Actor Ed Asner, best known for his portrayal of Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and the spinoff Lou Grant during the 1970's and early 1980's, passed away today. No cause of death has been released. He was 91.
Asner won an astounding 7 Emmys - no other male actor has won more. Five of them were for his portrayal of Lou Grant while the two others were for the miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man and Roots.
His passing comes only three months after the death of his MTM co-star Gavin McLeod. This leaves Betty White as the only surviving cast member who (God willing) will turn 100 in January.
Before his success as Lou Grant, Asner toiled in TV for more than a decade making appearances in The Naked City, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Route 66, The Untouchables, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Untouchables, The Fugitive, The Invaders, The Wild, Wild West and Mission: Impossible usually playing villains. It worked perfectly for his often cantankerous portrayal of Lou Grant.
Asner would work into his 90's. Typically, he did voice work most notably that of Carl Fredericksen in the Oscar nominated animated movie Up. But he also made guest appearances on shows like Modern Family, Briarpatch, Blue Bloods and Cobra Kai.
Active in left-wing causes and non-profit endeavrs for decades, here is a PSA Asner did in 1980 for "Reading is Fundamental". R.I.P.
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