Lou Grant (fictional Character)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Lou Grant is a fictional character played by
Ed Asner Eddie Asner (; November 15, 1929 – August 29, 2021) was an American actor. He is most notable for portraying Lou Grant on the sitcom ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (1970–1977) and drama '' Lou Grant'' (1977–1982), making him one of the few ...
in two television series produced by
MTM Enterprises MTM Enterprises (also known as MTM Productions) was an American independent production company established in 1969 by Mary Tyler Moore and her then-husband Grant Tinker to produce ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' for CBS. The name for the produc ...
for
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
. The first was ''
The Mary Tyler Moore Show ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (also known simply as ''Mary Tyler Moore'') is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns and starring actress Mary Tyler Moore. The show originally aired on CBS from September 19, 1970 ...
'' (1970–1977), a half-hour light-hearted situation comedy in which the character was the
news director A news director is an individual at a broadcast station or network who is in charge of the news department. In local news, the news director is typically in charge of the entire news staff, including journalists, news presenters, photographers, ...
at fictional television station WJM-TV in Minneapolis. A spinoff series, entitled ''
Lou Grant Lou Grant is a fictional character played by Ed Asner in two television series produced by MTM Enterprises for CBS. The first was ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (1970–1977), a half-hour light-hearted situation comedy in which the character ...
'' (1977–1982), was an hour-long serious dramatic series that frequently engaged in
social commentary Social commentary is the act of using rhetorical means to provide commentary on social, cultural, political, or economic issues in a society. This is often done with the idea of implementing or promoting change by informing the general populace ab ...
, featuring the same character as
city editor A city editor is a section editor of a newspaper responsible for daily news from a city or metropolitan area. They often work at night to be able to track news that happens at any time and include it in the following day's publication. Regional ...
of the fictional ''Los Angeles Tribune''. Although spin-offs are common on American television, Lou Grant remains one of a very few characters played by the same actor to have a leading role on both a popular comedy and a popular dramatic series.


Fictional biography


Pre-WJM-TV

Although the setting of ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' might have implied that he was a native
Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
n, ''Lou Grant'' in fact established that he was born in the fictional rural town of Goshen,
Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
in 1925. He was the son of John Simpson Grant and Ellen Hammersmith Grant; his grandfather was a pharmacist. At some point in his youth and early adulthood he developed a lifelong affection for
westerns The Western is a genre of fiction typically set in the American frontier (commonly referred to as the "Old West" or the "Wild West") between the California Gold Rush of 1849 and the closing of the frontier in 1890, and commonly associated wit ...
, particularly those starring
John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a Pop icon, popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood' ...
. In high school, he was a tackle for his school's
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
team. Soon after high school, he married Edie MacKenzie ( Priscilla Morrill), at an age young enough to have four grandchildren before he turned 50. After marriage he became a
combatant Combatant is the legal status of a person entitled to directly participate in hostilities during an armed conflict, and may be intentionally targeted by an adverse party for their participation in the armed conflict. Combatants are not afforded i ...
in World War II. He served in both the
Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...
and European Theatres. At one point, he was a
sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...
in the Pacific-based
2nd Marine Division The 2nd Marine Division (2nd MARDIV) is a division of the United States Marine Corps, which forms the ground combat element of the II Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF). The division is based at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina a ...
. During another phase of his wartime service he was injured by a
grenade A grenade is a small explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a Shell (projectile), shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A mod ...
in France, the last remnants of which were removed only in his late 40s. He was also part of a unit that liberated an unknown town in Germany. During the war he met and befriended
Walter Cronkite Walter Leland Cronkite Jr. (November 4, 1916 – July 17, 2009) was an American broadcast journalist who served as anchorman for the ''CBS Evening News'' from 1962 to 1981. During the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the most trust ...
. He attended college (although on several occasions he stated he never had the chance to attend), likely after the war. He started his career in print journalism as a copy boy but it is unclear whether this was in Detroit,
Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
or San Francisco as he worked for papers in all three cities. In this period of his life, he met and worked with Charlie Hume (
Mason Adams Mason Adams (born Mason Abrams; February 26, 1919 – April 26, 2005) was an American actor. From the late 1940s until the early 1970s, he was heard in numerous radio programs and voiceovers for countless television commercials, the latter ...
) for the first time at the ''
San Francisco Call-Bulletin ''The San Francisco Call'' was a newspaper that served San Francisco, California. Because of a succession of mergers with other newspapers, the paper variously came to be called ''The San Francisco Call & Post'', the ''San Francisco Call-Bulleti ...
'', and worked with Jack Riley (
Eugene Roche Eugene Harrison Roche (September 22, 1928 – July 28, 2004) was an American actor and the original " Ajax Man" in 1970s television commercials. Personal life Roche was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of Mary M. (née Finnegan ...
).


WJM-TV

At some point in his late 30s he made the transition to broadcast journalism, and by the time of the 1966 elections he was working on a radio news show, as he explained to
Mary Richards Mary Richards, portrayed by Mary Tyler Moore, is the lead character of the television sitcom ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show''. Character biography Mary Richards, born in 1940 in Roseburg, Minnesota, is the only child of Walter and Dottie Richard ...
on the occasion of her producing her first news show all by herself at WJM-TV. He eventually became the head of the WJM news department. He worked in that capacity for 11 years. For most of that period, Mary Richards served as his associate producer (later producer, with Lou having the title of executive producer, and she reported to him),
Ted Baxter Ted Baxter is a fictional character on the sitcom ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (1970–1977). Portrayed by Ted Knight, the Baxter character is a broad parody of a vain, shallow, buffoonish, vacuous TV personality. Knight's comedic model was act ...
as his
news anchor A news presenter – also known as a newsreader, newscaster (short for "news broadcaster"), anchorman or anchorwoman, news anchor or simply an anchor – is a person who presents news during a news program on TV, radio or the Internet. ...
and
Murray Slaughter The following is a list of featured characters on ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show''. Main characters Mary Richards Mary Richards (Mary Tyler Moore) is a single native Minnesotan who moves to Minneapolis in 1970 at age 30 and becomes associate produce ...
as his head writer. Of these relationships, the one with Richards was likely the closest. Except for one abortive attempt at romance, his general attitude towards Mary was
paternalistic Paternalism is action that limits a person's or group's liberty or autonomy against their will and is intended to promote their own good. It has been defended in a variety of contexts as a means of protecting individuals from significant harm, s ...
. A typical display of his affection for Richards came when his nephew, Allen, tried to put the moves on Mary. Lou became infuriated and said "Listen you, let me remind you of something, and remember this forever. I think of this girl here as if she were my own daughter and that means she is your cousin, you get my drift?" He was a heavy drinker, with a penchant for hiding whole bottles of scotch in his desk drawers. His personality was outwardly that of a tough loner and a workaholic man's man. The real Lou Grant was somewhat more complicated. He was quick to anger and had a violent streak, at times threatening the barely competent Ted Baxter and once causing him physical injury. However, those who understood him best, like Mary Richards, knew he was also painfully shy, with a particular awkwardness around women. With those few people he trusted, Lou was protective and could at times confide his emotional vulnerability. When he learned that Ted considered him his "best friend", he took pity on him, at least until Ted infuriated him again. Lou's marriage began to slide as he and Edie both adjusted to life after parenthood. They briefly separated for the first time almost immediately after their youngest daughter got married and left the house. Though they reconciled on this occasion, they would occasionally re-separate and seek marriage counseling over the next two years. In about 1973 he and Edie divorced, after which Edie promptly remarried. Lou, who had been consistently portrayed as a devoted husband, tentatively began to date again. He went out with a woman named Charlene (
Sheree North Sheree North (born Dawn Shirley Crang; January 17, 1932 – November 4, 2005) was an American actress, dancer, and singer, known for being one of 20th Century-Fox's intended successors to Marilyn Monroe. Early life North was born Dawn Shirley Cr ...
;
Janis Paige Janis Paige (born Donna Mae Tjaden; September 16, 1922 – June 2, 2024) was an American actress and singer. With a career spanning nearly 60 years, she was one of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Born in Tacoma, Wash ...
in "Menage-a-Lou" of Season 6) in particularly Season 5; Mary's best friend
Rhoda Morgenstern Rhoda Faye Morgenstern, portrayed by Valerie Harper, is a fictional character on the television sitcom ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show''. The character was spun off to the show ''Rhoda'', in which she was the protagonist. Character background The ...
in Season 4; Mary's next-door neighbor, Paula Kovacks (
Penny Marshall Carole Penny MarshallBorn Carole Penny Marshall in 1943, as per ''My Mother Was Nuts, a Memoir'', p. 10; . Copyright 2012 (October 15, 1943 – December 17, 2018) was an American actress, film director, and producer. She is best known for ...
) in Season 6; Mary's Aunt Flo (
Eileen Heckart Anna Eileen Heckart ( Herbert; March 29, 1919 – December 31, 2001) was an American stage and screen actress whose career spanned nearly 60 years. Early life Heckart was born Anna Eileen Herbert in Columbus, Ohio. Her mother Esther () wed Leo ...
) in Seasons 6 and 7; and even with Mary herself in the penultimate episode. He and
Sue Ann Nivens Sue Ann Nivens is a fictional character portrayed by Betty White on situation comedy ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show''. Casting The role of Sue Ann Nivens was not specifically written for White, but script #73 of the series (" The Lars Affair", aire ...
had a drunken one-night-stand. Professionally, his career with WJM-TV ended in the final episode. Lou, along with Mary, Murray, and
Sue Ann Nivens Sue Ann Nivens is a fictional character portrayed by Betty White on situation comedy ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show''. Casting The role of Sue Ann Nivens was not specifically written for White, but script #73 of the series (" The Lars Affair", aire ...
, was fired due to low ratings. Lou's sometime-nemesis, the vacuous Ted Baxter—the real cause for the ratings slide—was retained.


''Los Angeles Tribune''

''Lou Grant'', a spin-off drama from the comedy show ''Mary Tyler Moore'', opens with Grant relocating to Los Angeles, to work with as City Editor with an old buddy, Charley Hume, who is managing editor of the fictitious ''Los Angeles Tribune'', His subordinates at that time included staff reporters Joe Rossi ( Robert Walden); Billie Newman (
Linda Kelsey Linda Kelsey (born July 28, 1946) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Billie Newman on the CBS drama television series '' Lou Grant'' (1977–1982), which earned her three Golden Globe Award nominations and five Primetim ...
); her predecessor, Carla Mardigian (
Rebecca Balding Rebecca Balding (September 21, 1948 – July 18, 2022) was an American actress best known for her appearances on ''Soap'' and ''Charmed''. Biography In 1948, Balding was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. She attended the University of Kansas. I ...
); and photographer Dennis "Animal" Price ( Daryl Anderson). His assistant city editor was Art Donovan ( Jack Bannon). Charlie Hume was now his boss, who ultimately reported to publisher Margaret Jones Pynchon (
Nancy Marchand Nancy Lou Marchand (June 19, 1928 – June 18, 2000) was an American actress. She began her career in theater in 1951. She was most famous for portraying Margaret Pynchon on '' Lou Grant'' – for which she won 4 Emmy Awards – and Livia Sopra ...
). They, like those back at WJM, became his family. In the last episode of season one it is revealed that he has just turned 50, a continuity error from ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show''; he would have turned 53 in 1978. There is one character on ''Lou Grant'', reporter Rosenthal, who is mentioned frequently but never seen. ''Lou Grant'' was cancelled after the star, Ed Asner, publicly protested U.S. interventions into the politics of Latin American countries.


Unofficial appearances

*During the second season of the ''Lou Grant'' series, the ''
Toronto Sun The ''Toronto Sun'' is an English-language tabloid format, tabloid newspaper published daily in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The newspaper is one of several ''Sun'' tabloids published by Postmedia Network. The newspaper's offices are located at Pos ...
'' newspaper arranged a series of press conferences, interviews and announcements (with participation from Asner), stating that Lou Grant was joining the Sun as their new senior city editor. Asner (as Grant) ostensibly worked in the newsroom for a day, and the March 23, 1979 issue of the Sun newspaper actually formally named Lou Grant as city editor on their masthead. The publicity stunt concluded with Grant being "fired" from the Sun after one day, allegedly for being "too disruptive to the flow of the newsroom" due to of all the news organizations following him around with cameras. *In a 1984 episode of ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
'', on which Asner was a guest, Lou hired a team of mercenaries to "rescue" Mary Richards after she got stuck in the '70s in syndicated reruns. But Mary refused rescue on the grounds that she never ages and never gains weight, and that people still like her. Mary Richards and the rest of the ''Mary Tyler Moore Show'' characters hadn't existed anywhere, except in reruns, for several years. (''Lou Grant'' had been cancelled about 2 years previously.) *In 1996, the character appeared on "Call Waiting", an episode of ''
Roseanne ''Roseanne'' is an American television sitcom created by Matt Williams (producer), Matt Williams that originally aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from October 18, 1988, to May 20, 1997, and briefly revived from March 27, 2018, to May ...
'', in a dream sequence experienced by the show's lead. Roseanne (
Roseanne Barr Roseanne Cherrie Barr (born November 3, 1952), also known mononymously as Roseanne, is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer. She began her career in stand-up comedy before gaining acclaim in the television sitcom ''Roseanne'' (19 ...
) was Mary and Dan (
John Goodman John Stephen Goodman (born June 20, 1952) is an American actor. He rose to prominence in television before becoming an acclaimed and popular film actor. Goodman has received List of awards and nominations received by John Goodman, various acc ...
) was Lou, and the two got into a heated argument. Lou stomped out, but quickly returned and was then played by Asner. (He commented about not feeling like himself.) Asner was uncredited. *In 1998, Asner appeared in a cameo role as an Associated Press editor in the miniseries '' More Tales of the City'' (based on the series of
Armistead Maupin Armistead Jones Maupin, Jr. ( ; born May 13, 1944) is an American writer notable for '' Tales of the City'', a series of novels set in San Francisco. Early life Maupin was born in Washington, D.C., to Diana Jane (Barton) and Armistead Jones Maup ...
novels). Though not identified by any name in dialogue, the character's demeanor was similar to that of the Lou Grant character. However, the character was identified as "Jack Lederer" in the credits, and the character's apparent age -- if meant to be Lou Grant -- doesn't fit with the 1978 setting of the show (Asner was nearly 70 at the time of filming, while Lou Grant in the mid-to-late-1970s would have been around 50). *In a 2000 episode of the short lived ''Ellen Show'', series regular Cloris Leachman reunites with Mary Tyler Moore. Cloris had played Phyllis on the Mary Tyler Moore show and its spinoff, Phyllis. Though the Mary and Cloris reunion was advertised well publicized, Ed Asner had a surprise cameo as Santa Clause. Mary called him "Mister Clause," in homage to the fact that her character had always called Lou Grant "Mister Grant." *In 2004, Asner unofficially reprised the role in a series of ads promoting
Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in stat ...
station
KSTP-TV KSTP-TV (channel 5) is a television station licensed to Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States, serving the Twin Cities area as an affiliate of ABC. It is the flagship television property of locally based Hubbard Broadcasting, which has owned th ...
, a real television station in the same market as the fictional WJM-TV. *Additionally in 2013, Asner again reprised the role for a series of promos for ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' airing on
MeTV MeTV, an acronym for Memorable Entertainment Television, is an American broadcast television network owned by Weigel Broadcasting. Marketed as "The Definitive Destination for Classic TV", the network airs a variety of classic television progra ...
.


Reception

Asner won five
Primetime Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
for his portrayal of Lou, with three of these awards for ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' and two for ''Lou Grant''.
Bravo Bravo(s) or The Bravo(s) may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Groups and labels * Bravo (band), a Russian rock band * Bravo (Spanish group), represented Spain at Eurovision 1984 * Bravo Music, an American concert band music publishing compa ...
ranked Lou 35th on their list of the 100 greatest TV characters.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grant, Lou American male characters in television The Mary Tyler Moore Show characters Fictional characters from Los Angeles Fictional newspaper editors Fictional producers Television characters introduced in 1970 American male characters in sitcoms