The holiday season is usually marked on-screen with festive specials and this time, fans of the iconic sitcom ‘All in the Family’ are getting a special treat in the form of a ‘Live in front of Studio Audience’ take.
While the original stars are not reprising their roles, that doesn’t lessen our curiosity about what the phenomenal Archie Bunker and his battalion of interestingly funny family members are up to these days. Unfortunately, some of them are no more, while others went on to do more and beyond their expertise in the entertainment industry. So here’s a roundup of where the cast is.
Carroll O’Connor aka Archie Bunker
While he was lovingly known as the ‘lovable bigot’ on the show, the American actor, producer and director’s television career spanned four decades. Appearing in all but seven episodes of the series’ full run, and its spinoff, ‘Archie Bunker’s Place’ (1979–83), O’Connor also went on to star in the NBC/CBS television crime drama ‘In the Heat of the Night’ (1988–95) as Sparta, Mississippi, police chief William (Bill) Gillespie.
O’Connor passed away at the age of 76 on June 21, 2001, in Culver City, California, from a heart attack due to complications from diabetes.
Jean Stapleton aka Edith Bunker
Playing Archie’s at times ditzy, but most of the time extremely kind-hearted and compassionate wife, Stapleton was an American character actress of stage, television, and film. Her role on the sitcom earned her three Emmys and two Golden Globes for Best Actress in a comedy series, following which she also went on to star in the spin-off O’Connor starred in, a show she ultimately quit after its debut season as she reportedly grew tired of the role. Stapleton passed away at the age of 90 in 2013 from unrevealed causes; she was cremated and the marquee lights on Broadway were dimmed for one minute on June 5, 2013, at 8 pm EDT, in her honor.
Sally Struthers aka Gloria Stivic
From the Bunker’s college-aged daughter to being the avid feminist wife of Michael Stivic, Struthers’ character saw a steady and curious arc on the show. Off-screen, Struthers has been a spokeswoman and an activist, true to the role she played on the sitcom, the role that won her two Emmy awards as well.
She went on to star as Babette on ‘Gilmore Girls’, and also as the voice of Charlene Sinclair on the ABC sitcom ‘Dinosaurs’ and as Rebecca Cunningham on the Disney animated series ‘TaleSpin’. She married psychiatrist William C Rader in December 1977 and the couple, who share a daughter together, later divorced in 1983. Her work as a spokeswoman for the Christian Children’s Fund (later renamed ChildFund) advocating for impoverished children in developing countries and also for the International Correspondence Schools in television ads, pitching the famous line “Do you want to make more money? Sure, we all do!”, has been satirized in TV shows like ‘Grey’s Anatomy’, and the controversial comedy ‘South Park’.
Rob Reiner aka Michael ‘the Meathead’ Stivic
Reiner’s ‘Meathead’ was the Bunkers’ Polish-American hippie son-in-law, a role that earned him two Emmy Awards in the 1970s. His work in the field of direction was also recognized by the Directors Guild of America (DGA), with several nominations for films like ‘Stand by Me’ (1986), ‘When Harry Met Sally’ (1989), and of course the military drama, ‘A Few Good Men’ (1992).
He also went on to direct the psychological horror-thriller ‘Misery’ (1990), the hilarious ‘The Princess Bride’ (1987), and the absolutely offtrack metal mockumentary, ‘This Is Spinal Tap’ (1984). Reiner married actress-director Penny Marshall in 1971 and the couple divorced in 1981. He married photographer Michele Singer in 1989, after meeting on the sets of ‘When Harry Met Sally’ and now is a father of four kids, and grandfather to five through Tracy Reiner, Marshall’s daughter, whom he had adopted.
Danielle Brisebois aka Stephanie Mills
Remember the cute nine-year-old daughter of Edith’s cousin Floyd who entertained us with her quick wit and smart mouth throughout the show’s ninth season? Well, the former child star grew up to be a producer and singer-songwriter, who was also seen on the sitcom’s spinoff starring O’Connor and Stapleton. She played Molly in the original Broadway production of the musical ‘Annie’, and after retiring from acting in the ’80s, she went on to be one of the two permanent members of the short-lived rock band ‘New Radicals’.
With her longtime songwriting partner Gregg Alexander who was the group’s keyboardist, percussionist and backing vocalist, she recorded two solo albums and later co-wrote several songs, including Natasha Bedingfield’s ‘Unwritten’, and ‘Pocketful of Sunshine’. Along with Alexander, she also won an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song for the song ‘Lost Stars’ from the Kiera Knightley and Mark Ruffalo starrer ‘Begin Again’ in 2015. She shares two daughters with her musician and producer husband Nick Lashley – whom she married in 2008.
