Ed Asner's Biography
He served in France for two years in the U.S. Army Signal Corps.
On his return to the States, Ed Asner started acting in Chicago and then, in 1955, made his debut on Broadway in Face of A Hero.
Ed Asner made numerous theatrical appearances before becoming known to a wider audience via TV. His major breakthrough was his role on the sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show as Lou Grant.
The Mary Tyler Moore Show was a comedy but it spawned a drama spin-off with Ed Asner playing the title role in Lou Grant, which ran from 1977 to 1982 with Lou Grant as the editor of the L.A. Tribune.Asner won numerous Emmys and Golden Globes for Lou Grant and became the only actor to win Emmys for playing the same character in a comedy and a drama series.Asner also won Emmys and Golden Globe Awards for his roles in Roots, in which he played Captain Davies, a slave trader; and Rich Man, Poor Man.
In 2007, Ed Asner was nominated for an Emmy for best Supporting actor in a mini-series / TV movie for his work on The Christmas Card.
Ed Asner was President of the Screen Actors' Guild (SAG) from 1981 to 1985. In 2002 he was awarded SAG's 38th Annual Life Achievement Award.
He has been active politically and has often been critical of US foreign policy. He has supported organisations such as Peace Now, the American Civil Liberties Union and Amnesty International.
Ed Asner died in August 2021, aged 91.
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