RIP, Jean Stapleton
 

I don't know about anyone else, obviously, but I thought Jean Stapleton is the reason All in the Family was possible. She provided that little bit of humanity that showed Archie wasn't a complete loss, and that he must have had something good about him. She deserved every award she got and more for the job she did, and the enjoyment she provided.

ITA agree about Edith. It almost made Archie seem like a saint to put up with her ditzy behavior. And beyond that role, she always had perfect comedic timing and made each character "real". She will be missed.

I remember hearing Norman Lear say Edith acted like Jesus:

“We always thought Edith would react to things exactly the way Jesus would,” Lear said. “She’s somebody who swallowed the Sermon on the Mount and lived it. And that was always our guideline for Edith."

http://www.afajournal.org/1991/0491AFAJ.pdf

I was too young to understand the show when it was on, but in reruns, I'm amazed at how topical it still is. All credit to Jean for making Edith such a wonderful woman.