One of my favorite roles of his was as the father of the Jordache brothers in "Rich Man, Poor Man". He was great in that role and I think he won an Emmy for it.
Once the studio system ceased to be what it was, a character actor had to take jobs in both mediums in order to make a decent living. My really first exposure to Asner came from movies in which he played the baddie in a John Wayne movie "El Dorado" (1966) which I saw during its theatrical run...