Printable Biography of Ed Asner

Versatile, committed, eloquent, and talented are all adjectives that describe actor and activist Edward Asner. Asner is best known for his comedic and dramatic crossover as the gruff but soft-hearted journalist Lou Grant, the role he originated on the landmark TV newsroom comedy The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Lou Grant's story continued in the newspaper-set drama Lou Grant, which earned Asner five Emmys and three Golden Globe Awards. Asner received two more Emmy and Golden Globe Awards for the mini-series Rich Man, Poor Man and Roots. His prolific and much honored acting career demonstrates a consummate ability to transcend the line between comedy and drama.

One of the most honored actors in the history of television - Asner has been the recipient of seven Emmy Awards and 16 nominations, as well as five Golden Globe Awards, and served as National President of the Screen Actors Guild for two terms. He was inducted into the TV Academy Hall of Fame in 1996. Asner received the Ralph Morgan Award from the Screen Actors Guild in 2000, presented periodically for distinguished service to the Guild's Hollywood membership. In March 2002, he was again honored by The Guild as the 38th recipient of the prestigious Life Achievement Award for career achievement and humanitarian accomplishment, presented annually to an actor who fosters the highest ideals of the profession.

In addition to his professional versatility, Asner has consistently served and committed himself to the rights of the working performer in addition to advocating for human rights world peace, environmental preservation, and political freedom. A passionate and informed spokesperson for the causes, Asner is a frequent speaker on labor issues and an ally for some of the acting industry's older artists. He has received the Anne Frank Human Rights Award, The Eugene Debs Award, Organized Labor Publications Humanitarian Award, American Civil Liberties Union's Worker's Right's Committee Award, and the National Emergency Civil Liberties Award.

Asner has more than 100 TV credits which include starring in the series Off the Rack, The Bronx Zoo, and Thunder Alley. Numerous guest appearances include roles in Curb Your Enthusiasm, ER, Arliss, and The Practice. Besides commercials and numerous books on tape, he has lent his voice to popular cartoon shows such as The Simpsons, Spiderman, and The Justice League. Asner's dozens of motion pictures include They Call Me Mister Tibbs!, Fort Apache the Bronx, JFK, and the European production of Giovanni XXIII - the highest rated television mini-series in the history of Italian TV. In 2003 he played the role of Santa Claus in the box office hit, Elf. This fall he will be part of an ensemble cast that includes John Goodman, Olylmpia Dukakis, Jean Smart, and Dietrich Bader in a new series for CBS, Center of the Universe. Presently he is at work starring in the TV movie Out of the Woods for Hallmark.