The Most Iconic TV Characters of the 70s

Carroll O’Connor created the iconic Archie Bunker character, a working-class bigot from Queens who managed to endear himself to TV audiences despite few kind words for his beleaguered wife Edith and no kind words to his unrelenting liberal son-in-law Mike.

Henry Winkler was the leather-jacketed, female-magnet Arthur ‘Fonzie’ Fonzarelli, the friend of straight-laced high school student Richie Cunningham.

Comedian Redd Foxx created the cantankerous junk salesman Fred G. Sanford, who when under stress believes he’s having a heart attack and is about to rejoin his wife Elizabeth in the hereafter.

Sherman Helmsley played George Jefferson, an African American businessman, who in some ways was the black version of the white bigot Archie Bunker, had been his neighbor on the show “All in the Family.”

Larry Hagman, who was a likable astronaut in the sit-com “I Dream of Jeannie,” turned 180 degrees in his portrayal of J.R. Ewing, a ruthless Texas oilman not above using blackmail to get what he wants. Ewing makes many enemies, and apparently one of them shoots him, prompting the question asked in TV promotions, “Who shot J.R.?”

Gary Coleman’s Arnold Jackson is the younger of two African American brothers adopted by a white family. Whenever his brother Travis says something Arnold doubts, Arnold asks “What’choo talkin’ ’bout, Willis?” This became the character’s signature line.

Bonnie Franklin played Ann Romano, the determined single mother of two daughters. “One Day at a Time” ran for nine seasons and the Romano character became a feminist icon.

Melissa Gilbert portrayed Laura Ingalls, one of three sisters of the Ingalls family, living on America’s frontier in the 19th century. The series is based on eight autobiographical children’s novels written by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Comedians such as Milton Berle and Flip Wilson dressed in drag on TV variety shows in the 1950s and 1960s, but Jamie Farr was probably the first performer to crossdress for a recurring sit-com character in “M*A*S*H.” He did so to try and convince his superiors he was mentally unfit to serve in the Army.

Ed Asner played the crusty but lovable news director of a Minneapolis news program and Mary Tyler Moore’s boss on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” The character was so memorable that he returned in a well-received drama titled “Lou Grant.”

Bea Arthur played Maude Findlay on “Maude,” one of several spinoffs from “All in the Family.” Maude was the liberal foil of right-wing Archie Bunker.

Some icons from the 1970s were famous for their signature lines, and James “JJ” Evans was one of them. Portrayed by James “JJ” Walker, he was the oldest son of James and Esther Evans, and when JJ approved of something, he exclaimed “Dy-No-Mite!”

Persnickety, fastidious, fussy — these descriptions might be inadequate to describe Felix Unger, tossed out by his wife and forced to live with his slovenly friend Oscar Madison. Fans of “The Odd Couple” know the opening narration by heart: “On November 13, Felix Unger was asked to remove himself from his place of residence; that request came from his wife.”

There were few major Hispanic characters on network television until Freddie Prinze broke through as Chico Rodriguez, who convinced irritable old mechanic (Jack Albertson) to give him a job. Prinze was known for his signature line, “Lookin’ good.”

Like many iconic characters on our list, Polly Holliday’s Flo Castleberry is not the main character on “Alice.” But the waitress with southern sass at Mel’s greasy-spoon diner gained lasting fame for her signature insult, “Kiss my grits.”

After wowing audiences as a standup comedian, Robin Williams was on the cusp of superstardom when he created the role of space visitor Mork whose trademark greeting was “”Nanu-nanu.”

Film audiences remember Abe Vigoda as a gangster in “The Godfather.” Several years later, he was on the other side of the law as the aging, cranky detective Phil Fish suffering from various afflictions in the sit-com “Barney Miller.” The Fish character would eventually reappear in the self-titled series “Fish.”

Before Christopher Lloyd played the brilliant but loopy Dr. Emmett “Doc” Brown in the time-travel romp “Back to the Future,” he was Rev. Jim Ignatowski, a gentle, spaced-out character likely fried from excessive narcotics use on the series “Taxi.”

TV’s favorite beer company employees, as played by Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams, upheld the TV tradition of zany characters getting themselves in difficult situations yet always maintaining their friendship. TV viewers remember Laverne for her sweaters bearing a giant L.

John Travolta was on the threshold of megastardom when he first appeared as the uber-confident ladies man Vinnie Barbarino on the sit-com “Welcome Back, Kotter.” Whenever he was annoyed at someone, his response was, “Up your nose with a rubber hose.”