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

Norman Lear and Lyn Lear were married for more than 30 years before the TV creator's death in December 2023

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

"He would not have wanted all of us to mourn. And most of all ... he would want us to laugh," Lyn said in a statement following her husband's passing.

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

Norman and Lyn got married in 1987 and went on to have three children.

Related: Norman Lear's 6 Children: Everything to Know

"My wife is her own individual and I fell in love with that," Norman once told PEOPLE. "She is a sterling human being. I love that she loves me."

So, who is Norman Lear's wife? Here's everything to know about Lyn Lear.

She's a filmmaker

Lyn is a talented documentary filmmaker. Through her production company, Lyn Lear Productions, she has created a number of documentaries about various cultural issues, including climate change, politics and mental health.

She was nominated for an Emmy

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

She was nominated in the category of outstanding documentary or nonfiction special for The Great Hack, a Netflix documentary she executive produced.

She has a PhD in Psychology

Prior to her career as a producer, Lyn studied psychology. She now holds a PhD in Clinical Psychology, according to her bio on her production company's website, and in fact, she was working on the degree when she met Norman.

In the PBS documentary Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You, Lyn explained that they connected over her dissertation. "We definitely shared the whole understanding about religion and fundamentalism in America," she said.

She and Norman were married for 36 years

Lyn and Norman were married for more than three decades before his death in December 2023. She was Norman's third wife. The famed 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 party hosted by him and his second wife, Frances, and Lyn was actually on a blind date with one of Norman's friends that evening. Lyn, who was working on her PhD at the time, later reached out to him for help on her thesis.

"We had lunch a couple of weeks later," Norman said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, "and over time we fell in love."

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

She and Norman had three children together

Norman and Lyn tied the knot in 1987. The following year, they welcomed their first child together, son Benjamin Davis Lear. In 1994, they welcomed two more kids, twin daughters Madelaine Rose and Brianna Elizabeth Lear.

Norman also had three children from his previous two 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 to the Los Angeles Times, Norman shared that Kate and Maggie weren't "eager to meet the woman that replaced [their] mother" at first, adding, "but they love me. I have great daughters, terrific 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 ahead of his passing in December 2023.

In an interview with CBS Sunday Morning in 2021, Lyn noted that Norman was "not the retiring type."

Along with being supportive of his work ethic, Lyn had to learn to live with her husband's legacy.

"Being married to someone well-known, there's an adjusting that goes on," she told Entertainment Weekly. "You have that whole 'Who am I in this relationship? I've done a lot too' "

She's a dedicated environmentalist

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

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

She and Norman co-founded a nonprofit 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

The pair contributed their long-lasting relationship to communication and making time for each other. While speaking to PBS for the 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'd come together to discuss their day as often as they could.

"We always have dinner together at night and we talk about a lot of things at night," she said at the time. "We make appointments to talk about things as well ... And when we drive to places, we talk in the car. We talk as much as we can."

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