since 2020. His Passion for providing people with credible and well-researched information on the internet led him to build Dicytrends.com. With more than 5 years of experience in blogging and writing, he has amassed sufficient knowledge on various topics, including biographies, fashion and lifestyles, Entertainment, and more. You can contact him via email: Kgedzah@gmail.com

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