Shortly after her iconic portrayal of Edith Bunker in All in the Family, Jean Stapleton was presented with another potentially career-defining role. She chose to decline, leaving us all to wonder what might have been.
Stapleton’s Iconic Role in All in the Family
Jean Stapleton, who passed away in 2013, spent nine seasons bringing to life the sweet, but naïve Edith Bunker on Norman Lear’s groundbreaking comedy. In an interview with the Television Academy Foundation, Stapleton shared her thoughts on the character she’s most remembered for.
“A very compassionate individual,” Stapleton described Edith. “A peculiar way of arriving at things. Not very bright. Not well-educated. But a great sense of wisdom and heart. And also a fun sense of joy about her. Just great love for everyone. And a perception about people that was instinctive, intuitive. But certainly not intellectual.
“Her traits came out of these motivations I’ve mentioned, these qualities I’ve mentioned. And her great love for her husband and her children. Sometimes she went right to the root of something.”
The Role of a Lifetime She Passed On
In 1983, Stapleton was offered the role of Jessica Fletcher, the murder mystery novelist on Murder, She Wrote. Angela Lansbury, who ultimately took on the role, often acknowledged Stapleton’s initial consideration.
“That’s correct,” Stapleton confirmed about being considered for the role. “Angela will attest to that as well. Every time I saw Angela during those years, she’d say, ‘Thank you, Jean.’”
Stapleton explained that her long run on All in the Family influenced her decision to turn down the part.
“I had just come off of eight and a half years on a series,” she recalled. “It didn’t seem to be the kind of role that I could really get my teeth into. It didn’t have enough color for me. I found that those in charge were rather rigid about changes, which I had discussed. [I] thought, ‘Well, it’d be a hard row.’ It wouldn’t be the free theater that we had enjoyed in All in the Family. I thought, ‘This isn’t for me now, this time. [I] don’t want to commit to this.’”
Stapleton ultimately felt the role was perfectly cast with Lansbury. “Angela was standing in the wings wanting some TV exposure, which she didn’t have. So that gave it to her. She was wonderful. Just right for it.”
Edith Bunker’s Farewell
When Stapleton decided to leave All in the Family, Norman Lear, the show’s creator and executive producer, was the most resistant to her departure. The character of Edith Bunker was based on his own mother, making her exit particularly poignant for him.
“Norman said on the phone, ‘I just haven’t been able to say yes to this,’” she recalled. “I said, ‘Norman, you realize, don’t you, she is only fiction.’ And there was a long pause. And I thought, ‘I’ve hurt this dear man that I love so much.’ And then the voice came back to me, ‘She isn’t.’ But, shortly thereafter, he gave the word, and they made Edith die.”
A Legacy Remembered
Jean Stapleton’s decision to pass on Murder, She Wrote allowed Angela Lansbury to step into a role that would become legendary in its own right. Meanwhile, Stapleton’s portrayal of Edith Bunker remains one of television’s most beloved characters, a testament to her extraordinary talent and depth as an actress.
