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Edward "Ed" Asner is an American film, television, and stage actor, voice actor, and a former president of the Screen Actor Guild. He is known for his role as Lou Grant during the 1970's and the early 1980's, on both The Mary Tyler Moore Show and it's spin-off series Lou Grant.

Biography

Early life

Asner was born on November 15, 1929 in Kansas City, Missouri. His Jewish-Russian born parents, Lizzie and David Morris Asner ran a second-hand shop. He was raised in an Orthodox Jewish family.

Asner attended Wyandotte High School in Kansas City, Kansas, and the University of Chicagi in Chicago, Illinois.

He worked on the assembly line for General Motors. Asner servel 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 Playwrites Theater Company in chicago, but left for New York City. At the beginning of his career he made guest appearances on several shows.

In 1970, Asner was cast as Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore show which became one of his best known roles. In 1977 after The Mary Tyler Moore ended Asner reprised his role as Lou Grant in the spin-off series The Mary Tyler Moore Show. 

Asner was acclaimed for his role in the ABC miniseries Roots, as Captain Davies, the morally conflicted captain of the Lord Ligonier, the slave ship that brought Kunta Kinte to America. That role earned Asner an Emmy Award.

Aser also has an estensive voice acting career. Some of his best known cartoon roles include J. Jonah Jameson in Spider-Man: The Animated Series, Hoggish Greedly in Captain Planet and the Planteers, Hudson on Gargoyles, Roland Daggett in Batman: The Animated Series, and Granny Goodness in Superman: The Animated Series.

In 2001, Asner was the recipient of the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award.

In 2009, Asner provided the voice of Carl Fredricksen in the Academy Award-Winning Pixar film Up. He recieved great critical praise for the role, which 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.

Asner has won more Emmy Awards for performing than any other male actor. In 1996, he was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame.

Personal life

Asner served two terms as the president of the Screen Actors Guild. Asner was married to Nancy Sykes from 1959 until 1988. Together they have three children. In 1987 Asner had a son with Carol Jean Vogelman. Asner is the grandfather to a child with autism and is deeply involved with Autism Speaks. In 1998 he married Cindy Gilmore but filed for divorce in 2007.

Roles

Credits

Actor

J. Jonah Jameson

As J. Jonah Jameson (Spider-Carnage universe)

  • Spider-Wars, Chapter I: I Really, Really Hate Clones

As J. Jonah Jameson (Silver Armor Spider-Man universe)

  • Spider Wars, Chapter II: Farewell, Spider-Man

As Chameleon (Disguised as J. Jonah Jameson)

  • Day of the Chameleon

Trivia

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