A conservative loudmouth bigot might not sound like a foolproof subject for one of the most acclaimed sitcoms in TV history, but Carroll O'Connor as Archie Bunker took on politics, minorities, sex and other hot button topics during the run of All in the Family and made America laugh. Spanning from 1971 to 1979, the show revolved around crotchety Archie Bunker and his family: his saintly and subservient wife Edith (Jean Stapleton), Archie's daughter Gloria (Sally Struthers), and Gloria's college student husband and liberal, Michael, or as Archie called him, "Meathead" (Rob Reiner).