Voting Station

Frances Lear

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Publisher

The Resume

    (July 14, 1923-September 30, 1996)
    Born in Hudson, New York
    Adoptive name was Evelyn Loeb
    Married to TV producer Norman Lear (1956-86)
    Published Lear's (1988-94), a magazine for women over 40
    Wrote 'The Second Seduction' (1992)

Why she might be annoying:

    She was fired from most of her early jobs for behavior such as listening in on the boss's phone calls or drinking through lunch.
    In her biography, she referred to her second husband as 'Kauffman or Kaufmann -- I cannot remember how to spell [his] name.'
    She said, 'I tried to commit suicide three times seriously and three times with minimal interest in the outcome.'
    Editors at Lear's complained of her erratic behavior, such as last-minute layout changes and articles that were accepted but never published.
    When a staffer told her she could not alter a quotation, she responded, 'It is my magazine and I will do what I want.'

Why she might not be annoying:

    Her adoptive father committed suicide when she was 10.
    Her adoptive stepfather sexually abused her.
    The psychiatrist to whom she revealed the abuse betrayed her confidences to her stepfather, who threatened to kill her.
    She was the inspiration for Maude.
    She said, 'I believe the second half of one's life is meant to be better than the first half. It is certainly true of me.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 8 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 5 Votes: 20.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 15 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 14 Votes: 57.14% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 17 Votes: 64.71% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 8 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 55 Votes: 69.09% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 47 Votes: 51.06% Annoying
    In 2008, Out of 15 Votes: 53.33% Annoying