Ed Asner
Encyclopedia
Edward Asner commonly known as Ed Asner, is an American film, television, stage, and voice actor and former president of the Screen Actors Guild
, primarily known for his Emmy Award
-winning role as Lou Grant
on both The Mary Tyler Moore Show
and its spin-off
series, Lou Grant
. In 2009, he starred
as the voice of Carl Fredricksen in Pixar
's award-winning animated film, Up
. In early 2011, Asner returned to television as butcher
Hank Greziak in Working Class
, the first original sitcom on cable channel CMT
. He is currently starring in a Canadian television series Michael, Tuesdays and Thursdays, on CBC Television
.
, Missouri
, but was raised in nearby Kansas City, Kansas
. His Russia
n-born parents, Lizzie (née Seliger), a housewife, and Morris David Asner, ran a second-hand shop
. He was raised in an Orthodox Jewish
family. Asner attended Wyandotte High School
and the University of Chicago
. He served with the U.S. Army Signal Corps and appeared in plays that toured Army camps in Europe.
in the mid-1950s. He later made guest appearances with the successor to Compass, The Second City
, and is considered part of The Second City
extended family. In New York, Asner played Jonathan Jeremiah Peachum in the acclaimed Broadway
revival of Threepenny Opera, and began to make inroads as a television actor.
Before he landed his role with Mary Tyler Moore
, Asner guest-starred in such television series as NBC
's The Outlaws (1962), in the series finale of CBS
's The Reporter
, Mission: Impossible
and The Invaders
.
Asner is best known for his character Lou Grant
, who was first introduced on The Mary Tyler Moore Show
in 1970. In 1977, after the end of the Mary Tyler Moore show, Asner's character was given his own show, Lou Grant
, which ran from 1977-1982. In contrast to the Mary Tyler Moore show, which was a thirty minute comedy
, the Lou Grant show was an hour long award-winning drama
about journalism. (For his role as Grant, Asner is the only actor to win the Emmy award for a sitcom and a drama for the same role.) Other TV series starring Asner in regular roles include Thunder Alley
, The Bronx Zoo
, and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
.
Asner was acclaimed for his role in the miniseries Roots
, as Captain Davies, the man who kidnapped Kunta Kinte
and sold him into slavery, despite his own moral conflicts. The role that earned Asner an Emmy Award
, and for a similarly dark role as Axel Jordache in the mini-series Rich Man, Poor Man
. In contrast, he played Pope John XXIII
in Papa Giovanni: Ioannes XXIII, an Italian miniseries for RAI
.
Asner has also had an extensive voice acting
career. He provided the voices for J. Jonah Jameson
on the 1990s animated television series Spider-Man
, Hudson on Gargoyles
, Jabba the Hutt
on the radio version of Star Wars
, Master Vrook from Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
and its sequel, Roland Daggett
on Batman: The Animated Series
, Cosgrove on Freakazoid!
, Ed Wuncler on The Boondocks
, and Granny Goodness
in various DC Comics
animated series. Asner has also provided voice-over narration for many documentaries and films of social activism.
More recently, Asner provided the voice of Carl Fredricksen in the Academy Award winning 2009 Pixar
film Up
. He received great critical praise for the role, with one critic going so far as to suggest "They should create a new category for this year's Academy Award for Best Vocal Acting in an Animated Film and name Asner as the first recipient."
He has appeared in a recurring segment, on Jay Leno
's The Tonight Show
, entitled "Does This Impress Ed Asner?"
He was cast in a Country Music Television
comedy pilot, Regular Joe.
In 2001, Asner was the recipient of the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award
.
Asner has won more Emmy Awards for performing than any other male actor (seven, including five for the role of Lou Grant). In 2003, he was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame.
In July 2010, Asner completed recording sessions for Shattered Hopes: The True Story of the Amityville Murders which is a forthcoming documentary on the 1974 DeFeo murders in Amityville, New York. Asner serves as the narrator for the film, which covers a forensic analysis of the murders, the trial in which 23-year old DeFeo son Ronald DeFeo Jr., was convicted of the killings, and the subsequent "haunting" story which is revealed to be a hoax. In January 2011, Asner took a supporting role on CMT's first original sitcom Working Class
. He made an appearance in the independent comedy feature Not Another B Movie
, and had a small but pivotal role as billionaire Warren Buffett
in HBO's 2011 economy drama Too Big to Fail
.
and Democratic Socialists of America
, Asner served two terms as president of the Screen Actors Guild
, in which capacity during the 1980s he opposed US policy in Central America. He played a prominent role in the 1980 SAG strike. He has also been active in a variety of other causes, such as the movement to free Mumia Abu-Jamal
and the movement to establish single-payer health care
in California, California One Care, for which he created a television advertisement.
The cancellation of Lou Grant in 1982 was the subject of much controversy. The show supposedly had ratings which would have justified its ongoing presence in primetime (it was in the ACNielsen
top ten throughout its final month on the air), but the network declined to renew it. Asner has consistently contended that the publicity surrounding his political views was the real cause for the cancellation. (Howard Hesseman
, who had participated with Asner in promoting a controversial medical aid for El Salvador program, found his popular show WKRP in Cincinnati
canceled by CBS the same day.)
Ed Asner endorsed progressive Democratic Candidate Marcy Winograd in the 2011 California 36th Congressional district special election
.
, a free speech organization that is dedicated to protecting comic book creators and retailers from prosecutions based on content. He serves as an advisor to the Rosenberg Fund for Children
, an organization founded by the children of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
which provides benefits for the children of political activists, and as a board member for the wildlife conservation organization Defenders of Wildlife
.
Asner is also a member of the Honorary Board of Directors for the homeless respite service center Fresh Start WC in Walnut Creek, CA.
. Asner confirmed his support for the statement in 2009. Asner also narrated the documentary film The Oil Factor: Behind the War on Terror.
Asner served as the spokesman for 2004 Racism Watch. In April 2004, he wrote an open letter to "peace and justice leaders" encouraging them to demand "full 9-11 truth" through the organization 9-11 Visibility Project.
. In 1987, he had a son named Charles with Carol Jean Vogelman. Asner is a parent of a child with autism
. He also serves on the advisory board of a suburban Chicago firm that employs persons with autistic spectrum disorders to test and program software.
Engaged to producer Cindy Gilmore in 1991, he married her on 2 August 1998. Gilmore filed for divorce on November 7, 2007. Model and television personality Jules Asner
is his former daughter-in-law. Gavin Newsom
, his ex-nephew-in-law
, was a former mayor
of San Francisco and the current Lieutenant Governor of California
.
Screen Actors Guild
The Screen Actors Guild is an American labor union representing over 200,000 film and television principal performers and background performers worldwide...
, primarily known for his Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
-winning role as Lou Grant
Lou Grant (fictional character)
Lou Grant is a fictional character played by Edward Asner in two television series produced by MTM Enterprises for CBS. The first was Mary Tyler Moore , in which the character was the news director at the fictional television station WJM-TV...
on both The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Mary Tyler Moore Show is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns that aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977...
and its spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
series, Lou Grant
Lou Grant (TV series)
Lou Grant is an American television drama series starring Ed Asner in the titular role as a newspaper editor. Unusual in American television, this drama series was a spinoff from a sitcom, The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Aired from 1977 to 1982, Lou Grant won 13 Emmy Awards, including "Outstanding Drama...
. In 2009, he starred
Voice acting
Voice acting is the art of providing voices for animated characters and radio and audio dramas and comedy, as well as doing voice-overs in radio and television commercials, audio dramas, dubbed foreign language films, video games, puppet shows, and amusement rides.Performers are called...
as the voice of Carl Fredricksen in Pixar
Pixar
Pixar Animation Studios, pronounced , is an American computer animation film studio based in Emeryville, California. The studio has earned 26 Academy Awards, seven Golden Globes, and three Grammy Awards, among many other awards and acknowledgments. Its films have made over $6.3 billion worldwide...
's award-winning animated film, Up
Up (2009 film)
Up is a 2009 American computer-animated comedy-adventure film produced by Pixar, distributed by Walt Disney Pictures and presented in Disney Digital 3-D. The film premiered on May 29, 2009 in North America and opened the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, becoming the first animated and 3D film...
. In early 2011, Asner returned to television as butcher
Butcher
A butcher is a person who may slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat or any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat, poultry, fish and shellfish for sale in retail or wholesale food establishments...
Hank Greziak in Working Class
Working Class (TV series)
Working Class is an American television sitcom created by Jill Cargerman, which premiered on CMT on January 28, 2011. The network ordered twelve episodes for the comedy, which is the first scripted series for the network....
, the first original sitcom on cable channel CMT
CMT
- Medicine :* California mastitis test* Certified Massage Therapist* Cervical motion tenderness, a sign of pelvic inflammatory disease* Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease* Chemically modified tetracyclines* Circus Movement Tachycardia...
. He is currently starring in a Canadian television series Michael, Tuesdays and Thursdays, on CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
.
Early life
Asner was born Eddie Asner in Kansas CityKansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, but was raised in nearby Kansas City, Kansas
Kansas City, Kansas
Kansas City is the third-largest city in the state of Kansas and is the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the third largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The city is part of a consolidated city-county government known as the "Unified...
. His Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n-born parents, Lizzie (née Seliger), a housewife, and Morris David Asner, ran a second-hand shop
Second-hand shop
A second-hand shop is a shop which sells goods that are not new.-Types of second-hand shop in the UK:There are various types of second hand shop, generally specialising in a particular type of merchandise....
. He was raised in an Orthodox Jewish
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
family. Asner attended Wyandotte High School
Wyandotte High School
Wyandotte High School is a fully accredited, public high school located in Kansas City, Kansas, United States, serving students in grades 9-12. The building itself is a historic and notable public building, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. The school principal...
and the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
. He served with the U.S. Army Signal Corps and appeared in plays that toured Army camps in Europe.
Career
Following his military service, Asner joined the Playwrights Theatre Company in Chicago, but left for New York before members of that company regrouped as the Compass PlayersCompass Players
The Compass Players was a 1950s cabaret revue show started by alumni, dropouts and hangers-on from the University of Chicago. The troupe was active from 1955-1958 in Chicago and St. Louis...
in the mid-1950s. He later made guest appearances with the successor to Compass, The Second City
The Second City
The Second City is a improvisational comedy enterprise which originated in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.The Second City Theatre opened on December 16, 1959 and has since expanded its presence to several other cities, including Toronto and Los Angeles...
, and is considered part of The Second City
The Second City
The Second City is a improvisational comedy enterprise which originated in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.The Second City Theatre opened on December 16, 1959 and has since expanded its presence to several other cities, including Toronto and Los Angeles...
extended family. In New York, Asner played Jonathan Jeremiah Peachum in the acclaimed Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
revival of Threepenny Opera, and began to make inroads as a television actor.
Before he landed his role with Mary Tyler Moore
Mary Tyler Moore
Mary Tyler Moore is an American actress, primarily known for her roles in television sitcoms. Moore is best known for The Mary Tyler Moore Show , in which she starred as Mary Richards, a 30-something single woman who worked as a local news producer in Minneapolis, and for her earlier role as...
, Asner guest-starred in such television series as NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's The Outlaws (1962), in the series finale of CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
's The Reporter
The Reporter (TV series)
The Reporter is an American drama series that aired on CBS from September 25 to December 18, 1964. The series was created by Jerome Weidman and developed by executive producers Keefe Brasselle and John Simon.-Synopsis:...
, Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible is an American television series which was created and initially produced by Bruce Geller. It chronicled the missions of a team of secret American government agents known as the Impossible Missions Force . The leader of the team was Jim Phelps, played by Peter Graves, except in...
and The Invaders
The Invaders
The Invaders, a Quinn Martin Production , is an ABC science fiction television program created by Larry Cohen that ran in the United States for two seasons, from January 10, 1967 to March 26, 1968...
.
Asner is best known for his character Lou Grant
Lou Grant (fictional character)
Lou Grant is a fictional character played by Edward Asner in two television series produced by MTM Enterprises for CBS. The first was Mary Tyler Moore , in which the character was the news director at the fictional television station WJM-TV...
, who was first introduced on The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Mary Tyler Moore Show is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns that aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977...
in 1970. In 1977, after the end of the Mary Tyler Moore show, Asner's character was given his own show, Lou Grant
Lou Grant (TV series)
Lou Grant is an American television drama series starring Ed Asner in the titular role as a newspaper editor. Unusual in American television, this drama series was a spinoff from a sitcom, The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Aired from 1977 to 1982, Lou Grant won 13 Emmy Awards, including "Outstanding Drama...
, which ran from 1977-1982. In contrast to the Mary Tyler Moore show, which was a thirty minute comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
, the Lou Grant show was an hour long award-winning drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
about journalism. (For his role as Grant, Asner is the only actor to win the Emmy award for a sitcom and a drama for the same role.) Other TV series starring Asner in regular roles include Thunder Alley
Thunder Alley
Thunder Alley is an American sitcom which aired from March 9, 1994 to July 4, 1995 on ABC.-Premise:The show stars Edward Asner as retired race-car driver Gil Jones. The unaired original pilot episode featured Felicity Huffman in the role of Bobbi Turner, Gil's daughter. When ABC picked up the...
, The Bronx Zoo
The Bronx Zoo (TV series)
The Bronx Zoo is a 1987 NBC drama series directed by Allan Arkush and Paul Lynch. It lasted two seasons before cancellation.-Plot:Benjamin Harris High School is set in the impoverished, unruly inner-city Bronx. Principal Joe Danzig does his best to maintain optimism, while dealing with the lack of...
, and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip was an American dramedy television series created and written by Aaron Sorkin. It ran for 22 episodes.The series takes place behind the scenes of a live sketch comedy show on the fictional television network NBS , whose format is similar to that of NBC's...
.
Asner was acclaimed for his role in the miniseries Roots
Roots (TV miniseries)
Roots is a 1977 American television miniseries based on Alex Haley's fictional novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family. Roots received 36 Emmy Award nominations, winning nine. It also won a Golden Globe and a Peabody Award. It received unprecedented Nielsen ratings with the finale still...
, as Captain Davies, the man who kidnapped Kunta Kinte
Kunta Kinte
Kunta Kinte is the central character of the novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family by American author Alex Haley, and of the television miniseries Roots, based on the book. Haley described his book as faction - a mixture of fact and fiction...
and sold him into slavery, despite his own moral conflicts. The role that earned Asner an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
, and for a similarly dark role as Axel Jordache in the mini-series Rich Man, Poor Man
Rich Man, Poor Man (TV miniseries)
Rich Man, Poor Man was a 1976 American television miniseries that aired on ABC in one-hour episodes at 10:00pm ET/PT on Monday night for twelve weeks, beginning February 1. It was produced by Universal Television and was the second time programming of this nature had been attempted. The first TV...
. In contrast, he played Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII
-Papal election:Following the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, Roncalli was elected Pope, to his great surprise. He had even arrived in the Vatican with a return train ticket to Venice. Many had considered Giovanni Battista Montini, Archbishop of Milan, a possible candidate, but, although archbishop...
in Papa Giovanni: Ioannes XXIII, an Italian miniseries for RAI
RAI
RAI — Radiotelevisione italiana S.p.A. known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane, is the Italian state owned public service broadcaster controlled by the Ministry of Economic Development. Rai is the biggest television company in Italy...
.
Asner has also had an extensive voice acting
Voice acting
Voice acting is the art of providing voices for animated characters and radio and audio dramas and comedy, as well as doing voice-overs in radio and television commercials, audio dramas, dubbed foreign language films, video games, puppet shows, and amusement rides.Performers are called...
career. He provided the voices for J. Jonah Jameson
J. Jonah Jameson
John Jonah Jameson Junior is a supporting character of Spider-Man in the .Jameson is usually the publisher or editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle, a fictional New York newspaper and now serves as the mayor of New York City...
on the 1990s animated television series Spider-Man
Spider-Man (1994 TV series)
Spider-Man, also known as Spider-Man: The Animated Series, is an American animated series starring the Marvel Comics superhero, Spider-Man. The show ran on Fox Kids from November 19, 1994, to January 31, 1998. The producer/story editor was John Semper, Jr. and production company was Marvel Films...
, Hudson on Gargoyles
Gargoyles (TV series)
Gargoyles is an American animated series created by Greg Weisman. It was produced by Greg Weisman and Frank Paur and aired from October 24, 1994 to February 15, 1997. Gargoyles is known for its dark tone, complex story arcs and melodrama...
, Jabba the Hutt
Jabba the Hutt
Jabba the Hutt is a fictional character in George Lucas's space opera film saga Star Wars. Designed as a large, slug-like alien, his appearance has been described by film critic Roger Ebert as "Dickensian," a cross between a toad and the Cheshire Cat....
on the radio version of Star Wars
Star Wars (radio)
An expanded radio dramatization of the original Star Wars trilogy was produced in 1981, 1983, and 1996. The first two radio series, based on A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, were produced and broadcast by National Public Radio as part of NPR Playhouse...
, Master Vrook from Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is a role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published by LucasArts. It was released for the Xbox on July 15, 2003, for Microsoft Windows on November 19, 2003, and on September 7, 2004 for Mac OS X. The Xbox version is playable on Xbox 360 with its...
and its sequel, Roland Daggett
Roland Daggett
Roland Daggett is a fictional character and an adversary of Batman. He made his debut in Batman: The Animated Series as a corrupt and powerful businessman, voiced by Golden Globe-winner Edward Asner...
on Batman: The Animated Series
Batman: The Animated Series
Batman: The Animated Series is an American animated series based on the DC Comics character Batman. The series featured an ensemble cast of many voice-actors including Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Arleen Sorkin, and Loren Lester. The series won four Emmy Awards and was nominated...
, Cosgrove on Freakazoid!
Freakazoid!
Freakazoid! is an American animated television series created by Steven Spielberg, Bruce Timm, and Paul Dini for the Kids' WB programming block of The WB. The series chronicles the adventures of the title character, Freakazoid, a manic, insane superhero who battles with an array of super villains....
, Ed Wuncler on The Boondocks
The Boondocks (TV series)
The Boondocks is an American animated series created by Aaron McGruder on Cartoon Network's late night programing block, Adult Swim, based on McGruder's comic strip of the same name...
, and Granny Goodness
Granny Goodness
Granny Goodness is a fictional character, a deity and supervillain published by DC Comics. Created by Jack Kirby, Granny Goodness was modeled on comedienne Phyllis Diller and first appeared in Mister Miracle vol...
in various DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
animated series. Asner has also provided voice-over narration for many documentaries and films of social activism.
More recently, Asner provided the voice of Carl Fredricksen in the Academy Award winning 2009 Pixar
Pixar
Pixar Animation Studios, pronounced , is an American computer animation film studio based in Emeryville, California. The studio has earned 26 Academy Awards, seven Golden Globes, and three Grammy Awards, among many other awards and acknowledgments. Its films have made over $6.3 billion worldwide...
film Up
Up (2009 film)
Up is a 2009 American computer-animated comedy-adventure film produced by Pixar, distributed by Walt Disney Pictures and presented in Disney Digital 3-D. The film premiered on May 29, 2009 in North America and opened the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, becoming the first animated and 3D film...
. He received great critical praise for the role, with one critic going so far as to suggest "They should create a new category for this year's Academy Award for Best Vocal Acting in an Animated Film and name Asner as the first recipient."
He has appeared in a recurring segment, on Jay Leno
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno is an American stand-up comedian and television host.From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, titled The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ,...
's The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...
, entitled "Does This Impress Ed Asner?"
He was cast in a Country Music Television
Country Music Television
Country Music Television, or CMT, is an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming includes music videos, taped concerts, movies, biographies of country music stars, game shows, and reality programs...
comedy pilot, Regular Joe.
In 2001, Asner was the recipient of the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award
Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award
The Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award is given by the Screen Actors Guild's National Honors and Tributes Committee "for outstanding achievement in fostering the finest ideals of the acting profession." The award predates the 1st Screen Actors Guild Awards by over thirty years, having been...
.
Asner has won more Emmy Awards for performing than any other male actor (seven, including five for the role of Lou Grant). In 2003, he was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame.
In July 2010, Asner completed recording sessions for Shattered Hopes: The True Story of the Amityville Murders which is a forthcoming documentary on the 1974 DeFeo murders in Amityville, New York. Asner serves as the narrator for the film, which covers a forensic analysis of the murders, the trial in which 23-year old DeFeo son Ronald DeFeo Jr., was convicted of the killings, and the subsequent "haunting" story which is revealed to be a hoax. In January 2011, Asner took a supporting role on CMT's first original sitcom Working Class
Working Class (TV series)
Working Class is an American television sitcom created by Jill Cargerman, which premiered on CMT on January 28, 2011. The network ordered twelve episodes for the comedy, which is the first scripted series for the network....
. He made an appearance in the independent comedy feature Not Another B Movie
Not Another B Movie
Not Another B Movie is a satirical comedy film written and directed by John Wesley Norton which peers into the process of making a low-budget horror film. It was premiered in 2008 under the original title Working Title in Woodridge, Illinois...
, and had a small but pivotal role as billionaire Warren Buffett
Warren Buffett
Warren Edward Buffett is an American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He is widely regarded as one of the most successful investors in the world. Often introduced as "legendary investor, Warren Buffett", he is the primary shareholder, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. He is...
in HBO's 2011 economy drama Too Big to Fail
Too Big to Fail
Too Big to Fail is a television drama film in the United States broadcast on HBO on May 23, 2011. It is based on the non-fiction book Too Big to Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin. The TV film was directed by Curtis Hanson...
.
Political views
A member of the Campaign for Peace and DemocracyCampaign for Peace and Democracy
The Campaign for Peace and Democracy is a New York-based organization that promotes "a new, progressive and non-militaristic U.S. foreign policy," in contrast to existing foreign policy, which CPD characterizes as "based on domination, militarism, fear of popular struggles, enforcement of an...
and Democratic Socialists of America
Democratic Socialists of America
Democratic Socialists of America is a social-democratic organization in the United States and the U.S. affiliate of the Socialist International, an international federation of social-democratic,democratic socialist and labor political parties and organizations.DSA was formed in 1982 by a merger of...
, Asner served two terms as president of the Screen Actors Guild
Screen Actors Guild
The Screen Actors Guild is an American labor union representing over 200,000 film and television principal performers and background performers worldwide...
, in which capacity during the 1980s he opposed US policy in Central America. He played a prominent role in the 1980 SAG strike. He has also been active in a variety of other causes, such as the movement to free Mumia Abu-Jamal
Mumia Abu-Jamal
Mumia Abu-Jamal was convicted of the 1981 murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner and sentenced to death. He has been described as "perhaps the world's best known death-row inmate", and his sentence is one of the most debated today...
and the movement to establish single-payer health care
Single-payer health care
Single-payer health care is medical care funded from a single insurance pool, run by the state. Under a single-payer system, universal health care for an entire population can be financed from a pool to which many parties employees, employers, and the state have contributed...
in California, California One Care, for which he created a television advertisement.
The cancellation of Lou Grant in 1982 was the subject of much controversy. The show supposedly had ratings which would have justified its ongoing presence in primetime (it was in the ACNielsen
ACNielsen
ACNielsen is a global marketing research firm, with worldwide headquarters in New York City. Regional headquarters for North America are located in Schaumburg, Illinois. As of May 2010, it is part of The Nielsen Company.-History:...
top ten throughout its final month on the air), but the network declined to renew it. Asner has consistently contended that the publicity surrounding his political views was the real cause for the cancellation. (Howard Hesseman
Howard Hesseman
Howard Hesseman is an American actor best known for playing disc jockey Johnny Fever on WKRP in Cincinnati and schoolteacher Charlie Moore on Head of the Class.-Early life:...
, who had participated with Asner in promoting a controversial medical aid for El Salvador program, found his popular show WKRP in Cincinnati
WKRP in Cincinnati
WKRP in Cincinnati is an American situation comedy that featured the misadventures of the staff of a struggling fictional radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show was created by Hugh Wilson and was based upon his experiences working in advertising sales at Top 40 radio station WQXI in Atlanta...
canceled by CBS the same day.)
Ed Asner endorsed progressive Democratic Candidate Marcy Winograd in the 2011 California 36th Congressional district special election
California's 36th congressional district special election, 2011
A 2011 special election in California's 36th congressional district filled the vacancy in California's 36th congressional district after the resignation of incumbent Jane Harman on February 28, 2011, who vacated her seat in the U.S. House of Representatives to become head of the Woodrow Wilson...
.
Charity work
Asner is a member of the Comic Book Legal Defense FundComic Book Legal Defense Fund
The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is a United States non-profit organization created in 1986 to protect the First Amendment rights of comics creators, publishers, and retailers covering legal expenses....
, a free speech organization that is dedicated to protecting comic book creators and retailers from prosecutions based on content. He serves as an advisor to the Rosenberg Fund for Children
Rosenberg Fund for Children
The Rosenberg Fund for Children is a public foundation started in 1990 by Robert Meeropol and named in honor of his parents Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, the only two United States civilians to be executed for conspiracy to commit espionage during the Cold War.Orphaned at age 6, Robert was adopted...
, an organization founded by the children of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
Ethel Greenglass Rosenberg and Julius Rosenberg were American communists who were convicted and executed in 1953 for conspiracy to commit espionage during a time of war. The charges related to their passing information about the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union...
which provides benefits for the children of political activists, and as a board member for the wildlife conservation organization Defenders of Wildlife
Defenders of Wildlife
Defenders of Wildlife is a United States-based, 501 non-profit organization founded in 1947, "dedicated to the protection of all native animals and plants in their natural communities." The organization is active in political interventions and lobbying aimed at protection of wildlife, and...
.
Asner is also a member of the Honorary Board of Directors for the homeless respite service center Fresh Start WC in Walnut Creek, CA.
September 11 attacks
Asner signed a statement released by the organization 9/11 Truth in 2004 that calls for a new investigation into the September 11 attacks. A brief summary of the reasons for his position appears in a video available on YouTubeYouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. Asner confirmed his support for the statement in 2009. Asner also narrated the documentary film The Oil Factor: Behind the War on Terror.
Asner served as the spokesman for 2004 Racism Watch. In April 2004, he wrote an open letter to "peace and justice leaders" encouraging them to demand "full 9-11 truth" through the organization 9-11 Visibility Project.
Personal life
Asner was married to Nancy Sykes from 1959 until 1988. Together they have three children: twins Matthew and Liza, and KateKate Asner
Kate Asner is the daughter of Edward Asner and the sister of Matthew Asner. She has made guest appearances in popular shows such as Malcolm in the Middle, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Ally McBeal.-External links:...
. In 1987, he had a son named Charles with Carol Jean Vogelman. Asner is a parent of a child with autism
Autism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
. He also serves on the advisory board of a suburban Chicago firm that employs persons with autistic spectrum disorders to test and program software.
Engaged to producer Cindy Gilmore in 1991, he married her on 2 August 1998. Gilmore filed for divorce on November 7, 2007. Model and television personality Jules Asner
Jules Asner
Jules Asner is an American television personality, writer, and former fashion model.- Personal life :Asner was born Julie Ann White in Tempe, Arizona, the daughter of Lee White, a furniture saleswoman. At the age of sixteen Jules was discovered at a modeling convention in Scottsdale, Arizona. She...
is his former daughter-in-law. Gavin Newsom
Gavin Newsom
Gavin Christopher Newsom is an American politician who is the 49th and current Lieutenant Governor of California. Previously, he was the 42nd Mayor of San Francisco, and was elected in 2003 to succeed Willie Brown, becoming San Francisco's youngest mayor in 100 years. Newsom was re-elected in 2007...
, his ex-nephew-in-law
Nephew
Nephew is a son of one's sibling or sibling-in-law, and niece is a daughter of one's sibling or a sibling-in-law. Sons and daughters of siblings-in-law are also informally referred to as nephews and nieces respectively, even though there is no blood relation...
, was a former mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of San Francisco and the current Lieutenant Governor of California
Lieutenant Governor of California
The Lieutenant Governor of California is a statewide constitutional officer elected separately from the Governor who serves as the "vice-executive" of California. The Lieutenant Governor of California is elected to serve a four year term and can serve a maximum of two terms...
.
Film
- The Murder MenThe Murder Men (film)The Murder Men is a 1961 television film starring Peter Mark Richman, James Coburn, and Dorothy Dandridge.-Plot:...
(1961) - The Slender ThreadThe Slender ThreadThe Slender Thread is a 1965 film starring Anne Bancroft and Sidney Poitier. It was the first feature length film directed by Academy Award-winning director, producer & actor Sydney Pollack....
- Det. Judd Ridley (1965) - El Dorado - Bart Jason (1967)
- Change of Habit - Police Officer (1969)
- The Girl Most Likely to...The Girl Most Likely to...The Girl Most Likely to... is a black comedy with slight psychological thriller elements written by Joan Rivers and starring Stockard Channing and Edward Asner. The film was released on November 6, 1973 as a made-for-television movie broadcast on the ABC Movie of the Week...
- Det. Ralph Varone (1973) - Hey, I'm AliveHey, I'm AliveHey, I'm Alive is a 1975 American television movie. It premiered on ABC on November 7, 1975.The film is based on the true story of two plane crash survivors who spent 49 days of winter in the Yukon before they were rescued....
– Ralph Flores (1975) - Gus - Hank Cooper (1976)
- Fort Apache, The BronxFort Apache, The BronxFort Apache, The Bronx is a 1981 crime drama film made by Producers Circle, Time-Life Television Productions Inc., and distributed by Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation. It was directed by Daniel Petrie and produced by Martin Richards, Thomas Fiorello, with David Susskind as executive producer...
- Captain Dennis Connolly (1981) - Americas in TransitionAmericas in TransitionAmericas in Transition is a 1981 short documentary film directed by Obie Benz. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short....
(1981) (narrator) - Moon over ParadorMoon Over ParadorMoon over Parador is a 1988 romantic comedy film, starring Richard Dreyfuss, Raúl Juliá and Sonia Braga. It is a remake of the 1939 film The Magnificent Fraud, based on the unpublished short story entitled Caviar for His Excellency by Charles G...
(1988) (Himself) - The Cops Are Robbers - (1990)
- JFKJFK (film)JFK is a 1991 American film directed by Oliver Stone. It examines the events leading to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and alleged subsequent cover-up, through the eyes of former New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison .Garrison filed charges against New Orleans businessman Clay...
- Guy Banister, CIA/FBI operative (1991) - Goldilocks and the Three Bears (1995) (Bruno)
- Hard RainHard Rain (film)Hard Rain is a 1998 American/British action thriller disaster movie, produced by Mark Gordon, written by Graham Yost and directed by former cinematographer turned director Mikael Salomon...
- Uncle Charlie (1998) - The Bachelor - Sid Gluckman (1999)
- The AnimalThe AnimalThe Animal is a 2001 comedy film, directed by Luke Greenfield. It stars Rob Schneider, Colleen Haskell, Edward Asner, and John C. McGinley....
- Chief Wilson (2001) - The Man Who Saved Christmas (2002)
- ElfElf (film)Elf is a 2003 comedy film directed by Jon Favreau, written by David Berenbaum and starring Will Ferrell, James Caan, and Zooey Deschanel. It was released in the United States on November 7, 2003 and grossed over $220,400,000 worldwide.-Plot:A baby crawls into Santa Claus' sack while he is...
- Santa Claus (2003) - National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie's Island AdventureNational Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie's Island AdventureNational Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure is an American made-for-TV comedy movie. It premiered December 20, 2003 on NBC...
- Uncle Nick (2003) - Happily Even After - Judge Dreyfus (uncredited) (2004)
- Out of the Woods - Jack (2005)
- The Christmas Card - Luke Spelman (2006)
- The Heart SpecialistThe Heart SpecialistThe Heart Specialist is a romantic comedy film starring Wood Harris, Zoe Saldana, Brian J. White, and Mýa. Originally released under the title Ways of the Flesh, the film premiered at the 2006 Boston Film Festival...
- Mr. Olson (2006) - GiganticGigantic (film)Gigantic is a 2008 independent comedy film directed by Matt Aselton and starring Paul Dano, Zooey Deschanel, John Goodman, Edward Asner and Jane Alexander...
- (2008) - Christmas Is Here AgainChristmas Is Here AgainChristmas Is Here Again is a 2007 animated Christmas film released on DVD by Screen Media Films. The first feature production from the Renegade Animation studio, it was co-written, co-produced and directed by Robert Zappia...
- Krad (2008) - Generation Gap - Colonel Bart Cahill (2008)
- Channels (2008 film)Channels (2008 film)Channels, released in 2008, is love story sometimes described as delving into thoughts of existentialism. The film was written, directed, produced and acted in by Nat Christian. The film stars Kim Oja, Nat Christian, Ed Asner, John Kassir, Joan Van Ark and Taylor Negron. Ann Marcus executive...
- Ed Packard - UpUp (2009 film)Up is a 2009 American computer-animated comedy-adventure film produced by Pixar, distributed by Walt Disney Pictures and presented in Disney Digital 3-D. The film premiered on May 29, 2009 in North America and opened the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, becoming the first animated and 3D film...
- Carl Fredricksen (2009) - Stride - Charlie Arnesson (2009)
- The Raft - Seymour Popper (2009)
- Sheeba (2011 film) - Grandfather (2011)
- Too Big to FailToo Big to FailToo Big to Fail is a television drama film in the United States broadcast on HBO on May 23, 2011. It is based on the non-fiction book Too Big to Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin. The TV film was directed by Curtis Hanson...
- Warren Buffett (2011) - Not Another B MovieNot Another B MovieNot Another B Movie is a satirical comedy film written and directed by John Wesley Norton which peers into the process of making a low-budget horror film. It was premiered in 2008 under the original title Working Title in Woodridge, Illinois...
- Angry Investor (2011)
Television
- Target: The Corruptors!Target: The Corruptors!Target: The Corruptors! is a 35-episode crime drama starring Stephen McNally as newspaper reporter Paul Marino, which aired on ABC from September 29, 1961 to June 8, 1962. The character Jack Flood, Marino's undercover agent, was portrayed by Robert Harland...
- Tyler in the episode, The Golden Carpet, November 24, 1961 - The Eleventh HourThe Eleventh Hour (1962 TV series)The Eleventh Hour is an American medical drama about psychiatry starring Wendell Corey, Jack Ging, and Ralph Bellamy, which aired sixty-two new episodes plus selected rebroadcasts on NBC from October 3, 1962, to September 9, 1964.-Series premise:...
- Max Brenson in the episode My Name is Judith, I'm Lost, You See (1963) - The Outer LimitsThe Outer Limits (1963 TV series)The Outer Limits is an American television series that aired on ABC from 1963 to 1965. The series is similar in style to the earlier The Twilight Zone, but with a greater emphasis on science fiction, rather than fantasy stories...
- Sgt. Siroleo in the episode It Crawled Out of the Woodwork, 1963 - GunsmokeGunsmokeGunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
- Sergeant Wilks in the episode Hung High, 1964 - The FugitiveThe Fugitive (TV series)The Fugitive is an American drama series produced by QM Productions and United Artists Television that aired on ABC from 1963 to 1967. David Janssen stars as Richard Kimble, a doctor from the fictional town of Stafford, Indiana, who is falsely convicted of his wife's murder and given the death...
- Sheriff Mayhew Roy Malinek in the episode Masquerade Three Cheers for Little Boy Blue (1965) - The FugitiveThe Fugitive (TV series)The Fugitive is an American drama series produced by QM Productions and United Artists Television that aired on ABC from 1963 to 1967. David Janssen stars as Richard Kimble, a doctor from the fictional town of Stafford, Indiana, who is falsely convicted of his wife's murder and given the death...
- Joe Bantam in the episode Run the Man Down (1967) - The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. is an American spy-fi TV series that aired on NBC for one season from September 16, 1966 to April 11, 1967. The series was a spin-off from The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and used the same theme music composed by Jerry Goldsmith, which was rearranged into a slightly different,...
- George Kramer in the episode The Double-O-Nothing Affair, 1967 - IronsideIronside-Entertainment and literature:*Ironside , an American television series starring Raymond Burr*Ironside: A Modern Faery's Tale, an urban fantasy novel by Holly Black-People:...
- Marlon Davis in the episode "The Fourteenth Runner", 1967 - IronsideIronside-Entertainment and literature:*Ironside , an American television series starring Raymond Burr*Ironside: A Modern Faery's Tale, an urban fantasy novel by Holly Black-People:...
- Warrant Officer Frank Simpson in the episode "Not With a Whimper, But a Bang", 1969 - The Wild Wild WestThe Wild Wild WestThe Wild Wild West is an American television series that ran on CBS for four seasons from September 17, 1965 to April 4, 1969....
- Furman Crotty in the episode The Night of the Amnesiac, 1969 - Mission: ImpossibleMission: ImpossibleMission: Impossible is an American television series which was created and initially produced by Bruce Geller. It chronicled the missions of a team of secret American government agents known as the Impossible Missions Force . The leader of the team was Jim Phelps, played by Peter Graves, except in...
- George Simpson in the episode The Mind of Stefan Miklos, 1969 - Daughter of the MindDaughter of the MindDaughter of the Mind is a made-for-television suspense film starring Don Murray, Ray Milland and Gene Tierney. It was first broadcast on ABC on December 9, 1969 as the ABC Movie of the Week.-Plot:...
– Wiener in the ABC Movie of the WeekABC Movie of the WeekThe ABC Movie of the Week is a weekly television anthology series, featuring made-for-TV movies, that aired on the ABC network in various permutations from 1969 to 1975.-History:...
, December 1969 - The Mary Tyler Moore ShowThe Mary Tyler Moore ShowThe Mary Tyler Moore Show is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns that aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977...
- Lou GrantLou Grant (fictional character)Lou Grant is a fictional character played by Edward Asner in two television series produced by MTM Enterprises for CBS. The first was Mary Tyler Moore , in which the character was the news director at the fictional television station WJM-TV...
(1970–1977) - The Girl Most Likely to...The Girl Most Likely to...The Girl Most Likely to... is a black comedy with slight psychological thriller elements written by Joan Rivers and starring Stockard Channing and Edward Asner. The film was released on November 6, 1973 as a made-for-television movie broadcast on the ABC Movie of the Week...
- Det. Ralph Varone (1973) - RhodaRhodaRhoda is an American television sitcom, starring Valerie Harper, which ran for five seasons, from 1974 to 1978 airing in 109 episodes. The show was a spin-off from The Mary Tyler Moore Show, in which Harper between the years 1970 and 1974 had played the role of Rhoda Morgenstern, a spunky,...
- Lou Grant (1974) - Hawaii Five-OHawaii Five-OHawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for twelve seasons from 1968 to 1980, and continues in reruns. The show featured a fictional state police unit run by Detective Steve McGarrett,...
- as August March in the episode Wooden Model of a Rat, (1975) - CherCherCher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
- Himself (1975) - Rich Man, Poor ManRich Man, Poor Man (TV miniseries)Rich Man, Poor Man was a 1976 American television miniseries that aired on ABC in one-hour episodes at 10:00pm ET/PT on Monday night for twelve weeks, beginning February 1. It was produced by Universal Television and was the second time programming of this nature had been attempted. The first TV...
- Axel Jordache (1976) - RootsRoots (TV miniseries)Roots is a 1977 American television miniseries based on Alex Haley's fictional novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family. Roots received 36 Emmy Award nominations, winning nine. It also won a Golden Globe and a Peabody Award. It received unprecedented Nielsen ratings with the finale still...
- Capt. Thomas Davies (1977) - Lou GrantLou Grant (TV series)Lou Grant is an American television drama series starring Ed Asner in the titular role as a newspaper editor. Unusual in American television, this drama series was a spinoff from a sitcom, The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Aired from 1977 to 1982, Lou Grant won 13 Emmy Awards, including "Outstanding Drama...
- Lou Grant (1977–1982) - The GatheringThe Gathering (1977 film)The Gathering is a 1977 ABC made for television drama film. A rare live-action drama film from the Hanna-Barbera studios, it was directed by Randal Kleiser and starring Edward Asner and Maureen Stapleton.-Plot:...
- Adam Thornton (1977) - Off the RackOff the Rack (TV series)Off The Rack was a comedy television series set in the Los Angeles garment industry that aired on ABC between 1984 and 1985. The series starred Ed Asner and Eileen Brennan and was originally directed by Noam Pitlik. Its taping location was the Warner Bros...
- Sam Waltman (1985) - Kate's SecretKate's SecretKate's Secret is a 1986 television movie starring Meredith Baxter Birney, Ben Masters, Tracy Nelson, and Edward Asner, about a seemingly "perfect" suburban housewife and mother who is secretly suffering from bulimia nervosa...
- Dr. Resnick (1986) - The Christmas Star - Horace McNickle (1986)
- The Bronx ZooThe Bronx ZooThe Bronx Zoo may refer to:* The Bronx Zoo, an urban zoo in New York City* The Bronx Zoo , a short lived television series* The Bronx Zoo , book about the New York Yankees by Sparky Lyle...
- Principal Joe Danzig (1987) - Happy Castle - The Well of What (1988)
- GypsyGypsy (1993 film)Gypsy is a 1993 musical television film directed by Emile Ardolino. The teleplay by Arthur Laurents is an adaptation of his book of the 1959 stage musical Gypsy: A Musical Fable, which was based on Gypsy: A Memoir by Gypsy Rose Lee....
- Pop (1993) - Thunder AlleyThunder AlleyThunder Alley is an American sitcom which aired from March 9, 1994 to July 4, 1995 on ABC.-Premise:The show stars Edward Asner as retired race-car driver Gil Jones. The unaired original pilot episode featured Felicity Huffman in the role of Bobbi Turner, Gil's daughter. When ABC picked up the...
- Gil Jones (1994) - The PracticeThe PracticeThe Practice is an American legal drama created by David E. Kelley centering on the partners and associates at a Boston law firm. Running for eight seasons from 1997 to 2004, the show won the Emmy in 1998 and 1999 for Best Drama Series, and spawned the successful and lighter spin-off series Boston...
- Judge Matlin Pratt (1997) - The X-FilesThe X-FilesThe X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
- Maurice in the episode How the Ghosts Stole Christmas, December 13, 1998 - Papa Giovanni: Ioannes XXIII – Angelo Roncalli (2002)
- Curb Your EnthusiasmCurb Your EnthusiasmCurb Your Enthusiasm is an American comedy television series produced and broadcast by HBO, which premiered on October 15, 2000. As of 2011, it has completed 80 episodes over eight seasons. The series was created by Seinfeld co-creator Larry David, who stars as a fictionalized version of himself...
- Mr. Wiener (2001) - ERER (TV series)ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
- a con artist (2003) - The Christmas CardThe Christmas CardThe Christmas Card is a Hallmark Channel original movie produced by RHI Entertainment. It was released December 2, 2006, and was written by Joany Kane and directed by Stephen Bridgewater...
– Luke (2006) - Studio 60 on the Sunset StripStudio 60 on the Sunset StripStudio 60 on the Sunset Strip was an American dramedy television series created and written by Aaron Sorkin. It ran for 22 episodes.The series takes place behind the scenes of a live sketch comedy show on the fictional television network NBS , whose format is similar to that of NBC's...
- Wilson White (2006–2007) - [Generation Gap (Hallmark Movie)] - Bart Cahill (2008)
- CSI: NYCSI: NYCSI: NY is an American police procedural television series that premiered on September 22, 2004, on CBS. The show follows the investigations of a team of NYPD forensic scientists and police officers as they unveil the circumstances behind mysterious and unusual deaths as well as other crimes...
- Klaus Braun (alias Abraham Klein) in the episode Yahrzeit, 2009) - Working ClassWorking Class (TV series)Working Class is an American television sitcom created by Jill Cargerman, which premiered on CMT on January 28, 2011. The network ordered twelve episodes for the comedy, which is the first scripted series for the network....
– Hank Greziak (2011) - Royal PainsRoyal PainsRoyal Pains is a USA Network television series that premiered on June 4, 2009, starring Mark Feuerstein, Paulo Costanzo, Jill Flint and Reshma Shetty. The series is based in part on actual concierge medicine practices of independent doctors and companies...
- Ted Roth (2011) - Michael, Tuesdays and Thursdays - Dr. Wasserman (2011-Present)
Animation and video games
- GargoylesGargoyles (TV series)Gargoyles is an American animated series created by Greg Weisman. It was produced by Greg Weisman and Frank Paur and aired from October 24, 1994 to February 15, 1997. Gargoyles is known for its dark tone, complex story arcs and melodrama...
- Hudson - Gargoyles the Movie: The Heroes AwakenGargoyles the Movie: The Heroes AwakenGargoyles the Movie: The Heroes Awaken is a Disney direct-to-video animated film. The film is actually the five-episode pilot of the animated television series Gargoyles edited into one long feature film, approximately 90 minutes in length. As a result, numerous scenes were cut from the original...
- Hudson - Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles - Hudson
- Superman: The Animated SeriesSuperman: The Animated SeriesSuperman: The Animated Series is an American animated television series starring DC Comics' flagship character, Superman. The series was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on The WB from September 6, 1996 to February 12, 2000. Warner Bros...
- Granny GoodnessGranny GoodnessGranny Goodness is a fictional character, a deity and supervillain published by DC Comics. Created by Jack Kirby, Granny Goodness was modeled on comedienne Phyllis Diller and first appeared in Mister Miracle vol... - Justice League UnlimitedJustice League UnlimitedJustice League Unlimited is an American animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and specifically based on the Justice League superhero team, it is a direct sequel to the...
- Granny GoodnessGranny GoodnessGranny Goodness is a fictional character, a deity and supervillain published by DC Comics. Created by Jack Kirby, Granny Goodness was modeled on comedienne Phyllis Diller and first appeared in Mister Miracle vol...
/HephaestusHephaestusHephaestus was a Greek god whose Roman equivalent was Vulcan. He is the son of Zeus and Hera, the King and Queen of the Gods - or else, according to some accounts, of Hera alone. He was the god of technology, blacksmiths, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metals, metallurgy, fire and volcanoes... - Hercules - Mentor
- Down in the Dumps (1963 TV Movie) - Tanner Banion, the bumbling man-servant
- American Dad - Stan's grandfather
- AnimaniacsAnimaniacsSteven Spielberg Presents Animaniacs, usually referred to as simply Animaniacs, is an American animated series, distributed by Warner Bros. Television and produced by Amblin Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. The cartoon was the second animated series produced by the collaboration of Steven...
- Vern - BonkersBonkers (TV series)Bonkers is an animated American television series that aired from September 4, 1993 to February 23, 1994 in first-run syndication . The syndicated run was available both separately, and as part of The Disney Afternoon...
- Grumps - Bruno the KidBruno the Kid-Plot:The cartoon starring Bruce Willis as the voice of an 11-year old boy who becomes a top spy for a secret espionage organization. The organization, named Globe, contacts Bruno via his computer and a special gadget watch, and are completely unaware of their top spy's young age as he hides behind...
- Engineer - Buzz Lightyear of Star CommandBuzz Lightyear of Star CommandBuzz Lightyear of Star Command is an American animated science fiction/adventure/comedy series produced by Walt Disney Television. The character is from the planet Zurtron. The series originally aired on UPN and ABC from October 2000 to January 2001 as part of Disney's One Saturday Morning...
- Fixer - Captain Planet and the PlaneteersCaptain Planet and the PlaneteersCaptain Planet is the title character of the series. In the beginning of the series, Gaia assembles a modern-day team of "Planeteers" from several nations...
- Hoggish Greedly - Center of the UniverseCenter of the UniverseCenter of the Universe is a television series on CBS, which ran from October 27, 2004, until January 19, 2005. The sitcom was canceled after just 10 episodes aired. It was set in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma....
- Art Barnett - DinosaursDinosaurs (TV series)Dinosaurs is an American family sitcom that was originally broadcast on ABC from April 26, 1991 to July 20, 1994. The show, about a family of anthropomorphic dinosaurs, was produced by Michael Jacobs Productions and Jim Henson Television in association with Walt Disney Television and Buena Vista...
- Evil Georgie - Duck DodgersDuck DodgersDuck Edgar Dumas Aloysius Eoghain Dodgers is the metafictional star of a series of cartoons produced by Warner Bros. He is actually the famous cartoon star Daffy Duck, cast in the role of an intergalactic future hero....
- Guard Captain - DuckmanDuckmanDuckman: Private Dick/Family Man is an American animated sitcom that aired from 1994–1997, created by Everett Peck and developed by Peck. The sitcom is based on characters created by Peck in his Dark Horse comic...
- Mort Sidelman - Fish PoliceFish PoliceFish Police is the name of a comic book series by cartoonist Steven Moncuse. The plot centers on law and crime in a fictional underwater metropolis with the protagonist, Inspector Gill, trying to solve various, often Mafia-related, crimes while avoiding being seduced by the extremely well endowed...
- Chief Abalone - The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the BibleThe Greatest Adventure: Stories from the BibleThe Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible is a direct-to-video series produced by Hanna-Barbera that tells of three young adventurers—Derek, Margo, and 'their nomad friend' Moki—who travel back in time to watch biblical events take place first-hand.-Overview:Foreign exchange...
- Joshua - Sonic the Hedgehog - Cat
- Star Wars: Knights of the Old RepublicStar Wars: Knights of the Old RepublicStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is a role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published by LucasArts. It was released for the Xbox on July 15, 2003, for Microsoft Windows on November 19, 2003, and on September 7, 2004 for Mac OS X. The Xbox version is playable on Xbox 360 with its...
- Jedi Master Vrook Lamar - Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II The Sith Lords - Jedi Master Vrook Lamar
- Freakazoid!Freakazoid!Freakazoid! is an American animated television series created by Steven Spielberg, Bruce Timm, and Paul Dini for the Kids' WB programming block of The WB. The series chronicles the adventures of the title character, Freakazoid, a manic, insane superhero who battles with an array of super villains....
- Sgt. Mike Cosgrove - The BoondocksThe Boondocks (TV series)The Boondocks is an American animated series created by Aaron McGruder on Cartoon Network's late night programing block, Adult Swim, based on McGruder's comic strip of the same name...
- Ed Wuncler Sr. - Max SteelMax SteelMax Steel is a science fiction–action, CGI, animated series which originally aired from February 25, 2000 to January 15, 2002, based on the Mattel action-figure of the same name. Max Steel ran for three seasons, totaling thirty-five episodes with a predicted audience of young males from the ages of...
- Chuck Marshak - X-Men LegendsX-Men LegendsX-Men Legends is an action role-playing video game developed by Raven Software and published by Activision. It was released on the GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox consoles in the fall of . Barking Lizards Technologies developed the N-Gage port of the game, which was released in early...
- HealerHealer (comics)Healer is a fictional mutant character in the Marvel Comics Universe.-Publication history:The Healer's first appearance was in Uncanny X-Men #179 , and he was created by Chris Claremont and Paul Smith.... - Batman: The Animated SeriesBatman: The Animated SeriesBatman: The Animated Series is an American animated series based on the DC Comics character Batman. The series featured an ensemble cast of many voice-actors including Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Arleen Sorkin, and Loren Lester. The series won four Emmy Awards and was nominated...
- Roland DaggettRoland DaggettRoland Daggett is a fictional character and an adversary of Batman. He made his debut in Batman: The Animated Series as a corrupt and powerful businessman, voiced by Golden Globe-winner Edward Asner... - Spider-Man: The Animated SeriesSpider-Man (1994 TV series)Spider-Man, also known as Spider-Man: The Animated Series, is an American animated series starring the Marvel Comics superhero, Spider-Man. The show ran on Fox Kids from November 19, 1994, to January 31, 1998. The producer/story editor was John Semper, Jr. and production company was Marvel Films...
- J. Jonah JamesonJ. Jonah JamesonJohn Jonah Jameson Junior is a supporting character of Spider-Man in the .Jameson is usually the publisher or editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle, a fictional New York newspaper and now serves as the mayor of New York City... - W.I.T.C.H.W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)W.I.T.C.H. is an animated television series based on the Italian comic book series of the same name produced by SIP Animation in association and participation by France 3, Jetix Europe, CNC, , - AGICOA, the Poitou-Charentes region and the Charente department. Despite their acronym, the five main...
- Napoleon the Cat - Disney's RecessRecess (TV series)Recess is an American animated television series created by Paul Germain and Joe Ansolabehere and produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. The series focuses on six elementary school students and their interaction with other classmates and teachers...
- Thadeus T. Third V - UpUp (2009 film)Up is a 2009 American computer-animated comedy-adventure film produced by Pixar, distributed by Walt Disney Pictures and presented in Disney Digital 3-D. The film premiered on May 29, 2009 in North America and opened the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, becoming the first animated and 3D film...
- Carl Fredricksen/Mr. Fredricksen - UpUp (video game)Up is a video game based on the Pixar film of the same name, released on May 26, 2009. The video game was produced by Disney Interactive Studios, Heavy Iron Studios and Pixar...
- Carl Fredricksen - video game - Christmas is Here Again - Krad
- Pinocchio and the Emperor of the NightPinocchio and the Emperor of the NightPinocchio and the Emperor of The Night is a 1987 animated film that was released on December 25, 1987 by New World Pictures. and is a unofficial sequel to Pinocchio . Created by the now defunct Filmation Studios, the movie underperformed at the box office, having a cost of $10 million but making...
- Scalawag - The Real Adventures of Jonny QuestThe Real Adventures of Jonny QuestThe Real Adventures of Jonny Quest is an animated action-adventure television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Cartoons and broadcast on Cartoon Network from August 26, 1996 to April 16, 1997. A revival of the 1960s Jonny Quest franchise, it features teenage adventurers Jonny Quest, Hadji Singh,...
- Sentries, Von Romme - The New Adventures of Captain Planet - Hoggish Greedly
- The Cleveland ShowThe Cleveland ShowThe Cleveland Show is an American animated television series that premiered on September 27, 2009, as a part of the "Animation Domination" lineup on Fox in the United States...
- The Daily Splash Editor, Carl Fredricksen - The Spectacular Spider-Man - Uncle Ben
- The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, "Guess Who's Coming to Criticize Dinner?Guess Who's Coming to Criticize Dinner?"Guess Who's Coming to Criticize Dinner?" is the third episode of the eleventh season of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 24, 1999...
" - Lifeways Editor - Family GuyFamily GuyFamily Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
- Steve Bellows - Grim & EvilGrim & EvilGrim & Evil is an American animated television series created by Maxwell Atoms. The series, which premiered on Cartoon Network, consisted of two segments which were eventually spun off into their own series, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy and Evil Con Carne.-History:The series' existence is...
- Mr. Voorhees - Johnny BravoJohnny BravoJohnny Bravo is an American animated television series created by Van Partible for Cartoon Network. The series stars a muscular beefcake young man named Johnny Bravo who dons a pompadour hairstyle and an Elvis Presley-like voice and has a forward, woman-chasing personality...
- Dr. Miller - JumanjiJumanji (TV series)Jumanji is an American animated television series that was inspired by the movie based on the book of the same name. The series ran for three seasons from 1996 to 1999. In 1996, it was carried by the UPN Kids network, but later seasons were syndicated by BKN. The series was also shown by CITV in...
- Judge - King of the HillKing of the HillKing of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas...
, "Yankee Hankee" - Irwin Linker - Olive, the Other ReindeerOlive, the Other ReindeerOlive, the Other Reindeer is a CGI animated Christmas television special written by Steve Young, and directed by Oscar Moore. The feature was produced by Matt Groening's The Curiosity Company and animated by DNA Productions...
- Santa Claus - Our Friend, MartinOur Friend, MartinOur Friend, Martin is a 1999 animated children's educational film about Martin Luther King, Jr. and the American civil rights movement. Two friends travel through time, meeting Dr. King at several points during his life...
- Mr. Harris - Teamo SupremoTeamo SupremoTeamo Supremo is an animated television series created by Disney. Animated in the limited animation style pioneered by Jay Ward, predecessors which inspired its style, it tells of three superhero kids: Captain Crandall, Skate Lad, and Rope Girl...
- Mr. Large - The Angry BeaversThe Angry BeaversThe Angry Beavers is an American animated television series created by Mitch Schauer for the Nickelodeon channel. The series revolves around Daggett and Norbert Beaver, two young beaver brothers who have left their home to become bachelors in the forest near Wayouttatown, Oregon. The show premiered...
- Risk Keeper - Life with LouieLife with LouieLife with Louie is an American animated series. The show is based on the childhood of stand-up comedian Louie Anderson, growing up with his family in Wisconsin.The first two episodes aired in primetime on Fox....
- Mr. Applegate - The Magic School BusThe Magic School Bus (TV series)The Magic School Bus is an American Saturday morning animated television series based on the book series of the same name by Joanna Cole. It is notable for its use of celebrity talent and combining entertainment with an educational show, according to an article in Animation World Magazine by...
- General - The Real Story of Happy Birthday to YouThe Real Story of Happy Birthday to YouThe Real Story of Happy Birthday to You is a children's short animation film directed by Gerald Potterton as part of the Favorite Songs series. The short was produced in Canada by Cinar and in France by France Animation and was released in January of 1992 in the USA...
- Charlie - The Wild ThornberrysThe Wild ThornberrysThe Wild Thornberrys is an American animated television series that aired on Nickelodeon. It was rerun in the USA on Nickelodeon and occasionally The N until 2009 and Nicktoons until 2007...
- Frank Hunter - ZorroZorro (TV series)Zorro is an American action/adventure drama series produced by Walt Disney Productions. Based on the well-known Zorro character, the series premiered on October 10, 1957 on ABC. The final network broadcast was June 2, 1959...
- Additional Voices - Happily Ever After - Scowl the Owl
- WordGirlWordGirlWordGirl is an American children’s animated television series for children aged 6-12, produced by the Soup2Nuts animation unit of Scholastic Entertainment for PBS Kids...
- Kid Potato - City Trams - Preston
- 3x3 Eyes - Grandpa Ayanokoji
- The Sissy DucklingThe Sissy DucklingThe Sissy Duckling is a children's picture book written by noted actor Harvey Fierstein and illustrated by Henry Cole. It is 40 pages long and intended for children ages 5-8....
- Elmer's Father - A Christmas CarolA Christmas Carol (1997 film)A Christmas Carol is a 1997 animated film version of the book of the same name by Charles Dickens. It features eight new songs and an all-star voice line-up including Tim Curry, Whoopi Goldberg, Ed Asner and Michael York.-Cast:...
- Marley - O Christmas Tree - Nutcracker
- Snowden's Christmas - Big Daddy
- The Story of Santa Claus - Santa Claus
- Dug's Special MissionDug's Special MissionDug's Special Mission is a short Pixar film, directed by Ronnie del Carmen. It is tied into and included on the DVD and Blu-ray Disc release of Up.-Premise:...
- Carl Fredricksen (uncredited) - Gahan Wilson's The Kid - Dead Cat
- Lolo's Cafe - Mr. Atkins
- Young JusticeYoung Justice (TV series)Young Justice is an American animated television series created by Greg Weisman and Brandon Vietti for Cartoon Network. Despite its title, it is not an adaptation of Todd Dezago and Todd Nauck's Young Justice comic series, but rather an adaptation of the entire DC Universe with a focus on young...
- Doctor FateDoctor FateDoctor Fate is the name of a succession of fictional sorcerers who appear in books published by DC Comics. The original version was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Howard Sherman, and first appeared in More Fun Comics #55...
External links
- Edward Asner Interview at Archive of American TelevisionArchive of American TelevisionThe Archive of American Television is a division of the non-profit Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation that films interviews with notable people from all aspects of the television industry....
- Audio interview of Ed Asner by Stephanie MillerStephanie MillerStephanie Catherine Miller is an American comedienne and host of The Stephanie Miller Show, a progressive talk radio program produced in Los Angeles and syndicated nationally by Dial Global. Talkers magazine ranked her as the 24th most important radio talk show host in America for 2010.-Early...
on The Stephanie Miller ShowThe Stephanie Miller ShowThe Stephanie Miller Show is a syndicated progressive talk radio program that discusses politics, current events, and pop culture using a fast-paced, impromptu style. The three-hour show is hosted by comedienne Stephanie Miller along with voice artist Jim Ward and the show's engineer and executive...
about a September 11 Conspiracy TheoryConspiracy theoryA conspiracy theory explains an event as being the result of an alleged plot by a covert group or organization or, more broadly, the idea that important political, social or economic events are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public.-Usage:The term "conspiracy...
. - Shattered Hopes: The True Story of the Amityville Murders Official Website
- Interview at Talk Humor
- http://www.actorsreporter.com/2011/calendar-girl/red-carpet-at-the-burbank-international-film-festival-2011/Red Carpet interview with Ed AsnerEd AsnerEdward Asner , commonly known as Ed Asner, is an American film, television, stage, and voice actor and former president of the Screen Actors Guild, primarily known for his Emmy Award-winning role as Lou Grant on both The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spin-off series, Lou Grant...
and Mark RydellMark RydellMark Rydell is an American actor, film director and producer.-Career:Rydell's initial training was in music. As a youth, he wanted to be a conductor. He began his career as an actor and first became known for his role as Walt Johnson on The Edge of Night and as Jeff Baker on As the World Turns,...
at Burbank International Film Festival, 2011] with hosts Brett Walkow and Mary Jo Gruber of Actors Reporter