Ed Asner Biography
Ed Asner (Yitzhak Edward Asner) is an American actor, voice actor and a former president of the Screen Actors Guild. He is particularly known for his role as Lou Grant during the 1970s and early 1980s, on both The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spin-off series Lou Grant. This made him one of the few television actors to portray the same leading character in both a comedy and a drama.
Asner played John Wayne’s adversary Bart Jason in the 1966 Western El Dorado. He is also known for portraying Santa Claus in the comedy film Elf (2003) and its animated remake Elf: Buddy’s Musical Christmas (2014). Asner is the most honored male performer in the history of the Primetime Emmy Awards, having won seven.
He starred as the voice of Carl Fredricksen in Pixar’s animated film Up in 2009, and made a guest appearance on CSI: NY in the episode “Yahrzeit”. Asner returned to television as butcher Hank Greziak in Working Class in early 2011, the first original sitcom on cable channel CMT.
Ed starred in the Canadian television series Michael, Tuesdays and Thursdays, on CBC Television. He has appeared in the 2013 television series The Glades.He guest-starred as Guy Redmayne, a homophobic billionaire who supports Alicia Florrick’s campaign, in the sixth season of The Good Wife
Ed Asner Age | How Old Is Ed Asner
Ed was born on November 15, 1929 in Kansas City, Missouri. He is 89 years old as of 2018.
Is Ed Asner Still Alive | Ed Asner Death | Ed Asner Dead
Ed is still alive.
Ed Asner Family | Ed Asner Young
Ed was born in Kansas City, Missouri. He is the son of Lizzie (née Seliger), a housewife, and Morris David Asner both are Jewish Russian-born. They ran a second-hand shop. Ed was raised in an Orthodox Jewish family.
Ed Asner Personal Life
Ed From 1959 to 1988 he was married to Nancy Sykes. Thy have three children: twins Matthew and Liza, and Kate. He had a son named Charles with Carol Jean Vogelman in 1987. He is a parent and a grandparent of a child with autism, and is deeply involved with the autism nonprofit Autism Speaks.
Ed served on the advisory board of a suburban Chicago firm that employs persons with autistic spectrum disorders to test and program software.
In 1991 he became engaged to producer Cindy Gilmore. The couple got married on August 2, 1998. On November 7, 2007 Gilmore filed for legal separation .In 2015 Ed filed for divorce.

Ed Asner Education
Ed went to Wyandotte High School in Kansas City, Kansas, and the University of Chicago. He also worked on the assembly line for General Motors. He served with the U.S. Army Signal Corps and appeared in plays that toured Army camps in Europe.
Actor Ed Asner
Ed joined the Playwrights Theatre Company in Chicago following his military service. However, he left for New York City before members of that company regrouped as the Compass Players in the mid-1950s. Later he made guest appearances with the successor to Compass, The Second City, and is considered part of The Second City extended family. In New York City, Ed played Jonathan Jeremiah Peachum in the Off-Broadway revival of Threepenny Opera, scored his first Broadway role in Face of a Hero alongside Jack Lemmon in 1960. Ed began to make inroads as a television actor, having made his TV debut in 1957 on Studio One.
Ed was the recipient of the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2001.
He has won more Emmy Awards for performing than any other male actor (seven, including five for the role of Lou Grant). Ed was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame in 1996.
Ed Asner Movies
Year | Title | Role |
2019 | The Gettysburg Address | Edward Everett (voice) |
2019 | The Garden Left Behind | Dr. Cleary |
2017 | Saving Christmas | Rick |
2017 | Joe’s War | Harry |
2016 | Boonville Redemption | Judge Mordecai Price |
2015 | I Thought I Told You To Shut Up!! | Himself |
2015 | The Nutcracker Sweet | Owl (voice) |
2014 | The Games Maker | Nicholas |
2013 | Axel: The Biggest Little Hero | Bonta / Narrator (voices) |
2013 | I Know That Voice | Himself |
2012 | Foodfight! | Leonard (voice) |
2011 | Witness Insecurity | Maxwell |
2011 | Let Go | Artie Satz |
2011 | Sheeba | Grandfather |
2010 | Not Another B Movie | Angry Investor |
2010 | Superman/Batman: Apocalypse | Granny Goodness (voice) |
2009 | Up | Carl Fredricksen (voice) |
2009 | Dug’s Special Mission | Carl Fredricksen (voice) |
2008 | Channels | Ed Packard |
2008 | Gigantic | Kirby Weathersby |
2008 | Christmas Cottage | Sidney |
2006 | The Heart Specialist | Mr. Olson |
2005 | Sheeba | Grandpa Cecil |
2003 | Elf | Santa Claus |
2001 | The Animal | Chief Wilson |
2000 | Perfect Game | Coach Billy |
1999 | Love and Action in Chicago | Taylor |
1999 | The Bachelor | Sid Gluckman |
1999 | Our Friend, Martin | Mr. Harris (voice) |
1998 | Hard Rain | Uncle Charlie |
1997 | The Fanatics | Charlie Atwater |
1997 | A Christmas Carol | Jacob Marley (voice) |
1995 | Gargoyles the Movie: The Heroes Awaken | Hudson (voice) |
1995 | Goldilocks and the Three Bears | Bruno |
1994 | Felidae | Bluebeard |
1992 | The Real Story of Happy Birthday to You | Charlie (voice) |
1991 | JFK | Guy Bannister |
1988 | Moon over Parador | Himself |
1988 | Happily Ever After | Scowl the Owl (voice) |
1987 | Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night | Scalawag (voice) |
1983 | Daniel | Jacob Ascher |
1982 | O’Hara’s Wife | Bob O’Hara |
1981 | Fort Apache, The Bronx | Connolly |
1976 | Gus | Hank Cooper |
1974 | The Wrestler | Frank Bass |
1971 | Skin Game | Plunkett |
1971 | The Todd Killings | Fred Reardon |
1970 | Halls of Anger | Ernie McKay |
1970 | They Call Me Mister Tibbs! | Woody Garfield |
1969 | Change of Habit | Lt. Moretti |
1967 | El Dorado | Bart Jason |
1967 | Gunn | Police Lt. Jacoby |
1966 | The Venetian Affair | Frank Rosenfeld |
1965 | The Satan Bug | Veretti |
1965 | The Slender Thread | Det. Judd Ridley |
1962 | Kid Galahad | Assistant District Attorney Frank Gerson |
1961 | The Murder Men | Dave Keller |
Ed Asner Tv Shows
Year | Title | Role |
2019 | Dead to Me | Abe |
2018 | Cobra Kai | Sid Weinberg |
2018 | MacGyver | Saul |
2018 | All of My Heart: The Wedding | Vern |
2017 | Bones | Rufus Tucker |
2017 | A StoryBots Christmas | Santa |
2016 | SpongeBob SquarePants | Angry Old Timer (voice) |
2015–2018 | Forgive Me | Bishop |
2015 | The Good Wife | Guy Redmayne |
2015 | Criminal Minds | Roy Brooks |
2015 | Murdoch Mysteries | Kris Kringle |
2014 | Men at Work | Bob |
2014 | Mom | Jack Bumgartner |
2014 | Chasing Life | Artie Carver |
2014 | Elf: Buddy’s Musical Christmas | Santa Claus (voice) |
2013 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Coach Martin Schultz |
2013 | Maron | Marc’s Dad |
2013 | The Glades | Dr. Ted Hardy |
2013 | The Crazy Ones | Mr. Finger |
2012 | The Middle | Ben |
2012 | Hot in Cleveland | Jameson |
2012 | Hawaii Five-0 | August March |
2012 | Home Alone: The Holiday Heist | Mr. Carson |
2012 | Regular Show | Santa Claus (voice) |
2011–2017 | Michael: Every Day | Dr. Wasserman |
2011 | Young Justice | Doctor Fate (Kent Nelson) (voice) |
2011 | Working Class | Hank Greziak |
2011 | Too Big to Fail | Warren Buffett |
2011 | Royal Pains | Ted Roth |
2010–2011 | American Dad! | Grandpa Smith / Mailbox #2 (voices) |
2010–2011 | The Cleveland Show | Various |
2010 | The Sarah Silverman Program | Commandant Von Reichenstein |
2009 | Star-ving | Mr. Lipschitz and his twin Mr. Lipschitz |
2009 | The Line | Patrick |
2009 | CSI: NY | Abraham Klein |
2009 | WordGirl | Kid Potato (voice) |
2008 | The Spectacular Spider-Man | Uncle Ben (voice) |
2007 | Andy Barker, P.I. | Mickey Doyle |
2006–2007 | Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip | Wilson White |
2006 | The Christmas Card | Luke Spellman |
2006 | W.I.T.C.H. | Napoleon (voice) |
2005–2014 | The Boondocks | Ed Wuncler Sr. (voice) |
2005 | The Dead Zone | Marty Bracknell |
2004–2005 | Justice League Unlimited | Granny Goodness / Hephaestus (voices) |
2004–2005 | Center of the Universe | Art Barnett |
2003 | ER | Dr. James McNulty |
2003 | Grim & Evil | Mr. Voorhees (voice) |
2003 | Spider-Man: The New Animated Series | Officer Barr |
2003 | Duck Dodgers | Guard Captain (voice) |
2003 | National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie’s Island Adventure | Uncle Nick |
2002 | John XXIII: The Pope of Peace | Angelo Roncalli |
2002 | The Man Who Saved Christmas | Charles Gilbert |
2001–2002 | King of the Hill | Stinky (voice) |
2001 | Max Steel | Chuck Marshak (voice) |
2001 | The Huntress | Max Quinlin |
2001 | Family Guy | Steve Bellows (voice) |
2001 | Dharma & Greg | Earl Tucker |
2001 | Curb Your Enthusiasm | Mr. Weiner |
2001 | The Ellen Show | Santa Claus |
2001 | 3×3 Eyes | Grandpa Ayanokoji (voice) |
2000–2001 | Johnny Bravo | Dr. Miller / Uncle Lou (voices) |
2000 | Common Ground | Ira |
2000 | Touched by an Angel | Bud |
2000 | The Hoop Life | Coach |
2000 | Arliss | Lenny Crowley |
2000 | Becoming Dick | Davis Aldrich |
2000 | Buzz Lightyear of Star Command | Fixer (voice) |
2000 | The Wild Thornberrys | Frank Hunter (voice) |
1999 | The Sissy Duckling | Elmer’s father (voice) |
1999 | The Simpsons | Editor (voice) |
1999 | Disney’s Recess | Thaddeus T. Third V (voice) |
1999 | Olive, the Other Reindeer | Santa Claus |
1998–2000 | Superman: The Animated Series | Granny Goodness (voice) |
1998 | Soul Man | Frank Weber |
1998 | Ask Harriet | Old Man Russell |
1998 | The Closer | Carl Dobson |
1998 | More Tales of the City | Jack Lederer |
1998 | Hercules | Mentor (voice) |
1998 | Maggie Winters | Nathan Winters |
1998 | The X-Files | Maurice |
1997–2004 | The Practice | Judge Matlin Pratt / Judge Marcus Winnaker |
1997–1998 | The New Adventures of Zorro | Additional voices |
1997 | Dog’s Best Friend | Jeep |
1997 | Adventures from the Book of Virtues | Daniel (voice) |
1997 | Dead Man’s Gun | Jebusi McKinney |
1997 | The Angry Beavers | Risk Keeper (voice) |
1997 | Life with Louie | Mr. Applegate (voice) |
1997 | Jumanji | The Judge (voice) |
1996–1997 | Mad About You | Zigmund Klarik |
1996–1997 | Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles | Hudson (voice) |
1996 | Gone in the Night | Det. John Waters |
1996 | Bruno the Kid | Engineer (voice) |
1996 | Roseanne | Lou Grant |
1996 | The Magic School Bus | Gen. Aranius (voice) |
1996 | The Story of Santa Claus | Santa Claus (voice) |
1996 | The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest | Von Romme / Sentry #4 (voices) |
1995–1997 | Freakazoid! | Sgt. Mike Cosgrove (voice) |
1995 | Duckman | Mort Sidelman (voice) |
1994–1998 | Spider-Man | J. Jonah Jameson (voice) |
1994–1996 | Gargoyles | Hudson (voice) |
1994–1995 | Thunder Alley | Gil Jones |
1994 | Dinosaurs | Evil Georgie (voice) |
1993 | Animaniacs | Vern (voice) |
1993 | Bonkers | Grumps (voice) |
1993 | Gypsy | Pop |
1992–1994 | Batman: The Animated Series | Roland Daggett (voice) |
1992–1993 | Hearts Afire | George Lahti |
1992 | Cruel Doubt | Bill Osteen |
1992 | Fish Police | Chief Abalone (voice) |
1991–1992 | The Trials of Rosie O’Neill | Walter Kovacs |
1991 | Switched at Birth | Ted Marx |
1990–1996 | Captain Planet and the Planeteers | Hoggish Greedly (voice) |
1990 | Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less | Harvey Metcalfe |
1988 | A Friendship in Vienna | Opah Oskar Reikman |
1987–1988 | The Bronx Zoo | Principal Joe Danzig |
1987 | Cracked Up | Rev. Vincent Owens |
1986 | Tall Tales & Legends | Lucky Jake |
1986 | Highway to Heaven | Harold |
1986 | Kate’s Secret | Dr. Resnick |
1986 | Disneyland | Horace McNickle |
1985 | Tender Is the Night | Devereux Warren |
1985 | The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible | Joshua (voice) |
1984–1985 | Off the Rack | Sam Waltman |
1981 | The Marva Collins Story | Narrator |
1979 | The Family Man | Eddie Madden |
1978 | Great Performances | Various Roles |
1977–1982 | Lou Grant | Lou Grant |
1977 | Roots | Capt. Thomas Davies |
1977 | The Gathering | Adam Thornton |
1976 | Rich Man, Poor Man | Axel Jordache |
1975 | The Wide World of Mystery | Det. Ed Ames |
1975 | Death Scream | Peter Singleton |
1975 | Hey, I’m Alive | Ralph Flores |
1975 | Hawaii Five-O | August March |
1974 | Rhoda | Lou Grant |
1973–1976 | Police Story | Frank Moran / Arch Tatum / Lt. Dave Blodgett |
1973 | The Girl Most Likely to… | Ralph Varone |
1972 | Cade’s County | Nick Grainger |
1972 | Haunts of the Very Rich | Al Hunsicker |
1971 | They Call It Murder | Chief Otto Larkin |
1970–1977 | The Mary Tyler Moore Show | Lou Grant |
1970–1972 | The Mod Squad | Sgt. Ed Lassiter / Joe Walton / Harry Loring |
1970 | House on Greenapple Road | Sheriff Muntz |
1970 | The Old Man Who Cried Wolf | Dr. Morheim |
1969 | Mission: Impossible | George Simpson |
1969 | Medical Center | Coach Trask |
1969 | The Name of the Game | Vince Leonard / Cesare Marino |
1969 | Here Come the Brides | Matt Balter |
1969 | CBS Playhouse | NatCongdon |
1969 | Sadbird | Nat Congdon |
1969 | Daughter of the Mind | Saul Wiener |
1968 | The Wild Wild West | Furman Crotty |
1967–1977 | Insight | Various |
1967–1969 | Judd, for the Defense | District Attorney Orloff / Capt. Paul Wyatt |
1967–1969 | Ironside | Marlon Davis / Warrant Officer Frank Simpson |
1967–1968 | The Invaders | Harry Ferguson / Taugus |
1967 | The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. | George Kramer |
1967 | Iron Horse | Ned Morley |
1966–1969 | The F.B.I. | Pete Zacharias / Walter Gretzler / John Carl Brock |
1966 | Please Don’t Eat the Daisies | Alvin |
1966 | The Rat Patrol | Captain Friedrich |
1966 | Run for Your Life | Cappi |
1966 | Felony Squad | Bull Bradovich |
1966 | The Doomsday Flight | Feldman |
1965–1967 | The Fugitive | Joe Bantam / Roy Malinek / Sheriff Mayhew |
1965 | Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea | Brynov |
1965 | Burke’s Law | Pablo Vasquez |
1965 | A Man Called Shenandoah | Sam Chance |
1964–1966 | Gunsmoke | Sergeant Wilks / Jack Redmond |
1964–1965 | Profiles in Courage | Oliver E. Wells |
1964 | Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre | Sgt. Slade |
1964 | Slattery’s People | Frank Radcliff |
1964 | The Reporter | Max Holte |
1964 | The Farmer’s Daughter | George Chase |
1963–1965 | Mr. Novak | Paul Berg / Harmon Stern |
1963–1964 | The Defenders | Harry Obermayer / Tim Sellers |
1963 | The Eleventh Hour | Max Brenson |
1963 | The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | Jack Stander |
1963 | The Virginian | George Johnson |
1963 | Stoney Burke | Kapp |
1963 | The Nurses | Phil Granger |
1963 | Ben Casey | Jerome Lynch |
1963 | The Lieutenant | Charles Perry |
1963 | The Outer Limits | Detective Sgt. Thomas Siroleo |
1963 | The Richard Boone Show | Harry Forman |
1962–1963 | The Untouchables | Frank / Jimmy Canada / Fedor Bartok |
1962–1963 | Dr. Kildare | Dr. Frank Williams / John Fossman |
1962 | Outlaws | Keef |
1962 | Cain’s Hundred | Dave Keller |
1962 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Warden Bragan |
1962 | Sam Benedict | Dr. Everett Colner |
1962 | Alcoa Premiere | Daniel Stryker |
1961 | Naked City | Lt. Vincent Busti |
1961 | Target: The Corruptors! | Tyler |
1960–1962 | Route 66 | Various |
1958 | Decoy | Sergeant |
1957 | Studio One | Juror / Third Actor |
Ed Asner Mary Tyler Moore
Ed before landing his role with Mary Tyler Moore, he guest-starred in television series including the syndicated crime drama Decoy, starring Beverly Garland, and the NBC western series The Outlaws and Route 66 in 1962 (the episode titled “Welcome to the Wedding”) as Custody Officer Lincoln Peers.
Ed was cast on Jack Lord’s ABC drama series Stoney Burke and in the series finale of CBS’s The Reporter, starring Harry Guardino. He also appeared on Mr. Novak, Mission: Impossible , The Outer Limits and The Invaders. Asner also played a minor character in children’s television show W.I.T.C.H. (Napoleon – Cornelia’s younger sister’s cat).
He is best known for his character Lou Grant, who was first introduced on The Mary Tyler Moore Show in 1970. After the series, Asner’s character was given his own show, Lou Grant (1977–82). In contrast to the Mary Tyler Moore series, a thirty-minute award-winning comedy about television journalism, the Lou Grant series was an hour-long award-winning drama about newspaper journalism. (For his role as Grant, Asner is one of only two actors to win an Emmy Award for a sitcom and a drama for the same role, with the second being Uzo Aduba.)
Ed Asner Net Worth
Ed has an estimated net worth of $10 million.
Ed Asner Health
Ed has never had any health problem.
Ed Asner Up
Up is a 2009 3D computer-animated comedy-drama buddy adventure film. It is produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The film is based on an elderly widower named Carl Fredricksen (Ed Asner) and an earnest boy named Russell (Jordan Nagai). By tying thousands of balloons to his house, Carl sets out to fulfill his dream to see the wilds of South America and complete a promise made to his late wife, Ellie. It was directed by Pete Docter and co-directed by Bob Peterson, who also wrote the film’s screenplay, as well as the story with Tom McCarthy, with music composed by Michael Giacchino.
Ed Asner Christmas Movies
- Elf – 2003
- The Gathering – 1977
- The Christmass Card – 2006
- The Christmass Star – 1986
- The man Who Saved Christmass- 2002
- National Lampoo’s Christmas Vacation 2 – 2003
- Saving Christmass- 2017
- Christmas On The Bayou- 2013
- Olive, the Other Reindeer-1999
- Christmas is Here Again – 2007
- Christmas Cottage- 2008
The Gathering Ed Asner
The Gathering is a 1977 made-for-television drama film. A rare live-action film produced by the animation studio of Hanna-Barbera Productions. It was directed by Randal Kleiser and starring Edward Asner and Maureen Stapleton.
Ed Asner Santa

Ed Asner Elf
Elf is a 2003 comedy film directed by Jon Favreau and written by David Berenbaum. The film stars Will Ferrell, James Caan, Zooey Deschanel, Mary Steenburgen, Daniel Tay, Ed Asner, and Bob Newhart. Ferrell plays one of Santa’s elves, who learns he is adopted and goes to New York City to meet his biological father (Caan).