Sitcom legend Stapleton dies
Jean Stapleton (center), an Emmy winner for her role as Edith Bunker in the 1970s sitcom “All in the Family,” dies at age 90. She played beloved antithesis to bigoted husband Archie, portrayed by Carroll O’Connor (left, with Sally Struthers).
NEW YORK — Jean Stapleton, the stage-trained character actress who played Archie Bunker’s far-better half, the sweetly naive Edith, in TV’s groundbreaking 1970s comedy “All in the Family,” has died. She was 90.
Stapleton died Friday of natural causes at her New York City home surrounded by friends and family, her children said Saturday.
“It is with great love and heavy hearts that we say farewell to our collective Mother, with a capital M,” her son and daughter, John Putch and Pamela Putch, said in a statement. “Her devotion to her craft and her family taught us all great life lessons.”
Little known to the public before “All in the Family,” she co-starred with Carroll O’Connor in the top-rated CBS comedy about an unrepentant bigot, the wife he churlishly but fondly called “Dingbat,” their daughter Gloria (Sally Struthers) and liberal son-in-law Mike, also known as Meathead (Rob Reiner).
Stapleton received eight Emmy-nominations and won three times during her eight-year tenure with “All in the Family.” Produced by Norman Lear, the series broke through the timidity of U.S. TV with social and political jabs and ranked as the No. 1-rated program for an unprecedented five years in a row. Lear would go on to create a run of socially conscious comedies.
“No one gave more profound ‘How to be a Human Being’ lessons than Jean Stapleton,” Lear said Saturday. In a statement, Reiner added, “Jean was a brilliant comedienne with exquisite timing. Working with her was one of the greatest experiences of my life.”
Stapleton also earned Emmy nominations for playing Eleanor Roosevelt in the 1982 film “Eleanor, First Lady of the World” and for a guest appearance in 1995 on “Grace Under Fire.”
Her big-screen films included a pair directed by Nora Ephron: the 1998 Tom Hanks-Meg Ryan romance “You’ve Got Mail” and1996’s “Michael” starring John Travolta. She also turned down the chance to star in the popular TV mystery show “Murder, She Wrote,” which became a showcase for Angela Lansbury.
The theater was Stapleton’s first love, and she compiled a rich resume, starting in 1941 as a New England stock player and moving to Broadway in the1950s and ’60s. In 1964, she originated the role of Mrs. Strakosh in “Funny Girl” with Barbra Streisand. Other musicals and plays included “Bells Are Ringing,” “Rhinoc- eros” and “Damn Yankees,” in which her performance — and the nasal tone she used in “All in the Family” — attracted Lear’s attention and led to his auditioning her for the role of Archie’s wife.
“I wasn’t a leading-lady type,” she once told the Associated Press. “I knew where I belonged.”
Edith, of the dithery manner, cheerfully high-pitched voice and family loyalty, charmed viewers but was viewed by Stapleton as “submissive.” In a1972 New
York Times interview, she said she didn’t think Edith was a typical American housewife — “at least I hope she’s not.”
“What Edith represents is the housewife who is still in bondage to the male figure, very submissive and restricted to the home. She is very naive, and she kind of thinks through a mist, and she lacks the education to expand her world. I would hope that most housewives are not like that,” said Stapleton, whose character regularly obeyed her husband’s demand to “stifle yourself.”
But Edith was honest and compassionate, and “in most situations she says the truth and pricks Archie’s inflated ego,” she added.
She confounded Archie with her malapropos and open-hearted acceptance of others, including her beleaguered sonin-law and African-Americans and other minorities that Archie disdained.
As the series progressed, Stapleton had the chance to offer a deeper take on Edith as the character faced milestones including a breast-cancer scare and menopause. She was proud of the show’s political edge, citing an episode about a draft dodger who clashes with Archie as a personal favorite.
But Stapleton worried about typecasting, rejecting any roles, commercials or sketches on variety shows that called for a character similar to Edith. Despite pleas from Lear not to let Edith die, Stapleton left the show, retitled “Archie’s Place,” in 1980, leaving Archie to carry on as a widower.