Edward Asner Biography (1929-)

Born November 15, 1929, in Kansas City, MO; son of Morris and Lizzie (maidenname, Seliger) Asner; married Nancy Lou Sykes, March 23, 1959 (divorced, 1988); married Cindy Gilmore, August 2, 1998; children: (first marriage) Matthewand Liza (twins), Kathryn (an actress); (with Carol Jean Vogelman) Charles. Addresses: Agent: Brian Dubin, William Morris Agency, 1325 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019-6026.

Nationality: American
Gender: Male
Occupation: Actor, producer
Birth Details: November 15, 1929; Kansas City, Missouri, United States

Famous Works

CREDITS
Television Appearances
Series
Police sergeant, Decoy, syndicated, 1957
Lieutenant Vincent Busti, Naked City, ABC, 1960-1963
Frank Radcliff, Slattery's People, CBS, 1964-1965
Lou Grant, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, CBS, 1970-1977
Title role, Lou Grant, CBS, 1977-1982
Joe Danzig, The Bronx Zoo, NBC, 1987-1988
Host, Hollywood: The Golden Years, Arts and Entertainment, 1988
Voice of Hoggish Greedly, Captain Planet and the Planeteers (animated), 1990-1993
Walter Kovacs, The Trials of Rosie O'Neill (also known as Renewal), CBS, 1991-1992
Voice of Chief Abalone, Fish Police (animated), CBS, 1992
George Lahti, Hearts Afire (also known as Capitol Hill andD.C.), CBS, 1992-1993
Gil Jones, Thunder Alley, ABC, 1994-1995
(As Ed Asner) General, The Magic School Bus (also known as Scholastic's The Magic School Bus), PBS, 1994
President Gordon Knight, Higher Education, 1994
Voice of Sergeant Mike Cosgrove, Freakazoid! (animated), The WB, 1995
Voice of J. Jonah Jameson, Spider-Man (animated), Fox, 1995
Voice of Engineer, Bruno the Kid (animated), syndicated, 1996
Voice of Hudson, Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles, ABC, 1996
Mr. Russell, Ask Harriet, Fox, 1998
Carl Dobson, The Closer, CBS, 1998
Walking after Midnight, 1999
(As Ed Asner) Chuck Marshak, Max Steel (animated), The WB, 2000-?
Miniseries
Axel Jordache, Rich Man, Poor Man (also known as Rich Man, PoorMan--Book 1), ABC, 1976
Captain Thomas Davies, Roots, ABC, 1977
Devereux Warren, Tender Is the Night, Showtime, 1985
Harvey Metcalfe, Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less, USA Network,1990
Ted Marx, Switched at Birth, NBC, 1991
Bill Osteen, Cruel Doubt, NBC, 1992
John Waters, Gone in the Night, CBS, 1996
Narrator, The Great Escapes of World War II (also known as TheGreat Escapes of WWII), 1997
Jack Lederer, More Tales of the City (also known as Armistead Maupin's More Tales of the City), Showtime, 1998
Movies
Fanfare for a Death Scene, 1964
Feldman, The Doomsday Flight, NBC, 1966
Saul Wiener, Daughter of the Mind, ABC, 1969
Dr. Morheim, The Old Man Who Cried Wolf, ABC, 1970
Barstow, The Last Child (also known as The Day They Took the Babies Away), ABC, 1971
Albert Hunsicker, Haunts of the Very Rich, ABC, 1972
Detective Ralph Varone, The Girl Most Likely to ... , ABC, 1973
Peter Singleton, Death Scream (also known as The Woman Who Cried Murder and Streetkill), ABC, 1975
Ralph Flores, Hey, I'm Alive!, ABC, 1975
Huey Long, The Life and Assassination of the Kingfish (also knownas Every Man a King), NBC, 1977
Adam Thornton, The Gathering, ABC, 1977
Eddie Madden, The Family Man, CBS, 1979
Narrator, The Marva Collins Story, CBS, 1981
Simon Shaber, A Small Killing, CBS, 1981
Norman Cousins, Anatomy of an Illness, CBS, 1984
Dr. Resnick, Kate's Secret, NBC, 1986
Dr. Matthew Hayward, Vital Signs (also known as Following the Footsteps), CBS, 1986
Vincent Owens, Cracked Up, ABC, 1987
Opah Oskar, A Friendship in Vienna (also known as The Devil inVienna), The Disney Channel, 1988
Police Superintendent Jake Quinn, Good Cops, Bad Cops: The Biggest Heist in History (also known as Cops and Robbers), NBC, 1990
Edward P. Mitchell, Yes Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus, ABC, 1991
Sam Van Drake, Silent Motive, Lifetime, 1991
Pappa, Gypsy, CBS, 1993
Ab Abbott, Heads, Showtime, 1994
Nicholas "Santa" Claus, The Story of Santa Claus, 1996
Jack Patkanis, Payback, ABC, 1997
Jeep, Dog's Best Friend, Family Channel, 1997
Ira, Common Ground, 2000
Davis Aldrich, Becoming Dick, 2000
Also appeared as narrator, Narco.
Pilots
Frank Benson, The Seekers, televised as "Search for a Dead Man," The Untouchables, ABC, 1963
Sheriff Muntz, House on Greenapple Road, ABC, 1970
Chief Otto Larkin, Doug Selby, D.A., filmed in 1969 televised as They Call It Murder, NBC, 1971
Lieutenant Dave Blodgett, The Police Story, NBC, 1973
Barney West, The Imposter, NBC, 1975
Sam Waltman, Off the Rack, ABC, 1984
President Knight, Higher Education, 1994
Episodic
"The Defender," Studio One, CBS, 1957
"Man on the Monkey Board," Route 66, CBS, 1960
Tyler, "The Golden Carpet," Target: The Corruptors, ABC, 1961
Lieutenant Tegeler, "The Mud Nest," Route 66, CBS, 1961
"Shining Image," Dr. Kildare, NBC, 1961
"The Opponent," Route 66, CBS, 1961
"New York to L.A.," Naked City, ABC, 1961
"A Hole in the City," Naked City, ABC, 1961
"The Legacy," Dr. Kildare, NBC, 1962
"The Contenders," Alcoa Premiere, ABC, 1962
Frank, "Elegy," The Untouchables, ABC, 1962
Warden Bragen, "What Frightened You, Fred?" Alfred Hitchcock Presents, NBC, 1962
Jimmy Canada, "The Night They Shot Santa Claus," The Untouchables,1962
"Shoulder the Sky, My Lad," Route 66, CBS, 1962
"Blues for a Junkman," Cain's Hundred, NBC, 1962
Fedor Bartok, "The Death Tree," The Untouchables, ABC, 1962
Detective Thomas Siroleo, "It Crawled out of the Woodwork," Outer Limits, ABC, 1963
"The Cruel Hook," The Defenders, CBS, 1963
"Echo of a Silent Cheer," Ben Casey, ABC, 1963
"The Gift," The Nurses, CBS, 1963
"First Year, First Day," Mr. Novak, NBC, 1963
"Welcome to the Wedding," Route 66, CBS, 1963
"Last Summer We Didn't Go Away," Breaking Point, ABC, 1963
"Tigress by the Tail," Stoney Burke, ABC, 1963
Frank Williams, "Tight Rope into Nowhere," Dr. Kildare, NBC, 1963
"Echo of Another Day," The Virginian, NBC, 1963
Jack Stander, "To Catch a Butterfly," Alfred Hitchcock Hour, CBS,1963
"My Name Is Judith, I'm Lost, You See," Eleventh Hour, NBC, 1963
"Like Father, Like Son," Farmer's Daughter, ABC, 1964
"Vote for Murder," The Reporter, CBS, 1964
"Richard T. Ely," Profiles in Courage, NBC, 1964
Sergeant Wilks, "Hung High," Gunsmoke, CBS, 1964
"Hero of the People," The Defenders, CBS, 1964
"A Case of Armed Robbery," Bob Hope's Chrysler Theater, NBC, 1964
"The Verdict," A Man Called Shenandoah, ABC, 1965
"Nightmare in the Sun," Amos Burke, Secret Agent, ABC, 1965
Roy Malinek, "Three Cheers for Little Boy Blue," The Fugitive, ABC, 1965
Sheriff Mayhew, "Masquerade," The Fugitive, ABC, 1965
Brynov, "The Exile," Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, ABC, 1965
"Hamilton Fish," Profiles in Courage, NBC, 1965
"An Elephant Is Like a Tree," Mr. Novak, NBC, 1965
"The Killer Instinct," Felony Squad, ABC, 1966
Redmond, "Whispering Tree," Gunsmoke, CBS, 1966
"The Committee for the 25th," Run for Your Life, NBC, 1966
Captain Friedrich, "The Life against Death Raid," Rat Patrol, ABC,1966
John Carl Brock, "The Tormentors," The FBI, ABC, 1966
Alvin Pratt, "My Good Friend, What's His Name?" Please Don't Eat the Daisies, NBC, 1966
"The Prisoners," Iron Horse, ABC, 1967
"The 14th Runner," Ironside, NBC, 1967
"The Other Face of the Law," Judd, for the Defense, ABC, 1967
(As Ed Asner) Taugus, "Wall of Crystal," Invaders, ABC, 1967
(As Ed Asner) Harry Ferguson, "The Miracle," The Invaders, 1967
"The Double-O-Nothing Affair," Girl from UNCLE, NBC, 1967
Bantam, "Run the Man Down," The Fugitive, ABC, 1967

Furman Crotty, "The Night of the Amnesiac," Wild Wild West, CBS, 1968
"The Dynasty," The FBI, ABC, 1968
"Sadbird," CBS Playhouse, CBS, 1969
"The Legend of Big Foot," Here Come the Brides, ABC, 1969
Vince Leonard, "The Perfect Image," Name of the Game, NBC, 1969
"The Last Ten Yards," Medical Center, CBS, 1969
"Not with a Whimper But a Bang," Ironside, NBC, 1969
"The Inquiry," Name of the Game, NBC, 1969
"The Firemaker," Here Come the Brides, ABC, 1969
George Simpson, "The Mind of Stefan Miklos," Mission: Impossible,CBS, 1969
"The Poker Game," Insight, syndicated, 1969
"Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot," Mod Squad, ABC, 1970
"A Woman of Principle," Insight, syndicated, 1970
"The Color of Laughter," Mod Squad, ABC, 1971
"The Wrinkle Squad," Insight, syndicated, 1971
"The Connection," Mod Squad, ABC, 1972
"The Fake," Cade's County, CBS, 1972
"The Freak," Insight, syndicated, 1972
Lou Grant, "Rhoda's Wedding," Rhoda, CBS, 1974
Arch Tatum, "A Dangerous Age," Police Story, 1974
August March, "Wooden Model for a Rat," Hawaii Five-O, CBS, 1975
Frank Moran, "Three Days to Thirty," Police Story, NBC, 1976
God, "This Side of Eden," Insight, syndicated, 1977
"The Good Doctor," Great Performances, PBS, 1978
(Uncredited) Himself, "Coolidge Goes Hollywood," The White Shadow,1980
"Abraham's Sacrifice," Greatest Heroes of the Bible, NBC, 1981
Robert Sloane, "A Case of Libel," American Playhouse, PBS, 1985
Harold, "The Last Assignment," Highway to Heaven, NBC, 1985
"Samuel `Golden Rule' Jones," An American Portrait, CBS, 1985
Horace McNickle, "The Christmas Star," Disney Sunday Movie, ABC, 1986
Lucky Jake, "Darlin' Clementine," Shelley Duvall's Tall Tales & Legends, Showtime, 1987
"A Day in the Life of Ed Asner," The Popcorn Kid, CBS, 1987
D.C. Follies, syndicated, 1988
"Dinosaur Bob and His Adventures with the Family Lazardo," Reading Rainbow, PBS, 1989
Voice of Hoggish Greedly, Captain Planet and the Planeteers (animated), TBS, 1990
Voice of Roland Dagett, "Feat of Clay: Parts 1 & 2," The Adventures of Batman & Robin (animated; also known as Batman: The AnimatedSeries), Fox, 1992
Voice of Roland Dagett, "Appointment in Crime Alley," The Adventures of Batman & Robin (animated; also known as Batman: The Animated Series), Fox, 1992
Voice of Roland Dagett, "Cat Scratch Fever," The Adventures of Batman& Robin (animated; also known as Batman: The Animated Series),Fox, 1992
Narrator, "The Genius behind the Bomb," Nova, PBS, 1992
Voice of Charlie the Horse, "Happy Birthday to You," HBO Storybook Musicals, HBO, 1992
Voice of Grumps, "Seems Like Old Toons," Bonkers, 1993
(As Ed Asner) Voice of Roland Dagett, "Batgirl Returns," The Adventures of Batman & Robin (animated; also known as Batman: The AnimatedSeries), Fox, 1994
Voice of Mort Sidleman, "The Germ Turns," Duckman (animated), USANetwork, 1995
(As Ed Asner) Voice of Jack Danforth, "Revelations," Gargoyles, syndicated, 1995
(As Ed Asner) Voice of Jack Danforth, "Turf," Gargoyles, syndicated, 1996
Voice of Burbank, "The Reckoning," Gargoyles, syndicated, 1996
Lou Grant, "Call Waiting," Roseanne, ABC, 1996
(As Ed Asner) Voice of Von Romme and Sentry #4, "Nuclear Netherworld," The Real Adventures of Johnny Quest (animated), TNT and Cartoon Network,1996
Judge Matlin Pratt, "The Blessing," The Practice, ABC, 1997
Jeb McKinney, "Next of Kin," Dead Man's Gun, Showtime, 1997
Frank Weber, "Yes Sir, That's My Baby," Soul Man, ABC, 1998
Zigmund Klarik, "The Finale," Mad about You, NBC, 1998
Nathan Winters, "Angstgiving Day," Maggie Winters, CBS, 1998
Ed, "How the Ghosts Stole Christmas," The X-Files, Fox, 1998
Voice of editor, "Guess Who's Coming to Criticize Dinner?" The Simpsons (animated), Fox, 1999
Harvey, "The Anniversary," Chicken Soup for the Soul, PAX-TV, 1999
Voice of Granny Goodness, "Legacy: Parts 1 & 2," Superman (animated), The WB, 2000
Bud, "Here I Am," Touched by an Angel, CBS, 2000
Coach, "The Second Chance," The Hoop Life, Showtime, 2000
Lenny Crowley, "Last Call," Arli$$, HBO, 2000
(As Ed Asner) Voice of Fixer, "The Return of XL," Buzz Lightyear of Star Command (animated), Disney, 2000
Voice of Frank Hunter, "Anniversary," The Wild Thornberrys (animated), Nickelodeon, 2000
Max Quinlin, "Generations," The Huntress, USA Network, 2001
Also appeared as Cesare Marino, "1969," The Name of the Game; voice of Vern, "The Warners' 65th Anniversary Special" and "Garage Sale of the Century," Animaniacs (animated); voice of Bgen Aranius, The Magic School Bus, PBS; voice of second street person, "And Justice for All," Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles, ABC; voice of pilot, "Angels in the Night," Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles, ABC; voice of Burbank, "GenesisUndone," Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles, ABC; voice of Granny Goodness, "Little Girl Lost: Parts 1 & 2," Superman (animated), The WB; voice of Mentor, Hercules (animated), ABC and syndicated.
Specials
The Rowan and Martin Special, NBC, 1973
Know-it-all, Dinah in Search of the Ideal Man, NBC, 1973
Phil, Twigs, CBS, 1975
Ted Knight Musical Comedy Variety Special, CBS, 1976
Monty Hall's Variety Hour, ABC, 1976
Circus of the Stars, CBS, 1977
Celebrity Challenge of the Sexes 1, CBS, 1977
The Great American Values Test, 1979
CBS Team Captain, Battle of the Network Stars, ABC, 1979
Narrator, Lights, Action, Africa, CBS, 1981
Parade of Stars, ABC, 1983
Himself, Donald Duck's 50th Birthday, 1984
The Screen Actors Guild 50th Anniversary Celebration, 1984
On Top All Over the World, syndicated, 1985
The Second City 25th Anniversary Special, HBO, 1985
The Night of 100 Stars II, ABC, 1985
The 37th Annual Prime Time Emmy Awards, ABC, 1985
Host, Celebrities: Where Are They Now?, ABC, 1985
The Television Academy Hall of Fame, NBC, 1986
Host, Star Tour Australia, syndicated, 1986
Narrator, The RKO Story: Tales from Hollywood (also known as Hollywood The Golden Years: The RKO Story), BBC-2, 1987
Happy Birthday, Hollywood!, ABC, 1987
Living the Dream: A Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, syndicated,1988
Host, Troubled Waters, PBS, 1988
Host, Underground in Alphabet City, WPIX, 1989
Christmas at Pops, PBS, 1990
The Tube Test, ABC, 1990
Night of 100 Stars III, NBC, 1990
The 18th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards, CBS, 1991
Mary Tyler Moore: The 20th Anniversary Show, CBS, 1991
Listen Up! Voices in Celebration of Education, PBS, 1992
Starathon '92: A Weekend with the Stars, syndicated, 1992
Voice, Earth and the American Dream, HBO, 1993
Host/Narrator, For the Living, PBS, 1993
Voice of Elmer's father, The Sissy Duckling, HBO, 1999
Voice of Santa, Olive, the Other Reindeer, Fox, 1999
Himself, Hollywood, D.C., 2000
(As Ed Asner) Himself, Intimate Portrait: Brooke Shields, Lifetime, 2001
Himself, Intimate Portrait: Sharon Gless, Lifetime, 2001
Also appeared in Television: Inside and Out, NBC.
Television Work
Movies
Producer, Payback, ABC, 1997
Executive producer, A Vision of Murder: The Story of Donielle, 2000
Film Appearances
The Murder Men, 1961
(Uncredited) Assistant District Attorney Frank Gerson, Kid Galahad, United Artists, 1962
Veretti, The Satan Bug, United Artists, 1965
Detective Judd Ridley, The Slender Thread, Paramount, 1965
Bart Jason, El Dorado, Paramount, 1967
Jacoby, Gunn (also known as Peter Gunn), Paramount, 1967
Frank Rosenfeld, The Venetian Affair, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1967
Lieutenant Moretti, Change of Habit, Universal, 1969
McKay, Halls of Anger, United Artists, 1970
Woody Garfield, They Call Me MISTER Tibbs!, United Artists, 1970
The agent, Do Not Throw Cushions into the Ring, 1970
Plunkett, Skin Game, Warner Bros., 1971
Fred Reardon, The Todd Killings (also known as A Dangerous Friend and Skipper), National General, 1971
Frank Bass, The Wrestler, Entertainment Ventures, 1974
Hank Cooper, Gus, Buena Vista, 1976
Narrator, Teach Our Children, 1980
Captain Dennis Connolly, Fort Apache, the Bronx, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1981
Voice of narrator, Americas in Transition, 1981
Jacob Ascher, Daniel, Paramount, 1983
Bob O'Hara, O'Hara's Wife, Davis-Panzer, 1983
Voice of Scalawag, Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night, 1987
Himself, Moon over Parador, Universal, 1988
Images for Export, 1988
Voice of Scowl, Happily Ever After (animated), Kel-Air, 1990
Guy Bannister, JFK, Warner Bros., 1991
Voice of Charlie, The Real Story of Happy Birthday to You, 1992
(And archive footage) Interviewee, Beyond "JFK": The Question of Conspiracy, 1992
Bobby Gleason, Down on the Waterfront, Strand Releasing, 1993
Voice of Hudson, Gargoyles: The Heroes Awaken, Buena Vista Pictures, 1994
Rabbi, The Golem (also known as The Golem of L.A.), 1995
Goldilocks and the Three Bears, 1995
Voice of narrator, Tell the Truth and Run: George Seldes and the American Press, 1996
Voice of J. Jonah Jameson, Spider-Man: Sins of the Fathers, 1996
Voice of George Patton, immigrant to USA, David Ben-Gurion, and Holocaustsurvivor, The Long Way Home, Seventh Art Releasing, 1997
Two Weeks from Sunday, 1997
Prep, 1997
Voice of Marley's Ghost, A Christmas Carol, 1997
Alonzo, Basil, 1997
Narrator, 187: Documented, 1997
(As Ed Asner) The Fanatics, 1997
Uncle Charlie, Hard Rain (also known as Flood), Paramount,1998
Host, Last Stand: The Struggle for the Ballona Wetlands, 1998
Voice of Hudson, Gargoyles: The Hunted, 1998
(As Ed Asner) Voice of Hudson, Gargoyles: The Force of Goliath, 1998
Taylor, Love and Action in Chicago, MTI Home Video, 1999
(As Ed Asner) Gluckman, The Bachelor, New Line Cinema, 1999
(As Ed Asner) Voice of Mr. Harris, Our Friend, Martin,
Nutcracker, O' Christmas Tree, 1999
Coach, Perfect Game, Buena Vista Home Video, 2000
Thomas O'Claire, Above Suspicion, USA Home Video, 2000
President Thomas D. Moss, Mars and Beyond, The Cyber Sci-Fi Network, 2000
Full Blossom, 2000
Geza Horvath, Bring Him Home, 2000
Chief Wilson, The Animal, Sony Pictures Entertainment, 2001
Jay Roth, Island Prey, 2001
Meyer Lansky, Donzi: The Legend, 2001
Keith Matthews, The Confidence Game, 2001
Film Work
Coproducer, The Confidence Game, 2001
Stage Appearances
Borkin, Ivanov, Renata Theatre, New York City, 1958
Dulac, Legend of Lovers, 41st Street Theatre, New York City, 1959
Prospero, The Tempest, East 74th Street Theatre, New York City, 1959
(Broadway debut) Face of a Hero, Eugene O'Neill Theatre, 1960
Duke of Exeter, King Henry V, Belvedere Theatre, New York City, 1960
Harry Brock, Born Yesterday, 46th Street Theatre, New York City, 1989
Also appeared as Peachum, The Threepenney Opera, Theatre de Lys, New York City; Spinoza, Venice Preserved, New York City; appeared in Woyzek, Volpone, Widower's Houses, Dybbuk, Red Gloves, Murder in the Cathedral, Miss Julie, The Seagull, Peer Gynt, Juno and the Paycock, and Oedipus Rex, all with the Playwrights Theatre Club, Chicago; in My Three Angels andMy Fancy, both in Chicago; in Born Yesterday, summer theatre production; and in Hamlet.
RECORDINGS
Taped Readings
52 Pick-Up, Simon & Schuster, 1986
Suspects, Bantam, 1987
Babbitt, Los Angeles Classic Theatre Works/BBC, 1988
J. Edgar Hoover: The Man and the Secrets, 1992
Skin Tight, 1992
JFK: On the Trail of the Assassins, 1992
Hiroshima by John Hersey, Audio Partners, 1995
(With others) Conversations with God: Book 1, Vol.1 by Neale Donald Walsch, Audio Literature, 1996
The Brothers Karamazov and The Idiot by Fydor Dostoyvsky, Listening Library, 1997
Conversations with God: An Uncommon Dialogue by Neale Donald Walsch, Audio Literature, 1999
American Rhapsody by Joe Eszterhas, New Millennium, 2000
A Carl Hiassen Collection: Stormy Weather, Tourist Season, Strip Tease, Random Audio, 2000
Sick Puppy by Carl Hiassen, Random Audio, 2000

Further Reference

OTHER SOURCES

Periodicals

Editor & Publisher, July 17, 2000, p. 22
People Weekly, July 5, 1999, p. 110

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