HOLLYWOOD (CALIFORNIA) - Ed Asner, actor, attends his 90th Birthday Party at The... Roosevelt Hotel, Hollywood, California, on November 3, 2019. (Photo by Michael Tullberg/Getty Images). Getty Images
Today, seven-time Emmy Award-winning actor Ed Asner, who was first known for his roles on The Mary Tyler Moore Show spin-off Lou Grant, passed away surrounded by his loved ones. He was 91.
Asner was born November 15, 1929 in Kansas City. He is the most honored male Emmy performer (with five trophies to play Lou Grant in both comedy and drama).
After appearing in various productions, Asner was first seen on television in 1957 in Studio One's episode. Before The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Asner had guest spots on Naked City and Outlaws as well as appearances on Alfred Hitchcock Presents and Route 66.
Asner's film debut was in 1962 with the Elvis Presley movie Kid Galahad. His big break came eight years later when he played the lovable, gruff Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
(Original caption) Mary Tyler Moore's weekly comedy series won five Emmys at the 28th Annual Television Academy Awards May 17. This was to surpass all other shows from the 1975-76 seasons. From left to right: Edward Asner (left), Betty White (right), Mary Tyler Moore (right), and Ted Knight. Except for Asner, who won the Emmy for his role in Rich Man Poor Man, all other Emmy winners were for roles on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Bettmann Archive
For seven consecutive years, Asner was nominated for the supporting actor category of MTV. In 1976, Asner won his first non MTM Emmy for Outstanding Leading Actor for Single Appearance in Drama or Comedy Series. He then moved on to MTM spinoff Lou Grant in 1977, which earned him two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor In a Drama Series.
His second Emmy nomination was not for his role as Lou Grant. It was for Outstanding Single Performance of a Supporting Actor In a Comedy or Drama Series. Roots aired in 1977.
Ed Asner was awarded the Emmy for Outstanding Single Performance of a Supporting Actor In a Comedy Or Drama... [+] Series for "Roots", a miniseries that aired in 1977. Image courtesy Warner Bros.
Asner played Lou Grant on two television series. He was also a regular on the sitcoms Off The Rack (1984-1985), Heart Afire (1992-1993), Thunder Alley (1994-1995), Ask Harriet (1994-1995), and The Closer (19both in 1998); as well as on the dramas The Bronx Zoo (1987-1988) and The Trials Of Rosie ONeill (91-92).
Asner was also an animator on a variety of animated series, including Fish Police (1992), Captain Planet (1990-96), Gargoyles (94-96), Freakazoid (1996-97). (1995-97), Spider-Man: The Animated Series (1994-98), and Zorro (1997)-98.
Asner starred opposite Paul Newman on the big screen in the crime-themed Fort Apache. He also played Santa Claus in Elf in Elf in 1981. Asner was also part of Pixar's Oscar-winning Up in which he voiced Carl Fredricksen.
Asner was also president of the Screen Actors Guild for two terms in the 1980s.
James Caan and Edward Asner, Will Ferrell, during "Elf” Special Screening Los Angeles – Red Carpet... [+] at The Grove Theater, Los Angeles, California, United States. (Photo by L. Cohen/WireImage For New Line Cinema) WireImage For New Line Cinema
Asner was also a guest star on Cobra Kai as Johnny Lawrence's stepfather Sid Weinberg. Asner also appeared on the comedies Grace and Frankie and Dead To Me.
After Cloris Leachman and Gavin MacLeod, Ed Asner has been the third actor to die from The Mary Tyler Moore Show this year. Betty White, now 99 years old, is the last remaining cast member of the iconic sitcom.
