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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsEd Asner, legendary actor, activist and philanthropist, passed away peacefully Sunday morning
Ed Asner, legendary actor, activist and philanthropist, passed away peacefully Sunday morning, surrounded by family. He was 91.
Asner, former president of the Screen Actors Guild, is best known for his role as Lou Grant during the 1970s and early 1980s, on both The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spinoff series Lou Grant, making him one of the few television actors to portray the same character in both a comedy and a drama.
He is the most awarded male performer in Emmy history with seven wins five of them for playing Lou Grant.
Asners long list of credits also include the movies Elf, one of several movies in which he played Santa Claus, and Pixars Oscar-winning Up, in which he voiced the lead, Carl Fredricksen. He was most recently seen on the Emmy-nominated comedy series Cobra Kai.
https://deadline.com/2021/08/ad-asner-dead-lou-grant-mary-tyler-moore-1234823859/
babylonsister
(171,056 posts)ProfessorGAC
(65,000 posts)Your link is pretty convincing.
babylonsister
(171,056 posts)ZonkerHarris
(24,221 posts)babylonsister
(171,056 posts)Sad for him/us, props to you.
catbyte
(34,374 posts)tenderfoot
(8,426 posts)Response to ZonkerHarris (Original post)
Trailrider1951 This message was self-deleted by its author.
berniesandersmittens
(11,343 posts)renate
(13,776 posts)He was a mensch.
yaesu
(8,020 posts)whathehell
(29,067 posts)RIP.
efhmc
(14,725 posts)sarchasm
(1,012 posts)Gotta love that! A great actor, and human being.
LetMyPeopleVote
(145,130 posts)BlancheSplanchnik
(20,219 posts)Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin
(107,922 posts)Great guy.
LonePirate
(13,417 posts)ShazzieB
(16,370 posts)And I love Ed Asner. He will sorely missed.
Treefrog
(4,170 posts)catbyte
(34,374 posts)Treefrog
(4,170 posts)Only Betty White is left.
PSPS
(13,592 posts)orleans
(34,050 posts)AngryOldDem
(14,061 posts)Lou Grant was an excellent series that deserved a longer run. It was a very true depiction of a newsroom. He and Nancy Marchand were brilliant.
calimary
(81,220 posts)Loved him on Mary Tyler Moore too.
A mensch for sure. Probably Upstairs with Cronkite, Huntley and Brinkley, by now (even though he only played one on TV), and Mary, Ted, and Murr too.
R. I. P., Mr. Grant.
Fritz Walter
(4,291 posts)From the NBC News story:
The actor has long blamed conservative activists connected to Reagan with the surprising 1982 cancellation of "Lou Grant." Not long before the show was taken off the air, Asner helped formed a group that rushed medical supplies to rebels in El Salvador.
As a "J-School" graduate, I admired his work on the Lou Grant series. Yes, I know: it was a drama series, not a documentary, but still he portrayed the integrity, diligence and commitment to the truth that is so sadly lacking in journalism these days.
Rest well, "Mr. Fredericksen!" (His much-beloved character on the animated movie "Up" in 2009).
irisblue
(32,968 posts)John1956PA
(2,654 posts)Last edited Sun Aug 29, 2021, 06:32 PM - Edit history (1)
In his performance, he did us Democrats proud.
Also, I recall watching those awards shows in his heyday when was winning Emmys and Globes year after year. He livened up the ceremonies every time.
Botany
(70,498 posts)paleotn
(17,911 posts)niyad
(113,274 posts)FoxNewsSucks
(10,429 posts)I really liked both MTM and Lou Grant shows. I didn't know he was born in Kansas City.
I also didn't know that Cobra Kai was a "comedy" series. I watched it and didn't recognize Asner.
At times like this, I just don't know why so many good people die and vile, greedy evil scum like Cheneys and tRumps still stalk the earth.
chowder66
(9,067 posts)blogslug
(37,999 posts)I follow him on Twitter and he was giving trolls & wingnuts hell till the very end.
Here is his very good charity, benefitting persons with special needs:
https://edasnerfamilycenter.org/
Tomconroy
(7,611 posts)The spinoff The Lou Grant Show too.
AngryOldDem
(14,061 posts)RIP, Mr. Asner. You will always be a treasure.
GPV
(72,377 posts)lambchopp59
(2,809 posts)burrowowl
(17,639 posts)RIP Ed Ashner, a good man!
MANative
(4,112 posts)Lovely exchanges with him on Twitter a couple of years ago. A beautiful man. ❤
Auggie
(31,167 posts)Auggie
(31,167 posts)and available for streaming. One of the best television dramas ever.
markie
(22,756 posts)seeing him in "Grace and Frankie" the other night awesome to the end!
Liberal In Texas
(13,548 posts)He would fly in to support us when we are organizing or once when the newsroom I was in was on strike.
bahboo
(16,337 posts)Brother Buzz
(36,416 posts)turbinetree
(24,695 posts)and...
Hekate
(90,645 posts)turbinetree
(24,695 posts)and this animation was just wonderful with him playing that man...
House of Roberts
(5,168 posts)on Heroes and Icons channel, with Ed Asner and Barbara Stanwyck as Chicago cops trying to trace a John Doe death. The story eventually entwines with an investigation by Eliot Ness, hence the story being on The Untouchables.
Clash City Rocker
(3,396 posts)Fun fact about Mary Tyler Moore
some of her TV costars from the Dick Van Dyke Show and the MTM Show are still alive. Betty White is 99, Dick Van Dyke is 95, John Amos is 81, and Larry Matthews is 66. Of those who have passed away, Carl Reiner died at the age of 98, Rose Marie and Cloris Leachman lived to be 94, Ed Asner was 91, Gavin McLeod was 90, Morey Amsterdam and Ann Morgan Guilbert were 87, and Valerie Harper and Mary were 80. Only Ted Knight, Richard Deacon and Jerry Paris died before they could turn 70; Georgia Engel died at the age of 70.
It seems that working with her was good for your lifespan.
PCIntern
(25,539 posts)Im copying and pasting with attribution.
Thanks again!
NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)Rest in Peace, Ed. (I hate spunk, too!)
Lord Ludd
(585 posts)Fla Dem
(23,653 posts)While he looked pretty good, he looked his age. Was in a motorized wheelchair.
RIP Ed Asner.
You and Mary Tyler Moore will have a lot to reminisce and laugh about.
ismnotwasm
(41,976 posts)Demovictory9
(32,449 posts)Hekate
(90,645 posts)Response to ZonkerHarris (Original post)
LAS14 This message was self-deleted by its author.
sinkingfeeling
(51,445 posts)liberalla
(9,242 posts)Thanks for the memories, laughs, and for being such a decent man.
alphafemale
(18,497 posts)Does that leave just Betty?
dflprincess
(28,075 posts)LiberalFighter
(50,895 posts)MustLoveBeagles
(11,592 posts)I remember watching him on Lou Grant as a kid. Years later I watched The Mary Tyler Moore show on Nick at Nite. It was strange to see the character in a comedy.
area51
(11,907 posts)kacekwl
(7,016 posts)Activist and patriot. Thanks Mr. Asner.
Scottie Mom
(5,812 posts)crickets
(25,963 posts)You were one of a kind.
FakeNoose
(32,634 posts)So this means Betty White is the last one left, am I right?
Rest in Peace, Ed Asner...
BobTheSubgenius
(11,563 posts)(Ted Baxter, with a hairdo and yacht club attire)
"Hi Lou." *extends hand* "Meet your new anchoman."
(Lou Grant takes half a beat, then replies)
"Thank God you're here. You wouldn't believe the idiot we've had up till now."
Good night, Ed. You're one of the good ones.
*Fade to black and strike the set*
BigmanPigman
(51,584 posts)Great actor and strong union leader.
He was in the TV movie "The Girl Most Likely To". It is a classic dark comedy.
Beartracks
(12,809 posts)Back in the 80s, we stayed in a condo that he owned in Jackson Hole. Time-share, maybe? Anyway, they told us he owned that unit, so I always got a kick out being able to say, "Yeah, we stayed in Ed's condo while he was away."
Thank you, Mr. Asner, for the art and the activism over the years -- and for letting us hang out at your place that weekend.
RIP
=========
left-of-center2012
(34,195 posts)Hollywood Reporter:
Ed Asner, the Iconic Lou Grant on Two Acclaimed TV Series, Dies at 91
The seven-time Emmy winner was funny on 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' and serious on his own newspaper drama, then delighted movie audiences with 'Up.'
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/ed-asner-dead-lou-grant-1235004802/
Danmel
(4,913 posts)I was a campaign volunteer and got to meet him and Peter, Paul & Mary. Because it was 37 years ago, I have no pictures, but he was very gracious.
halfulglas
(1,654 posts)Baltimore Symphony Musicians
57m ·
We are saddened to hear of the passing of actor Ed Asner, a union advocate and supporter of many causes. He was in a show at the Mechanic Theatre in 1988 during the BSO strike, and joined us on the picket line.
He walked their picket line with the musicians.
PoindexterOglethorpe
(25,848 posts)Perhaps in the next life.
GoodRaisin
(8,922 posts)Will miss Mr. Grant.
Maine Abu El Banat
(3,479 posts)I hate spunk! RIP Mr. Asner.
PatrickforB
(14,570 posts)Look at this thread, and consider how very EASY it is to fall prey to conspiracy theories. And, it does not help that search engines like Google try and 'read' your interests and so present sites the bots 'think' that would interest you. You can go pretty deep down a rabbit hole in no time at all.
Just saying.
ZonkerHarris
(24,221 posts)lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)And he was a great guy in real life.
marieo1
(1,402 posts)There will never be another Ed Asner.........I have enjoyed him all his life in whatever role he played. A great guy and humanitarian. RIP, Mr. Asner.