Ed Asner made gruff authority funny and, when the writing allowed it, touching. We value him for the warmth beneath the impatience, though casting him simply to growl could waste what he offered.
Fi1m perspective
Ed Asner’s gravelly voice makes a boss sound reluctant to repeat himself. His stocky build helps establish the authority, but the voice can do the job on its own. We like him most when the character remains capable of kindness without becoming obliging. The danger with such recognisable casting is that the growl can be treated as enough; the better parts give him a reason to be impatient.
The gruff news director of The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970) was the breakthrough. As Lou Grant, alongside Gavin MacLeod, Ted Knight and Betty White, Asner had room for both temper and warmth. The spin-off Lou Grant (1977) moved the same character into a drama about journalism, and the switch remains the clearest reason not to dismiss him as a comic grouch. Asner was convincing in both forms; Lou’s authority did not depend on the next joke. His subsequent character roles and animation work gave that familiar voice plenty of employment.
Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000), in which he plays Mr Weiner, depends on supporting actors who know how long to let Larry David talk. We recommend its painfully funny disagreements an episode at a time, since the repetition can become wearing. Asner’s Editor voice role in The Simpsons (1989) is another use of his suitability for authority figures, within a programme we value for being merciless without giving up tenderness. Both programmes suit an actor whose gruffness need not make him unlikeable. For The Simpsons, too, we recommend the sharpest stretches rather than treating the whole run as compulsory viewing.
Animation gave him a leading voice role as Carl Fredricksen in Up (2009), working with the Pixar team. A curmudgeonly elder was familiar territory, and his voice gave the character both irritation and warmth. We laughed at his disgruntled Santa in Elf (2003), because he brings a boss’s impatience to a part usually expected to dispense good cheer. For a fuller introduction, start with The Mary Tyler Moore Show, then try the same man in Lou Grant.
Biography
Ed Asner was an American actor. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, on 15 November 1929, he died on 29 August 2021.
He was best known for playing Lou Grant in The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970–1977) and its spin-off series Lou Grant (1977–1982), roles for which he won multiple Emmy Awards. Asner voiced Carl Fredricksen in the Pixar film Up (2009). His other credits include the voice of Editor in The Simpsons (1989) and the role of Mr. Weiner in Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000). He served as president of the Screen Actors Guild.
