Ed Asner R.I.P. (1 Viewer)

[Jake Lipson]

Given his stature. I guess this could go in either the film or TV forum but...

Dammit. We lost another great actor today. May he Rest In Peace.

Ed Asner Dies: TV Icon Who Played Lou Grant Was 91

Ed Asner, the legendary Lou Grant actor, activist and philanthropist, passed away peacefully Sunday. He was 91.

deadline.com

 

[Robert Crawford]

A favorite character actor of mine. May he R.I.P.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Obviously, I know that for many people, Ed Asner is associated with Lou Grant.

Probably because of my age, to me Ed Asner has always been Carl Fredricksen from Up first and foremost. Although I am hardly unique in this respect, that movie is a favorite of mine and he was perfect in it. Unfortunately, this is the second time this year we've lost one of its cast members after Christopher Plummer.

In 2019, Asner appeared locally to promote a book he wrote about politics. I'm not particularly interested in politics, but I seriously considered going to the book event just to ask if he would sign my Blu-ray of Up. The event was free, but ticketed because it was going to be at capacity. I logged onto the website where tickets were being distributed as soon as they were available and still didn't get one. So many people wanted to see Asner that they were sold out immediately. I've gotten through easily for online ticketing for movies like Avengers where Fandango crashed for other people, but I couldn't get in quickly enough for Asner. (Of course, there were a lot less tickets for him in one lecture hall than for Avengers playing on screens everywhere, so it's not an exact comp.). I figured I would get in next time if he ever came back and just went to a movie on the day of his talk instead.

It's too bad there won't be a next time.

I would have enjoyed meeting him and asking him to sign it, but I don't need that. It is too bad that he isn't going to be around to continue living his life and doing more great work. But he certainly left quite a legacy that will continue to be watched and enjoyed, and endeared himself to multiple generations. In that respect, his contribution to our culture will live on forever.

Incidentally, Disney+ is debuting Dug Days, a series of spinoff shorts from Up, this coming Wednesday. Of course, they feature Asner as the voice of Carl. This was scheduled a while ago, and I can't wait to see those characters again. But it is going to be tinged with sadness now. I don't know what else he had in the works, but it might turn out to be his final credit.

 

[dana martin]

Rest in Peace

 

[John Dirk]

Amazing and iconic talent. I loved his guest spots on Curb Your Enthusiasm.

R.I.P

 

[Sam Favate]

Great, great actor. He’ll be missed tremendously.

I just saw the preview this morning for Dug Days, which, as Jake points out, might be his final credit. Upon seeing the preview and hearing Asner’s voice, I briefly marveled at how lucky we were that he was still with us and working.

Among the many roles for which I will remember him is his brief but important role in Oliver Stone’s JFK. He and Jack Lemmon might be the most memorable part of that whole movie.

 

[TravisR]

A legend who stood up for what he believed in for decades. Leaving aside the good work he did for the real world, he's immortal for Mary Tyler Moore Show but he was also in a ton of famed TV shows (Lou Grant, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, a bunch of The Untouchables, The Fugitive, The Outer Limits, Mission: Impossible, The Invaders, Route 66, Roots, The X-Files, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Cobra Kai), movies (JFK and Elf), voice work in animated shows and movies (Batman: The Animated Series, the 1990's Spider-Man show, The Simpsons, and Up) and he even played Jabba The Hutt in the Return Of The Jedi radio drama. And that's just off the top of my head so I'm sure his IMDB page has like 250 credits.

 

[bmasters9]

A legend who stood up for what he believed in for decades. Leaving aside the good work he did for the real world, he's immortal for Mary Tyler Moore Show but he was also in a ton of famed TV shows (Lou Grant, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, a bunch of The Untouchables, The Fugitive, The Outer Limits, Mission: Impossible, The Invaders, Route 66, Roots, The X-Files, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Cobra Kai), movies (JFK and Elf), voice work in animated shows and movies (Batman: The Animated Series, the 1990's Spider-Man show, The Simpsons, and Up) and he even played Jabba The Hutt in the Return Of The Jedi radio drama. And that's just off the top of my head so I'm sure his IMDB page has like 250 credits.

And he was also in that two-season 1987-88 NBC school series The Bronx Zoo, as school principal Joe Danzig.

 

[Jake Lipson]

This statement just went out from the official Pixar Twitter account:



And a longer version on Facebook:

Ed was our real life Carl Fredricksen: a veneer of grouch over an incredibly loving and kind human being. Russell, Dug, and all of us at Pixar will miss him terribly. Ed loved voicing Carl, and our time working with him will remain some our most beloved memories. His adventure was ours for a moment in time.

 

[Jeffrey D]

He played a lawyer in the Chris O’Donnell film The Bachelor (in my opinion, a pretty good romcom). The MTM episode where he doesn’t want to show up for a surprise party in his honor, then sneaks away from it is a classic. RIP, Ed.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Unless I'm forgetting someone, I think Asner's passing leaves Betty White as the last surviving Mary Tyler Moore Show cast member. Unfortunately, she is already the last surviving Golden Girl, so she has some experience in this regard. But it's still sad.

 

[Matt Hough]

I was reading a terrific interview with him this morning in The Hollywood Reporter, and when I finished, I murmured to myself that I was glad he was still with us at 91. And then several hours later, I read that he had died. I was completely shocked.

He was one of the greats: a character actor to his core and it's great to be able to see his long and glorious career on film and television through home media. R.I.P.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Here is The Hollywood Reporter interview, just published on August 26.

THR Icon: Ed Asner Looks Back on His Career, the Golden Age of TV and His Date With Mary Tyler Moore

Known for portraying Lou Grant, the beloved actor shares his take on ex-nephew-in-law Gavin Newsom and what fans most adore about him: "My primary source of mail deals with one-syllable titles: 'Up' and 'Elf.'"

www.hollywoodreporter.com

 

[JohnRice]

Maybe a mod can correct the thread title. Only one "n" in "Asner".

 

[bmasters9]

End-title billing as Lou Grant on MTM (as Edward Asner); MTM herself was the only cast member billed at the top (because she was the star of the show, and the show was named for her); all others (including Asner, Knight, McLeod, etc.) were billed at the bottom (from MTM condensed all-in-one)...

 

[Tommy R]

I originally knew him from MTM, but more consistently think of him as Santa from Elf as I watch it every year. R.I.P.

 

[David Weicker]

He was with Second City in the late 50s, early 60s.
Here is the 25th Anniversary special him in a remount of their “Football come to the University Of Chicago” sketch. (For those who don’t know, U of C is one of the top academic schools in the world but not known for sports).

The clip begins at 25:09

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I would have probably put the thread in TV -- he won more Emmys than any other male actor in history, after all -- but there's definitely a strong argument for Movies as well.

Hugely important behind the scenes as a former president of SAG, too. He in his later years, he fought hard against the SAG-AFTRA merger, correctly predicting the disastrous effects the merger would have on SAG's health plan.

He had a recurring role on Netflix's "Cobra Kai" as Joey Lawrence's cruel stepfather. No word on whether he shot any scenes for the upcoming fourth season.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Maybe a mod can correct the thread title. Only one "n" in "Asner".

I fixed it. Typo on my part as I obviously know his name. Thanks for pointing it out.

 

[The 1960's]

---

---