The Mary Tyler Moore Show actor Ed Asner, who had been acting since the 1950s, has passed away according to TMZ. Asner passed away at the age of 91 this Sunday morning, surrounded by his family. No cause of death has been announced, nor do we know if one will be announced at this time.
Ed Asner’s Early Life
Eddie Asner was born on November 15, 1929, in Kansas City, Missouri. Oddly enough, he was raised in Kansas City, Kansas. His parents were European, Jewish immigrants by the names of Lizzie and Morris David Asner. They also gave Asner his Hebrew name of Yitzhak. As a teenager, he would attend the Wyandotte High School in Kansas City, Kansas, and would later attend The University of Chicago. Eventually, he would make his way to the U.S. Army Signal Corps, he would appear in a few plays while he served.
Professional Life
After his service Asner would do a lot of stage acting as he would go from Chicago and New York performing at various theatres. It wouldn’t be until 1957 that he would make his television debut in the anthology television series by the name of Studio One. Asner would keep getting roles in other television series like The Outer Limits, Route 66, and Decoy. 1970 would be the first time he would appear on The Mary Tyler Moore Show as Lou Grant and would play Lou for 7 seasons. He would reprise his role as Lou Grant in Roseanne and Rhoda. Younger readers unfamiliar with the television shows previously listed will know Asner from his voice. In 2009 Asner played Carl Fredricksen, the first sweet-then-sour man from the animated film Up.
He also played Santa Claus in Elf, The Regular Show, and The Ellen Show. Beyond those notable ones he has also been in Spongebob Squarepants, American Dad!, Modern Family, and Curb Your Enthusiasm just to name a few. Ed Asner had also been the president of The Screen Actor’s Guild for two terms before he passed away.
Our condolences go to Asner’s family and friends during this difficult time.
