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Ed Asner: Lou Grant
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After serving in the U.S. Army’s Signal Corps in the early 1950s, Asner moved to New York to pursue his acting career. While he landed a few stage roles and made some appearances on television, Asner’s career did not really take off until he landed a part on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. The situation comedy followed the travails of Mary Richards (Mary Tyler Moore), a professional woman in her thirties working in television news in Minneapolis. The show was groundbreaking at the time, showing an independent woman focused on her career. Asner played her boss, Lou Grant, a tough producer who, despite his hard façade, was more of a teddy bear than a grizzly bear. Audiences adored his portrayal of the character.
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One of the most honored actors in the history of television, with seven Emmy Awards and sixteen nominations, Asner is perhaps best known for his comedic and dramatic crossover as the gruff but soft-hearted journalist Lou Grant. The role he originated on the landmark TV-newsroom comedy The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970-77) and continued in the newspaper-set drama Lou Grant (1977-82), earned Asner five Emmy and three Golden Globe Awards. Asner received two more Emmy and Golden Globe Awards for the miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man (1976) and Roots (1977). He was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame in 1996.
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Ed Asner is still a bit of a Communist sympathizer, but he did not give Stalin the ringing endorsement that Professional Horse's Arse Kevin McCullogh attributed to the man who was Lou Grant. Here's what Easy Ed said:
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Asner is best known for his character Lou Grant, who was first introduced on the The Mary Tyler Moore Show in 1970. In 1977, after the end of the Mary Tyler Moore show, Asner's character was given his own show, Lou Grant, which ran from 1977-1982. In contrast to the Mary Tyler Moore show, which was a thirty minute comedy, the Lou Grant show was an hour long award-winning drama about journalism.
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In 1970, over Moore's initial hesitation (she wasn't certain he was funny enough), Asner was cast as Lou Grant, the irascible head of the WJM newsroom on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. The popular series ran for seven seasons, during which time the actor received three Emmy awards. His new stardom allowed Asner a wider variety of select roles, including a continuing villainous appearance on the miniseries Roots -- which earned him another Emmy.
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Edward Asner (born November 15, 1929) is an American actor primarily known for his Emmy-winning role as Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spinoff series, Lou Grant. He ... appeared as a recurring guest star as Wilson White on the television series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.
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