Norman Lear had six children with three different women before death aged 101
Emma Payne
Updated on April 03, 2026
Sitcom writer and producer Norman Lear has died aged 101 and alongside his successful career, the icon was also a father to six children from three different marriages.
In his busy family life, Norman Lear was a father to six children, named Ellen, Kate, Maggie, Benjamin, Brianna, and Madelaine.
Producer Norman Lear had six children with three different women
American sitcom writer and producer Norman Lear has died aged 101, a spokesperson for his family confirmed on December 6, 2023.
Having celebrated his 101st birthday on July 27, 2023, the iconic creator experienced being a father to five daughters and one son, from three different marriages.
Lear was married to his first wife Charlotte Rosen from 1943 to 1956 – and the pair became parents to Lear’s first daughter Ellen.
Ellen Lear is currently aged 76, born in 1947.
Lear’s firstborn has reportedly lived most of her life out of the spotlight – beginning her career as a graphic designer before earning a master’s in social work and becoming a therapist.
Meet Norman Lear and Frances Loeb’s daughters Kate and Maggie
Norman Lear was married to his second wife Frances Loeb from 1965 to 1985.
The couple welcomed their daughter Kate in 1957 and their second daughter Maggie was born in 1959.
Kate Lear is a Broadway producer for projects including Catch Me If You Can and Of Mice and Men. She is married to physician and CBS News correspondent Dr. Jonathan LaPook, as per Parade reports.
Maggie Lear is president of the Frances Lear Foundation, which focuses on criminal justice reform, arts education, social justice, and other progressive causes.
In 1986, Norman Lear and Frances Loeb reached an expensive divorce settlement estimated at $100 million or more.
Lyn Lear and Norman Lear shared one son and two daughters
Award-winning writer and producer Norman Lear was married to his third wife Lyn Davis from 1985 until his recent death in 2023.
The pair welcomed three children named Benjamin, Brianna, and Madelaine Lear.
Born in 1988, Benjamin Lear studied music at New York University and released his first film, They Call Us Monsters, in 2016.
Often credited as Ben Lear, the creative has worked on several other film and TV projects as a director, composer, writer, and editor who speaks highly of his father’s TV work.
Brianna Lear and Madelaine Lear are twin daughters. While Madelaine remains under the radar, Brianna has spoken about her father’s legacy.
Brianna, who studied social work at USC, told Good in 2018: “I wrote my undergraduate thesis on music and emotion and the power of music in healing, and so immediately going into this program, I knew that I wanted to get involved in the arts and healing in some capacity…”
Lear’s daughter continued to explain: “Through discussing the symposium, I brought up the fact that my father has worked in the creative field and has been so prolific, and I think is such a great role model for the power of the arts in healing and health. I know he believes that laughter is so important to health.”
Norman Lear also had six grandchildren who are largely kept private, but four of their names are reportedly known as Daniel, Noah, Griffin, and Zoe.
