Norman Lear, happy 100th birthday! Since the 1950s, the venerable TV writer and producer has delighted viewers, and he has no intention of stopping any time soon.
Lear shot a video on Instagram singing Dean Martin’s timeless hit “That’s Amore” just before his birthday.
The television legend discusses how rapidly science has developed over time and how it helped him reach his 100th birthday in a film that was shot by his daughter in Vermont.
Lear stated, ‘My God, the wonder of being alive with everything that is accessible to us,’ before exhorting listeners to cherish the present moment, a lesson he has learned to value over his long life.
Lear is celebrating his special day by spending it with the people who matter most in his life: his family, which includes his wife of over 35 years, Lyn Davis, a political activist and Emmy-nominated filmmaker.
Prior to now, he said to PEOPLE, ‘I am looking forward to spending the holiday with my entire family—my great wife, my six children, my two sons-in-law, and my four grandchildren—at my house in Vermont. How blessed am I?’
Deadline reports that Lear, who was born on July 27, 1922, in New Haven, Connecticut, started his TV career with variety series like The Andy Williams Show and the Martha Raye Show.
He later produced a number of popular television programs, including Sanford and Son, Mary Hartman, Maude, All in the Family, Good Times, One Day At A Time, The Jeffersons, and The Facts of Life, to mention a few.
According to The New York Post, Lear has had 17 Emmy nominations, six wins, and one win for his program Live in Front of a Studio Audience: The Facts of Life and ‘Diff’rent Strokes.’ He was also enshrined in the Emmy Awards hall of fame back in 1984.
He has also received a Peabody Award, a Golden Globe, and an Academy Award nomination. He is a veteran of World War II. The celebrated Hollywood writer and producer recently told PEOPLE that he has no immediate plans to scale back on his output.
He actually has 23 projects in the works! ‘My honors and distinctions mean a lot to me, but today’s drive to the studio means more to me. Every time, my heart still bursts with joy, elation, intrigue, and complete delight.’
The projects include a Tony Danza and Alyssa Milano-led Who’s The Boss? relaunch and a Good Times cartoon revival. The legend said, ‘It’s all about making others happy.’ ‘Joy and laughter lengthen one’s life.’
What suggestions does he have for those just starting out in the industry? The seasoned TV personality said, ‘Go with your instinct.’
‘Regarding anything and everything, pay close attention to what other people have to say. Go with it when you believe you have given something enough thought and listening and are still sure of it. Refuse to be persuaded otherwise.’