One of the most honored actors in the history of television, Edward Asner has been the recipient of eight Emmy Awards and 16 nominations, as well as five Golden Globe Awards. He also served as National President of the Screen Actors Guild for two terms. He was inducted into the TV Academy Hall of Fame in 1996, and he was honored by the Screen Actors Guild as the 38th recipient of the prestigious Life Achievement Award for career achievement and humanitarian accomplishment.
Asner is best known for his comedic and dramatic talent as the gruff but soft-hearted journalist Lou Grant, the role he originated on the landmark TV newsroom comedy The Mary Tyler Moore Show, which continued in the newspaper-set drama Lou Grant, which earned him five Emmys and three Golden Globe Awards for the miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man and Roots.
In addition to his long and celebrate television career, Asner has also appeared in motion pictures, including The Slender Thread, El Dorado, They Call Me Mister Tibbs, Fort Apache the Bronx, JFK, Elf (as Santa Claus), and he was the voice of Carl Fredricksen in the celebrated Academy Award-winning Best Animated film Up in 2009.
On the small screen, he continues to work, including co-starring in the Netflix comedy series Dead to Me opposite James Marsden, Linda Cardellini, and Christina Applegate, and some of his guest star appearances include Cobra Kai, Bones, Criminal Minds, The Good Wife, Law & Order S.V.U., Hawaii Five-O, and Royal Pains. His voice is also featured on such prominent animated series as: American Dad!, SpongeBob SquarePants, The Cleveland Show, Spider-Man, Family Guy, and many more.
Asner most recently starred in the Broadway show Grace opposite Paul Rudd and Michael Shannon and more recently toured in the one-man show, FDR, as well as God Help Us and A Man and His Prostate.
A native of Kansas City, Missouri, Asner was also a U.S. Army veteran of World War II.