Norman Lear’s producing partner Brent Miller reflects fondly on how the duo “used” each other

Brent Miller began working for Norman Lear in events and helped him travel the Declaration of Independence across the country. That eventually led Miller to run Lear’s Act III Prods. company. And under their partnership, the company — based at Sony — has repeated itself in a big way, with the critically acclaimed reboot of “One Day at a Time” and the Emmy-winning “Live in Front of a Studio Audience.” Lear died in December at 101. Here, timed on Lear’s first birthday since his passing (he would have been 102), Miller recounts a particular moment that stands out for him that says everything you need to know about Lear.

It was a typical sunny morning in Beverly Hills, and Norman Lear asked me to come and enjoy brunch on the back patio of his house overlooking the pool before arriving at our offices on the Sony grounds. The menu,…