All In The Family And Then Some

Actress Jean Stapleton — who rose to fame with her nearly decadelong turn on TV as Archie Bunker’s long-suffering, benevolent better half, Edith, opposite Carroll O’Connor on the groundbreaking 1970s sitcom All in the Family — passed away at her home in New York City on May 31 from natural causes. She was 90. Stapleton had an impressive career on Broadway (she was in the original cast of Funny Girl with Barbra Streisand and starred in Damn Yankees) and, in later years, made memorable appearances on screens both big and small. (She starred as Eleanor Roosevelt in the 1982 TV movie Eleanor, First Lady of the World and landed movie roles in 1996’s Michael and 1998’s You’ve Got Mail.) But her deceptively simple performance as Edith won her the most acclaim, including three Emmys and three Golden Globes. Edith made us laugh so hard we barely realized she was also inspiring us with her bravery and compassion. That was Stapleton’s genius.