Ed Asner: Lou Grant and so much more

Ed Asner played Lou Grant in "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" in the '70s

and "Lou Grant" in the '80s.

Source: https://decider.com/2021/08/30/ed-asner-obituary-lou-grant-masculinity/

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It seems like I see Ed Asner everywhere these days.

A friend of mine just came back from Disneyland where she got her picture taken with the old man from “Up”, a character Asner provided the voice for. I have also been watching “Hearts Afire”, a comedy that ran from 1992 to 1995, starring Markie Post and John Ritter. Asner played the father of Post’s character. He also played John Lawrence’s estranged and strange father in “Cobra Kai”.

This all made me think of when I first saw Asner play the same gruff character in not one but two different shows when I was growing up.

Sweet Lou
Ed Asner played a character that may be one of the most interesting, dynamic and multi-layered in the history of television.

In the first episode of the “Mary Tyler Moore Show” aired in 1970, the title character, Mary Richards, went for a job interview at WJM-TV. She was interviewed by Lou Grant, the producer, who was gruff, inappropriate, and a bit sexist. Later he shows up drunk at her new apartment and says his wife has left town for a month. Mary now thinks she knows where this is going. Then he tells Mary he misses his wife, so much he wants to write her a letter – right then and there. While this is all going on, Mary is trying to finally end her relationship with her boyfriend. While she tries to talk to him, Lou is muttering phrases for the letter, pounding away at the typewriter, until he finally leaves. Only he returns looking for a stamp. When Mary’s soon to be ex-boyfriend says that’s some kind of boss, she tells him she thinks it’s sweet.

Funny and sweet went with all those other adjectives to describe Lou Grant. That episode set the stage for a character that would evolve over 12 years. After seven years on “Mary Tyler Moore”, from 1970 to 1977, the show wrapped up.

However, Lou Grant lived on. He got his own show, “Lou Grant”, where he was now a newspaper editor in Sacramento. It was an hour-long drama, pretty much the opposite of the half-hour comedy he had been on, yet the character continued to grow.

Finally, after five years, from 1977 to 1982, “Lou Grant” also went off the air.

But Ed Asner left his mark as Loiu Grant. He won the Primetime Emmy Award in 1971, 1972, and 1975 for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Comedy on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”. He also won two Emmys in 1978 and 1980 for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.

Yet, that was not all he did.

More Emmys
Ed Asner also appeared in television miniseries where he turned in more memorable performances.

In 1976, he played Axel Jordache in “Rich Man, PoorMan”, father to the Jordache brothers who are the title characters. For his efforts he won an Emmy in 1976 for Outstanding Lead Actor for a Single Appearance in a Drama or Comedy Series.

A year later, in 1977, he played Thomas Davies, captain of the slave ship that brought Kunta Kinte to America in “Roots”. He won another Emmy for that role in 1977, for Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Drama Series.

With the five Emmys for his portrayal of Lou Grant, that brought Asner’s total to seven Primetime Emmys, the most ever won by a male performer.

Memorable movie moments
There are a couple movies Ed Asner starred in that really stick out for me.

“The Gathering”, a TV movie released in 1977, seemed to be on every Christmas season on Channel 7 of the three-channel universe. Asner plays a man estranged from his wife and grown children. He is dying and brings them back together for one last Christmas.

“Anatomy of an Illness”, from 1984, is the true story of Norman Cousins who is diagnosed with what is likely a terminal disease. He decides to fight it with heavy doses of Vitamin C – and laughter. I recall the scene where he started his treatment. The Vitamin C is draining into his veins while he watches a silent movie that has him in stitches. Cousins ends up beating that illness and living a long life.

Back on TV
Asner had two short-lived series in the 1980s as well.

“Off the Rack” ran for seven episodes in the 1984-1985 season. Asner co-starred with Eileen Brennan as partners running a clothing manufacturing company.

“The Bronx Zoo” lasted a little longer, 21 episodes in the 1987-1988 season, where Asner played the principal at a school where he battled to motivate students – and his staff.

The years after
Ed Asner would just keep on acting pretty much up until his death in 2021.

He appeared in motion pictures such as “JFK”; “The Animal”; and “Elf”. He also did a lot of voice work, including the Oscar winning “Up”.

Asner also appeared on television in various roles in “Highway to Heaven”; “The Trials of Rosie O’Neill”, where he was in 17 episodes; “Hearts Afire”; “Thunder Alley” for 27 episodes; “The Magic School Bus”; “Mad About You”; “The Practice”; “The Closer” for 10 episodes; “The X-Files”; “Touched by an Angel”; “Dharma and Greg”; “Curb Your Enthusiasm”; “ER”; “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip”; “CSI: NY”; “Hot In Cleveland”; “Hawaii Five-O” where he reprised a character he played in the original series more than 20 years earlier; “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit”; “Mom”; “The Good Wife”; “Criminal Minds”; “Murdoch Mysteries”; “Bones”; “Cobra Kai”; “MacGyver”; “Modern Family”; “Blue Bloods”; and much more.

He did voice work in television as well, including “Dinosaurs”; “Spiderman”; “Duckman”; “The Simpsons”; “Family Guy”; “King of the Hill”; and more.

Ed Asner died in 2021 at the age of 91.

Parting thoughts
Ed Asner was a prolific actor as you can see by the multitude of credits, and I have only scratched the surface with the things I have seen. He also had a lot of acting credits before that, in a career that started in 1957.

Yet, he will always be best known for playing Lou Grant. It was such a stellar performance, and so diverse. He is one of only two actors in history to win Emmys in drama and comedy for playing the same role.

That’s what I will always remember.

But I will also remember how effective and compelling he was in “Up”. With only his voice to express the emotion and depth of character, he was truly amazing.

Even then, you can imagine the character he voiced in “Up” as being Lou Grant as a senior citizen.

That’s what makes him such a great actor.