Speaker: Norman Lear, television and film icon; political and social activist; philanthropist
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Read Norman Lear's Commencement Address
Norman Lear has had a distinguished career as a producer, director, comedy writer, screenwriter, political and social activist and philanthropist. Known best to the American public as the creator of Archie Bunker and
All in the Family, Lear’s numerous television credits include
Sanford & Son, Maude, Good Times, The Jeffersons, Mary Hartman, Fernwood 2Nite and the dramatic series
Palmerstown U.S.A.. His motion picture credits include
Cold Turkey,
Divorce American Style,
Fried Green Tomatoes,
Stand By Me, and
The Princess Bride.
Beyond the entertainment world, Mr. Lear has brought his distinctive vision to politics, academia and business by founding several nonprofit organizations. People For the American Way (1980-present) has become one of the nation’s leading defenders of constitutional rights and liberties. The
Norman Lear Center at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism (2000-present) is a multidisciplinary research and public policy center dedicated to exploring the convergence of entertainment, commerce and society. Mr. Lear also founded The Business Enterprise Trust (1989-2000), an educational program that used annual awards, business school case studies and videos to cast a spotlight on exemplary social innovations in American business. Mr. Lear also served as the president of the Board of the American Civil Liberties Foundation of Southern California for over twenty years and, through the Lear Family Foundation, is a supporter of many progressive, educational and charitable causes.
Read the biography from the Norman Lear Center