Edward Asner was born November 15, 1929, in Kansas City, Missouri. After high school Asner attended the University of Chicago, before serving in the U.S. Army Signal Corps. Ed was married to Nancy from 1959-1988. They have three children: twins Matthew and Liza, and Kate. In 1987 he had a son named Charles with Carol Jean Vogelman.  He married producer Cindy Gilmore on August 2, 1998. Gilmore filed for divorce on November 7, 2007.

In the early 1960’s, Asner did various guest spots on shows such as The Outlaws, The Reporter and The Invaders. In 1970, he took on the role of Lou Grant and would become a star. He played Lou on The Mary Tyler Moore Show until 1977 when the show ended. Asner was then given his own show Lou Grant, which aired from 1977 to 1982.

Asner is the only person to receive Emmys for the same role (Lou Grant) in a sitcom and a Drama.

Asner received an Emmy award for his role in the mini-series Roots. He played Captain Davies, the man that kidnapped and sold Kunta Kinte into slavery.

Ed Asner has often lent his voice to animated characters such as; J. Jonah Jameson on Spiderman, Hudson on Gargoyles, Master Vrook from Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Roland Daggett on Batman: The Animated Series, Carl Fredricksen in Up and many more. He has received great reviews for his vocal acting. One critic said “They should create a new category for this year’s Academy Award for Best Vocal Acting in an Animated Film and name Asner as the first recipient.”

In 1993, he narrated the short documentary Legacy for Efrain. In 2001, Asner guest starred on Curb Your Enthusiasm.  Ed has many ties in the political world and has been very outspoken about many issues in America.