Ed Asner, 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' star, dies at 91
Ed Asner, the gruff but lovable star who played old-fashioned newsman Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, died on Sunday, August 29 at age 91. His cause of death has not yet been revealed.
Asner's family shared the news on the actor's Twitter account.
We are sorry to say that our beloved patriarch passed away this morning peacefully. Words cannot express the sadness we feel. With a kiss on your head- Goodnight dad. We love you.
— Ed Asner (@TheOnlyEdAsner) August 29, 2021
Asner won five of his seven career Primetime Emmys for his work as Grant, a role that straddled drama and comedy.
In 2009, he reached new heights as the voice of Carl, the widower who takes off for a balloon adventure in Up, the Oscar-winning, Best Picture-nominated animated film. "I found out a long time ago," Asner said in 2012, "that I was only good for acting."
Born Nov. 15, 1929, in Kansas City, Mo., Asner, who was typically billed on screen as Edward Asner, was among the most prolific of actors. He was always, always, always working. He started out in TV in the late 1950s: Westerns (Outlaws), cop shows (Route 66), crime shows (The Untouchables). The compact, balding Asner invariably played the tough guy.
In 1970, Asner won the role of Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Though Grant was tough, he was a softy, too. As news director of Minneapolis's WJM-TV, Grant growled at Mary Richards (Moore) in the pilot's famous job-interview scene — "You've got spunk. I hate spunk!" — and hired her anyway. Asner went on to earn three Emmys for the comedy series.
During his Mary Tyler Moore run, he picked up two more Emmys for his work in the era's most-watched TV miniseries: Rich Man, Poor Man and Roots. When Mary Tyler Moore ended in 1977, Asner brought his character along for a new series: Lou Grant, an hour-long drama that moved Grant to a Los Angeles newspaper. Asner won two more Emmys. Overall, he was nominated a career total of 17 times.
Lou Grant was canceled in 1982 amid calls for a boycott from conservative leaders who objected to Asner, as Screen Actors Guild president, supporting rebels in El Salvador in defiance of President Ronald Reagan's foreign policy. CBS blamed low ratings for Lou Grant's demise; Asner called it "a new kind of blacklisting."
His career didn't suffer, though; Asner went on to star in at least a half-dozen more TV series, including a recurring role on Aaron Sorkin's Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. On the big screen, he had featured roles in Oliver Stone's JFK and Will Ferrell's Elf. He worked on many animated series, everything from Fish Police to The Cleveland Show.
In 2013, the actor was treated for exhaustion in a Chicago-area hospital after apparently falling ill on stage 15 minutes into a one-man show about President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He recovered, and subsequently returned to his job: acting.
In a 2009 interview, Asner was asked about his on-screen reputation for gruffness, and replied simply, "I prefer think of myself as abrupt." He is survived by four children.
Tributes to the Emmy winner — whose most legendary roles are featured below — have quickly started to pour in.
what a beautiful man. may flights of angels sing thee to thy rest. ?? https://t.co/K9pW5xDfqY
— Don" 't ask me google questions" Cheadle (@DonCheadle) August 29, 2021
RIP #EdAsner, forever Lou Grant to me. Thank you for the laughs and for a life of intelligence and integrity. 1929-2021. pic.twitter.com/Kg5fFiumLn
— Katie Couric (@katiecouric) August 29, 2021
The great Ed Asner.@TheOnlyEdAsner
What an inspiration he was to me as a young actor.
Not to mention the years of laughs he brought into my household when I was kid.
Thank you Ed.
My heart goes out to his family and friends. pic.twitter.com/qb0W98Gwvu— Vincent D'Onofrio (@vincentdonofrio) August 29, 2021
Ed Asner was a fine man and a great actor. He was tough in the ways that count and suffered no fools. I acted with him just once and knew how lucky I was to do so. A hero. Rest in peace, Ed.
— Michael McKean (@MJMcKean) August 29, 2021
Ed Asner meant so much to so many for so many reasons. What a life. Colleague of my Dad, shepherded my Mom into the Union Presidency, whooped my ass at poker, fought against war & lies, fought a lifetime for our Union & stood up to it just the same. Sending love to his family.
— Sean Astin (@SeanAstin) August 29, 2021
Making my 1st film, Roger & Me, I was broke so I wrote to some famous people to ask for help. Only one responded: Ed Asner. “I don’t know you, kid, but here’s 500 bucks” said the note attached to the check. “Sounds like it’ll be a great film. I was an autoworker once.” R.I.P. Ed pic.twitter.com/AuGCNlyNnC
— Michael Moore (@MMFlint) August 29, 2021
“Hey, you’ve got spunk!
I hate spunk.”
A great performer and a great guy. Working with him and learning from him was an honor.
So many wonderful roles but Lou Grant was one for the ages. #RIPEdAsner— Jon Cryer (@MrJonCryer) August 29, 2021
Oh this hurts. ?????????????????????? Rest In Peace Ed.
Not only an iconic award winning actor but a humanitarian and someone who I worked closely with to support #Autism families. Just crushing. #EdAsner pic.twitter.com/9wUwYZxQkJ— Holly Robinson Peete ?????? (@hollyrpeete) August 29, 2021
Ed Asner, who won seven Emmy awards including five for the unforgettable role of Lou Grant, has passed away. He was a giant on the screen, and a philanthropist, too. A man of true heart and talent. He will be missed.
— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) August 29, 2021
Had the privilege of locking eyes with #EdAsner on Studio 60 and it meant a lot to me because I grew up loving him and he was one of those rare actors who just shot straight. He couldn’t help it. Rest In Peace, sir. Well done.
— Bradley Whitford (@BradleyWhitford) August 29, 2021
I am heartbroken to say goodbye to our friend #EdAsner who graced #CentralParkTV as the voice of Bitsy’s brother Ambrose. He was a Legend, a beautiful soul and a truly brilliant actor. Love you sir! We will miss down here, but smiling that you are have fittingly gone Up. pic.twitter.com/EAjuW9a3J5
— Josh Gad (@joshgad) August 29, 2021
Ed Asner's Greatest Roles
Lou Grant, The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Whether for laughs or for a cause, Asner played the consummate newsroom fixture for 12 years. Along the way, he won five Emmys.
Axel Jordache, Rich Man, Poor Man
Lou Grant might've hated spunk, but he wasn’t an angry man. Because of that, Asner's transformation into the drunken, abusive father figure in this blockbuster 1976 miniseries was all the more startling. Asner was rewarded with the Emmy.
Capt. Thomas Davies, Roots
Asner didn't flinch from the hard or the ugly — or the role of the slave-ship captain in this landmark 1977 miniseries. Once again, he won an Emmy.
Adam Thornton, The Gathering
After two loud roles in Rich Man, Poor Man and Roots, Asner played a subdued, emotionally distant father in this somber, 1977 holiday TV movie.
Santa Claus, Elf
Will Ferrell's man-child (man-elf?) Buddy may not be wise to the ways of the human world, but in this 2003 big-screen comedy even Buddy knows no cheap, department-store imitator has the gravitas to be the leader of the North Pole. For that job, only Ed Asner will do.
Carl Fredricksen, Up
Asner was a prolific voice actor. He was J. Jonah Jameson in a 1990s Spider-Man cartoon series. He was the Asner look-alike Mr. Wuncler on The Boondocks. Most memorably, he was the elderly widower who literally cut loose and went on a great balloon adventure in this Oscar-winning Pixar classic, which was nominated for Best Picture.
