Few actors are fortunate enough to land a role that keeps them in the spotlight for over a decade, let alone one that cements them as a cultural icon. Even rarer is the opportunity to follow that with another substantial, career-defining role — at age 63, in a completely different genre. Carroll O’Connor, who passed away 24 years ago today on June 21, 2001, at 76, achieved exactly that. He made television history as Archie Bunker, the working-class, often cantankerous patriarch of All in the Family, and later starred for eight seasons as small-town Southern police chief Bill Gillespie on In the Heat of the Night.
But which of these two legendary roles did O’Connor cherish most?
According to his 2001 obituary in The Los Angeles Times, O’Connor told reporters in 1994 that Archie Bunker was “the best character, the most fulfilling character, and I never thought it was going to develop that way. There’s no role that can top that.” Yet in the same year, O’Connor acknowledged the appeal of having greater creative control in In the Heat of the Night.
The actor, famously exacting, had clashed with All in the Family producer Norman Lear, writers, and directors over scripts. He understood the delicate balance of making Archie more than just a cartoonish figure — a flawed everyman who loved his family despite his prejudices.
By contrast, O’Connor’s work on In the Heat of the Night gave him far more influence. “I prefer [Gillespie],” he said while filming the show’s final season. “I’m probably influenced by my augmented role with the show — executive producer, head writer, star, the guy who even passes on the ladies’ wigs. It involves me more than Archie did. So it’s more fun.”
O’Connor approached the second show with the same dedication as the first, frequently revising scripts and guiding directors on how to shape the story and characters. He insisted on realistic portrayals of life in a small Mississippi town and resisted any contrived “big-city” plots. This time, however, he had the authority he had long desired, ensuring his creative vision shaped the series from top to bottom.
By 1999, O’Connor had come to appreciate the unique gifts each role offered. In interviews with the Archive of American Television, he stated that while he enjoyed playing Gillespie the most, he could never overlook the significance of Archie Bunker. “In spite of my griping, or anything else, I was very pleased with it. It’s the best part I’ve ever played,” he said of Archie. “I don’t think I’ll ever find a part as good as that. I enjoyed playing the chief down in Georgia more, but from an actor’s standpoint, Archie was the better part.”
Bud Yorkin, executive producer of All in the Family, reflected on O’Connor’s dedication after his passing: “Carroll was a man who took everything very seriously. He wouldn’t accept everything. Some people might have found that difficult, but he was just trying to make it better. I thought he was a terrific performer. And I can’t imagine anyone else doing that role.”
Both casts recognized that Carroll O’Connor was more than a colleague — he was a champion for creating believable, engaging television that challenged audiences to examine their own perspectives on society, while still delivering remarkable entertainment.
Rob Reiner, who played Archie’s son-in-law Mike “Meathead” Stivic, told the Huffington Post: “From Carroll O’Connor, I learned a lot about how you perform and how important the script and story are for the actors. So the actor doesn’t have to push things. You can let the story and the dialogue support you if it’s good.”
Anne-Marie Johnson, O’Connor’s co-star on In the Heat of the Night, added: “What really made In the Heat of the Night so popular, and what makes it even more popular today, was that Carroll really wanted to portray race relations and race relationships as honestly as possible. The integrity of the show has his thumbprint on it.”
