Eddie Asner (; November 15, 1929 – August 29, 2021) was an American actor and former president of the

Screen Actors Guild The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to m ...

. He is best remembered for portraying Lou Grant during the 1970s and early 1980s, on both '' The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' and its spin-off series '' Lou Grant'', making him one of the few television actors to portray the same character in both a comedy and a drama. Asner is the most honored male performer in the history of the Primetime Emmy Awards, having won seven – five for portraying Lou Grant (three as Supporting Actor in a Comedy Television Series on ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' and two as Lead Actor in a Dramatic Television Series on spin-off ''Lou Grant''. His other Emmys were for performances in two television miniseries: '' Rich Man, Poor Man'' (1976), for which he won the Outstanding Lead Actor for a Single Performance in a television series award, and '' Roots'' (1977), for which he won the Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actor in a television series award. Asner played John Wayne's adversary Bart Jason in the 1966 Western ''El Dorado''. He portrayed

Santa Claus Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnigh ...

in several films, including in 2003's '' Elf''. In 2007, he voiced the main

villain A villain (also known as a "black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. ''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a character a ...

Krad in ''

Christmas Is Here Again ''Christmas Is Here Again'' is a 2007 American animated Christmas musical-comedy- fantasy-adventure film distributed by Screen Media Films, also known as ''Who Stole Santa's Sack? '' The first feature production from the Renegade Animation stud ...

''. In 2009, he voiced Carl Fredricksen in Pixar's animated film '' Up'' and made a guest appearance on '' CSI: NY'' in the episode " Yahrzeit". In early 2011, Asner returned to television as butcher Hank Greziak in ''

Working Class The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colo ...

'', the first original sitcom on cable channel CMT. He starred in ''

Michael, Tuesdays and Thursdays ''Michael: Every Day'', formerly known as ''Michael: Tuesdays and Thursdays'', is a Canadian television sitcom that debuted on CBC Television in 2011.CBC Television and appeared in '' The Glades''. Asner guest-starred as Guy Redmayne in the sixth season of ''

The Good Wife ''The Good Wife'' is an American legal and political drama television series that aired on CBS from September 22, 2009, to May 8, 2016. It focuses on Alicia Florrick, the wife of the Cook County State's Attorney, who returns to her career in ...

''. He had a guest role in '' Cobra Kai'', appearing as Sid Weinberg in seasons one and three. In 2020, he had a recurring role as James Staghorne Sr. on '' Briarpatch''. As a voice actor, he voiced Roland Daggett and

Granny Goodness Granny Goodness is a fictional supervillain published by DC Comics. Granny Goodness made her live-action debut in the final two seasons of '' Smallville'', and she was portrayed by Nancy Amelia Bell and Christine Willes. Granny Goodness made her ...

in the

DC Animated Universe The DC Animated Universe (DCAU; also referred to as the Timmverse or Diniverse by fans referring to the creators and producers Bruce Timm and Paul Dini respectively) is a shared universe consisting primarily of superhero-based animated televisi ...

and J. Jonah Jameson in the 1994 '' Spider-Man'' series.

Early life

Eddie Asner was born on November 15, 1929, in Kansas City, Missouri, and grew up in

Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City, abbreviated as "KCK", is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas, and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As of ...

. His

Ashkenazi Jewish Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...

immigrant parents, Lizzie ('' née'' Seliger; 1885–1967, from Odesa, Ukraine), a housewife, and Morris David Asner (1877–1957, from Lithuania (

Vilna Governorate The Vilna Governorate (1795–1915; also known as Lithuania-Vilnius Governorate from 1801 until 1840; russian: Виленская губерния, ''Vilenskaya guberniya'', lt, Vilniaus gubernija, pl, gubernia wileńska) or Government of V ...

or Grodno Governorate), ran a second-hand shop and junkyard. The youngest of five children, his four older siblings were: Ben J. Asner (1915–1986), Eve Asner (1916–2014), Esther Edelman (1919–2014) and Labe Asner (1923–2017). He was raised in an

Orthodox Jewish Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses ...

family and given the Hebrew name Yitzhak. Asner attended Wyandotte High School in

, and the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...

. He studied journalism in Chicago until a professor advised him there was little money to be made in the profession. He had been working in a steel mill, but he quickly switched to drama, debuting as the martyred

Thomas Becket Thomas Becket (), also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and later Thomas à Becket (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), was an English nobleman who served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and then ...

in a campus production of

T. S. Eliot Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist, publisher, playwright, literary critic and editor.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National Biogr ...

's '' Murder in the Cathedral''. He eventually dropped out of school, going to work as a taxi driver, worked on the assembly line for General Motors, and other odd jobs before being drafted in the military in 1951. Asner served with the U.S. Army Signal Corps from 1951 to 1953 and appeared in plays that toured Army bases in Europe.

Career

Following his military service, Asner helped found the Playwrights Theatre Company in Chicago, but left for

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

before members of that company regrouped as the Compass Players in the mid-1950s. He later made frequent guest appearances with the successor to Compass, The Second City. In New York City, Asner 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, and began to make inroads as a television actor, having made his TV debut in 1957 on ''

Studio One Studio One or Studio 1 may refer to: * Studio One (software), digital audio workstation software, developed by PreSonus * ''Studio One'' (American TV series), a 1948–1958 American television anthology series * ''Studio One'' (Emirati TV progra ...

''. In two notable performances on television, Asner played Detective Sgt. Thomas Siroleo in the 1963 episode of ''

The Outer Limits ''The Outer Limits'' or ''Outer Limits'' may refer to: Television * ''The Outer Limits'' (1963 TV series), a black-and-white science fiction series that aired from 1963 to 1965 * ''The Outer Limits'' (1995 TV series), a revival of the older series ...

'' titled " It Crawled Out of the Woodwork" and the reprehensible ex-premier Brynov in the 1965 '' Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' episode "The Exile". He made his film debut in 1962, in the

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

vehicle '' Kid Galahad''. Before he landed his role with Mary Tyler Moore, Asner guest-starred in television series including four episodes of '' The Untouchables'' starring Robert Stack, the

syndicated Syndication may refer to: * Broadcast syndication, where individual stations buy programs outside the network system * Print syndication, where individual newspapers or magazines license news articles, columns, or comic strips * Web syndication, ...

crime drama Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

'' Decoy'', starring Beverly Garland, and '' Route 66'' in 1962 (the episode titled "Welcome to the Wedding") as Custody Officer Lincoln Peers. He 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 ''Mr. Novak'' is an American television dramatic series starring James Franciscus in the title role as a high school teacher. The series aired on NBC for two seasons, from 1963 to 1965. It won a Peabody Award in 1963. Synopsis The series follo ...

'', '' Ben Casey'', ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central chara ...

'', '' Mission: Impossible'', ''

'', '' The Fugitive'', and '' The Invaders''. In 1963, Asner appeared as George Johnson on '' The Virginian'' in the episode "Echo of Another Day". Asner was best known for his character Lou Grant, who was first introduced on '' The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' in 1970. In 1977, after Moore's series ended, 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 was 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). In addition he made appearances as Lou Grant on two other shows: '' Rhoda'' and '' Roseanne''. Other television series starring Asner in regular roles include ''

Thunder Alley Thunder Alley may refer to: * ''Thunder Alley'' (TV series), an American sitcom * ''Thunder Alley'' (1967 film), a film about auto racing * ''Thunder Alley'' (1985 film), an American drama film * Thunder Alley (Kings Island), an amusement pa ...

'', '' The Bronx Zoo'', and '' Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip''. He also starred in one episode of the western series '' Dead Man's Gun'' (1997), as well as portraying art smuggler August March in an episode of the original '' Hawaii Five-O'' (1975) and reprised the role in the '' Hawaii Five-0'' (2012) remake. He also appeared as a veteran streetwise officer in an episode of the 1973 version of '' Police Story''. 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. The role earned Asner an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

, as did the similarly dark role of Axel Jordache in the miniseries '' Rich Man, Poor Man'' (1976). In contrast, he played a former pontiff in the lead role of '' Papa Giovanni: Ioannes XXIII'' (''Pope John XXIII'' 2002), an Italian television film for RAI. Ed Asner - 1985

Asner had an extensive voice acting career. In 1987, he played the eponymous character, George F. Babbitt, in the L.A. Classic Theatre Works' radio theatre production of Sinclair Lewis' novel '' Babbitt''. He also provided the voices for Joshua on ''Joshua and the Battle of Jericho'' (1986) for Hanna-Barbera, J. Jonah Jameson on the 1990s animated television series '' Spider-Man'' (1994–98); Hoggish Greedly on '' Captain Planet and the Planeteers'' (1990–95); Hudson on '' Gargoyles'' (1994–96); Jabba the Hutt on the radio version of ''Star Wars''; Master Vrook from '' Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic'' and its sequel; Roland Daggett on '' Batman: The Animated Series'' (1992–94); Cosgrove on '' Freakazoid!''; Ed Wuncler on '' The Boondocks'' (2005–14); and

in various

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with their f ...

animated series. He also voiced Napoleon, Cornelia's younger sister's cat in the

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

show '' W.I.T.C.H.'', and Kid Potato, the Butcher's dad in the PBS Kids show hit '' WordGirl''. He was even nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program but lost to Eartha Kitt for Nick Jr.'s ''

The Wonder Pets ''Wonder Pets!'' is an American educational animated children's television series created by Josh Selig for Nickelodeon. The series follows a trio of classroom pets—Linny the Guinea Pig, Turtle Tuck and Ming-Ming Duckling—who use teamwork to ...

''. Asner provided the voice of famed American orator

Edward Everett Edward Everett (April 11, 1794 – January 15, 1865) was an American politician, Unitarianism, Unitarian pastor, educator, diplomat, and orator from Massachusetts. Everett, as a Whig Party (United States), Whig, served as United States House o ...

in the 2017 documentary film ''The Gettysburg Address''. Asner provided the voice of the main protagonist Carl Fredricksen in the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment in ...

-winning Pixar film '' Up'' (2009). He received critical acclaim for the role, with 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." He appeared in the mid- to late-2000s decade in a recurring segment on '' The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'', entitled "Does This Impress Ed Asner?" He was cast in a

Country Music Television Country Music Television (CMT) is an American pay TV network owned by Paramount Media Networks, a division of Paramount Global. Launched on March 5, 1983, as Country Music Television, CMT was the first nationally available channel devoted to c ...

comedy pilot, ''Regular Joe''. In 2001, Asner was the recipient of the

Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award The Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award is presented by the Screen Actors Guild's National Honors and Tributes Committee for "outstanding achievement in fostering the finest ideals of the acting profession." It predates the 1st Screen Actor ...

. Asner won more Emmy Awards for performing than any other male actor (seven, including five for the role of Lou Grant). In 1996, he was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame. In July 2010, Asner completed recording sessions for ''Shattered Hopes: The True Story of the Amityville Murders''; a documentary on the 1974 DeFeo murders in Amityville, New York. Asner served as the narrator for the film, which covers a forensic analysis of the murders, the trial in which 23-year-old DeFeo son Ronald DeFeo Jr., was convicted of the killings, and the subsequent "haunting" story which is revealed to be a hoax. Also in 2010, Asner played the title role in ''FDR'', a stage production about the life of

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

; he subsequently continued to tour the play throughout the country. In January 2011, Asner took a supporting role on CMT's first original sitcom ''

''. He made an appearance in the independent comedy feature '' Not Another B Movie'', and had a role as billionaire

Warren Buffett Warren Edward Buffett ( ; born August 30, 1930) is an American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He is currently the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. He is one of the most successful investors in the world and has a net w ...

in HBO's economic drama '' Too Big to Fail'' (2011). In 2013, he guest starred as Mr. Finger in '' The Crazy Ones''. Asner also provided voice-over narration for many documentaries and films about social activism, including ''Tiger by the Tail'', a documentary film detailing the efforts of

Eric Mann Eric Mann (born December 4, 1942) is a civil rights, anti-war, labor, and environmental organizer whose career spans more than 50 years. He has worked with the Congress of Racial Equality, Newark Community Union Project, Students for a Democrat ...

and the Campaign to keep General Motors' Van Nuys assembly plant running. He also recorded for a public radio show and podcast, '' Playing On Air'', appearing in

Warren Leight Warren Donald Leight (; born January 17, 1957) is an American playwright, screenwriter, film director and television producer. He is best known for his work on '' Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' and ''Lights Out'' and as the showrunner for '' In ...

's ''The Final Interrogation of Ceaucescu's Dog'' with Jesse Eisenberg, and Mike Reiss's ''New York Story.'' Asner was the voice-over narrator for the 2016 documentary ''Behind the Fear: The Hidden Story of HIV'', directed by Nicole Zwiren, a controversial study on the AIDS debate. A 2014 documentary titled ''My Friend Ed,'' directed by Sharon Baker, focused on the actor's life and career. It won Best Short Documentary at the

New York City Independent Film Festival The New York City Independent Film Festival (also known as NYC Independent Film Festival, NYCIndieFF) is an annual film festival held in New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of Unite ...

. During interviews for a 2019 book on the history of Chicago theater, Asner told the author he preferred to be credited for his work as "Edward" rather than "Ed" because he felt the longer name held the page or screen better. In 2018, Asner was cast in the

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

dark comedy, '' Dead to Me'', which premiered on May 3, 2019. The series also stars Christina Applegate, Linda Cardellini, and James Marsden. Asner also had a recurring guest role in the 2018–present series '' Cobra Kai'', portraying Johnny Lawrence's step-father, Sid Weinberg, in seasons one and three. In 2020 he guest starred in an episode of '' Modern Family'' and in 2021 played himself in a sketch on '' Let's Be Real''. The 2019 feature documentary ''Ed Asner: On Stage and Off'' premiered at the American Documentary Film Festival in Palm Springs, which Asner attended. In 2013, he played Santa in ''Christmas on the Bayou''. Beginning in 2016, Asner took on the role of Holocaust survivor Milton Salesman in Jeff Cohen's acclaimed play ''

The Soap Myth ''The Soap Myth'' is a play by American playwright Jeff Cohen. It dramatizes the conflict between Holocaust scholars and historians who require documentary proof when determining the history of the Holocaust and survivors of the Holocaust who w ...

'' in a reading at Lincoln Center's Bruno Walter Theatre in New York City. He subsequently toured for the next three years in "concert readings" of the play in more than a dozen cities across the United States. In 2019, PBS flagship station WNET filmed the concert reading at New York's Center for Jewish History for their

All Arts WLIW (channel 21) is a secondary PBS member television station licensed to Garden City, New York, United States, and serving the New York City television market. It is owned by The WNET Group (formerly known as the Educational Broadcasting Corp ...

channel. The performance, which is available for free, world-wide live-streaming, co-stars Tovah Feldshuh, Ned Eisenberg, and Liba Vaynberg. In the week before his death, Asner told his frequent collaborators,

Greg Palast Gregory Allyn Palast (born June 26, 1952) is an author and a freelance journalism, journalist who often worked for the BBC and ''The Guardian''. His work frequently focuses on corporation, corporate malfeasance but he has also worked with labor u ...

and Leni Badpenny, that he soon would be doing three one-act plays. In 2021, Asner played the role of Claude in the Halloween special ''Muppets Haunted Mansion''.

Activism

Politics

Asner served two terms as president of the

, in which capacity during the 1980s he opposed United States policy in Central America, working closely with the Alliance for Survival. He played a prominent role in the Strike and Emmy Awards boycott of 1980, 1980 SAG strike. He was also active in a variety of other causes, such as the movement to free Mumia Abu-Jamal and the movement to establish California One Care, single-payer health care in California, for which he created a television advertisement. He endorsed Dennis Kucinich in the 2004 United States presidential election, and Barack Obama during the 2008 United States presidential election. He was formerly a member of the Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee (DSOC) and was a member of DSOC's successor, the Democratic Socialists of America. The sudden cancellation of ''Lou Grant'' in 1982 was the subject of much controversy. The show had high ratings, being in the ACNielsen top ten throughout its final month on the air. However, the CBS television network declined to renew it. Asner believed that his Left-wing politics, left-wing political views, as well as the publicity surrounding them, were the actual root causes for the show's cancellation. In 2011, Asner endorsed Democratic Party (United States), Democratic candidate Marcy Winograd who finished 4th in the 16-candidate primary behind eventual winner Janice Hahn, in 2011 California's 36th congressional district special election, California's 36th congressional district special election. From 2011 to 2015, Asner worked with filmmaker Nicole Zwiren on the feature-length documentary ''Behind the Fear'' which addresses HIV/AIDS denialism. The film was released in 2016 with Asner as the narrator.

Nonprofit organizations

Asner was on the Entertainment Board of Directors for The Survivor Mitzvah Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing direct emergency aid to elderly and impoverished Holocaust survivors in Eastern Europe. Asner was a member of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, a free speech organization that is dedicated to protecting comic book creators and retailers from prosecutions based on content. He served as an advisor to the Rosenberg Fund for Children, an organization founded by the children of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, which provides benefits for the children of political activists, and was a board member for the wildlife conservation organization Defenders of Wildlife. Asner also sat on the advisory board for Exceptional Minds, a non-profit school and a computer animation studio for young adults on the autism spectrum. Asner was a supporter of Humane Borders, an organization based in Tucson, Arizona, which maintains water stations in the Sonoran desert for use by undocumented migrants, with the goal of preventing deaths by dehydration and exposure. He was the master of ceremonies at that organization's volunteer dinner in fall 2017. In November 2017, The Ed Asner Family Center was founded by Asner's son, Matt, and daughter-in-law, Navah Paskowitz. The Center provides arts and vocational enrichments, counseling services, and support groups and camps to special needs individuals and their families.

September 11 attacks

Asner voiced qualified support for the 9/11 truth movement. In 2004, he signed a statement released by the group 9/11 Truth movement#9/11 Truth, 9/11 Truth that included a call for a new investigation into some elements of the September 11 attacks that he questioned. by Stephanie Miller on ''The Stephanie Miller Show'' about a September 11 attacks, September 11 Conspiracy theory Asner confirmed his support for the statement in 2009. Asner also narrated the documentary film ''The Oil Factor: Behind the War on Terror''. In April 2004, Asner wrote an open letter to "peace and justice leaders" encouraging them to demand "full 9–11 truth" through the organization ''9-11 Visibility Project''. In 2011, Asner hosted the Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth documentary on the collapse of 7 World Trade Center, which endorsed the conspiracy theory that the building was taken down by demolition, controlled demolition. AsnerWeaver1978

Opposition to SAG–AFTRA merger

On March 30, 2012, the

(SAG) and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) completed a merger of equals, forming a new union SAG-AFTRA. Asner was adamantly opposed to such a merger, arguing that the planned merger would destroy the SAG's health plan and disempower actors. Asner and a group of fellow actors and voice-actors, including Martin Sheen and Ed Harris, filed (but later dropped) a lawsuit against SAG president Ken Howard and several SAG vice presidents, seeking to have the merger overturned, and the two unions separated to their pre-merger organizations.

Local Theater/Community Development

In 2021, Asner traveled to Monte Rio, California to support the reopening, revitalization, and shifted focus of the local Monte Rio Theater.

Personal life

Asner was married to Nancy Lou Sykes from 1959 to 1988. They had three children, twins Matthew and Liza, and Kate Asner, Kate. In 1987, he had a son named Charles with Carol Jean Vogelman. Asner was a parent and a grandparent to Autism spectrum, autistic children and was involved with the 501(c)(3) organization, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization Autism Speaks. He also served as a board of directors, board member and adviser for Aspiritech, a nonprofit organization that trains high-functioning autistic persons to test software and perform quality assurance, quality-assurance services for companies. Asner became engaged to producer Cindy Gilmore in 1991. They married on August 2, 1998. Gilmore filed for legal separation on November 7, 2007. Asner filed for divorce in 2015.

Death

Asner died of natural causes at his home in the Tarzana, Los Angeles, Tarzana neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, on the morning of August 29, 2021, at the age of 91. He was buried at Sheffield Cemetery in Kansas City, Missouri, on September 12. Numerous celebrities paid tribute to Asner, including Maureen McCormick, George Takei, Mark Hamill, Michael McKean, Bradley Whitford, Josh Gad, Mia Farrow, Andy Richter, Katie Couric, Denis O'Hare, Mira Sorvino, Eric Stonestreet, Niecy Nash, Yvette Nicole Brown, Michael Moore, Rosario Dawson, Rosanna Arquette, Ben Stiller, The Muppets, William Baldwin, Greg Weisman, William Zabka, Ralph Macchio, Bill Farmer, and Zooey Deschanel.

References

External links

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Asner, Ed 1929 births 2021 deaths 20th-century American Jews 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American male actors 9/11 conspiracy theorists Activists from California Activists from Missouri Activists from New York City American conspiracy theorists American male film actors American male television actors American male voice actors American people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent American people of Russian-Jewish descent American people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent American political activists Audiobook narrators Autism activists Best Drama Actor Golden Globe (television) winners Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe (television) winners Burials in Missouri Canadian Screen Award winners Jewish American male actors Jewish American military personnel American trade union leaders Male actors from Chicago Male actors from Kansas City, Kansas Male actors from Kansas City, Missouri Male actors from New York City Members of the Democratic Socialists of America Military personnel from Missouri Military personnel from New York City Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Drama Series Primetime Emmy Award winners Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Primetime Emmy Award winners People from Tarzana, Los Angeles Presidents of the Screen Actors Guild Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award United States Army soldiers University of Chicago alumni