Ed Asner, who won over television audiences while portraying the gruff Lou Grant on both The Mary Tyler Moore Show and the eponymous spin-off, sadly passed away in August 2021 at the age of 91. The actor, whose career spanned over six-decades, won over a new generation of fans by voicing the grumpy character of Carl Fredricksen in Pixar’s Up in 2009. More than a decade after that heartbreaking film hit the big screen, fans are mourning again, as Ed sadly died.
Yitzhak Edward Asner was born in Kansas City, Missouri to Jewish Russian-born parents. After growing up in an Orthodox Jewish family, Ed enrolled in the University of Chicago, where he acted in several stage productions. Following a stint in the U.S Army, 1951-53, he returned to Chicago where he helped found the Playwrights Theatre Club.
After heading to Los Angeles, following a stint in New York City where he honed his chops on Off-Broadway roles, Ed pursued a career in television acting. His big break came in 1970, when he was cast Lou Grant in The Mary Tyler Moore Show. In 1977, Ed’s character was given his own show, Lou Grant. While the original show was a comedy about television news, Lou Grant was a drama about newspaper journalism, and Ed is one of only two actors to win an Emmy Award for playing the same role in a sitcom and a drama.
Scroll through the gallery for pics of Ed throughout his career.
