Carroll O’Connor lived in Italy when he was cast.
Yup, O’Connor was living in Italy when he was told that he landed the role of Archie Bunker. The producers paid O’Connor’s way to live back in the States during filming. Not bad, eh?
Jean Stapleton passed on a huge product for All in the Family.
Stapleton had been cast in the hit film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory but she passed on the project in order to do All in the Family. Worked out in the end, though.