Archie Bunker

Archie Bunker
All in the Family character
Carrol O'Connor as Archie Bunker
First appearance"Meet the Bunkers"
(All in the Family)
January 12, 1971
Last appearance"I'm Torn Here"
(Archie Bunker's Place)
April 4, 1983
Created byNorman Lear
Portrayed by
In-universe information
Occupation
  • Former blue-collar worker (Longshoreman - Dock foreman)
  • Bar owner and cabbie
Family
  • David Bunker (father)
  • Sarah Longstreet Bunker (mother)
  • Philip Bunker (brother)
  • Alfred Bunker (brother)
  • Alma Bunker (sister)
SpouseEdith Baines (1925–1980; her death)
ChildrenGloria Bunker Stivic
Relatives
  • Joey Stivic (grandson)
  • Roy Longstreet (uncle)
  • Barbara "Billie" Bunker (niece)
  • Debbie Bunker (niece)
  • Linda Bunker (niece)
  • Oscar Bunker (cousin)
  • Michael Stivic (son-in-law)

Archibald "Archie" Bunker is a fictional character from the 1970s American television sitcom All in the Family and its spin-off Archie Bunker's Place, played by Carroll O'Connor. Bunker, a main character of the series, is a World War II veteran, blue-collar worker, and family man. All in the Family premiered on January 12, 1971, where he was depicted as the head of the Bunker family. In 1979, the show was retooled and renamed Archie Bunker's Place; it finally went off the air in 1983. Bunker lived at the fictional address of 704 Hauser Street in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens in New York City.

All in the Family got many of its laughs by playing on Archie's bigotry, although the dynamic tension between Archie and his left-wing son-in-law, Mike, provided an ongoing political and social sounding board for a variety of topics. Archie appears in all but seven episodes of the series. Three fifth-season episodes were missed because of a contract dispute between O'Connor and series creator Norman Lear.

Archie was modeled after Norman Lear's father Herman Lear[1] and on Alf Garnett from the BBC1 sitcom Till Death Us Do Part, on which All in the Family was based.[2] In 1999, TV Guide ranked Archie Bunker number 5 on its 50 Greatest TV Characters of All Time list.[3] In 2005, Archie Bunker was listed as number 1 on Bravo's 100 Greatest TV Characters,[4] defeating runners-up such as Ralph Kramden, Lucy Ricardo, Fonzie, and Homer Simpson. Archie's chair is in the permanent collection of the National Museum of American History.

  1. ^ Cowan, Geoffrey (1979). See No Evil. Simon & Schuster. p. 24. ISBN 9780671230913. norman lear meathead.
  2. ^ "Till Death Us Do Part". comedy.co.uk. British Comedy Guide. Retrieved September 12, 2013.
  3. ^ TV Guide to TV. Barnes and Noble. 2004. p. 651. ISBN 0-7607-5634-1.
  4. ^ "The 100 Greatest TV Characters". Bravo. Archived from the original on October 15, 2007. Retrieved January 14, 2012.