Anecdotes

Parent of a child with autism and the grandparent of a child with autism.

He won seven Emmy Awards - more than any other male performer.

(1981-1985) President of Screen Actors Guild (SAG).

Was raised in an Orthodox Jewish family.

He played Santa Claus at least eight (8) times; in Elfe (2003), The Ellen Show (2001), Olive, the Other Reindeer (1999), The Story of Santa Claus (1996), Le Noël Des Storybots (2017), Santa Stole Our Dog: A Merry Doggone Christmas! (2017), and in episodes of Regular Show (2010) and Les routes du paradis (1984).

When his Mary Tyler Moore show co-star Gavin MacLeod passed away on May 29, 2021, Ed wrote on Twitter: "My heart is broken. Gavin was my brother, my partner in crime (and food) and my comic conspirator. I will see you in a bit Gavin. Tell the gang I will see them in a bit. Betty! It's just you and me now." Ed would pass away three months later on August 29, 2021.

He played the same character (Lou Grant) in four different series: The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970), Rhoda (1974), Lou Grant (1977) and Roseanne (1988).

A long-time political activist, he accused the CBS network of cancelling Lou Grant (1977) over his publicized disapproval of the United States involvement in Central America.

The first of only three performers ever to win Emmy Awards for acting across all three genres: Comedy, Drama & Limited Series/TV Movie. The other two are Cloris Leachman and Uzo Aduba.

He made guest appearances on both Hawaii police d'état (1968) and Hawaii 5-0 (2010).

He supplied the voice of J. Jonah Jameson, the editor of the Daily Bugle, in Spider-Man (1994) and the voice of Ben Parker, the uncle of Peter Parker / Spider-Man whose murder inspires him to become a superhero, in Spectacular Spider-Man (2008).

He played Jabba the Hutt in the NPR radio dramatization of "Return of the Jedi" (1996).

He had a son, Charles, in 1987 with Carol Jean Vogelman.

He won a 2017 Voice Arts Award for his performance on the scripted podcast Western "Powder Burns" (Apple Podcasts) in which he plays an aging cowboy battling Alzheimer's disease. The show is the creation of writer/producer David A. Gregory.

Best known by the public for his role as Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970) and for his starring role on the spin-off of the title character in Lou Grant (1977).

Friends with Mary Tyler Moore, Gavin MacLeod, Betty White, Dick Van Dyke, Peter Fonda, Gordon Jump, Ed Begley Jr., Rosie O'Donnell, Matthew Modine and Dylan McDermott.

Had ten grandchildren.

Was a member of the Compass Players, a predecessor to the famous Second City of Chicago.

He and Uzo Aduba are the only two people to win Emmys in both Drama and Comedy categories for playing the same character. Asner played the character Lou Grant in The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970) (Comedy) and in Lou Grant (1977) (Drama), while Aduba owes her Emmys in Comedy (2014) and Drama (2015) for her performance as Crazy Eyes to Orange Is the New Black (2013)'s switch from the Comedy to Drama competition (due to newly introduced Emmy rules in the 2014/2015 season).

As of 2018, he appeared in two films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: JFK (1991) and Là-haut (2009).

His wife's nephew, Gavin Newsom, was elected mayor of San Francisco in 2003, serving as mayor from 2004 until 2011. Was elected Lieutenant Governor of California in 2010, for the term beginning 2011, with the term ending in January 2019. Elected Governor of California in 2018 and began serving as Governor in January 2019.

Before his future Lou Grant (1977) co-star Linda Kelsey would star opposite Asner in that series, she guest-starred on A New Sue Ann (1974) (an episode of the Mary Tyler Moore Show), which also featured Asner playing Lou Grant.

Ed Asner passed away on August 29, 2021, at age 91. Only three months before his death, his ex-The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970) co-star, Gavin MacLeod had passed away on May 29, 2021, at age 90, and was the second-to-last cast member to pass away.

Father-in-law of Jules Asner from 1992 to 1996.

Credited as assisted in funding for Roger et moi (1989).

Engaged to Cindy Gilmore in 1991, although they did not marry until 1998.

Announced the news of Steve Ihnat's sudden death (in Cannes, France) on the Emmy telecast.

Has been a longtime supporter and admirer of Black Panther and radical activist Mumia Abu-Jamal, who was controversially convicted of killing a police officer. Asner believes in Mumia Abu-Jamal's innocence and has long opposed the death penalty.

Father of Matthew Asner, Liza Asner and Kate Asner. Uncle of Mark Seliger.

Acting mentor and friends with Linda Kelsey and Daryl Anderson.

He was the last original cast member of The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970) to have passed away.

He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Television at 6363 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on September 25, 1992.

On October 6 and 7, 2001, he attended the "Hollywood Collectors & Celebrities Show", at Beverly Garland's Holiday Inn, in North Hollywood, California.

He is interred at the Sheffield Cemetery in Kansas City, Missouri.