Character Bio

Nursing home escapee. Losing his mind with a sense of humour.

Actor Bio

A prolific and accomplished actor, Ed Asner is best known for originating the role of Lou Grant, the grumpy boss with a heart of gold on the smash comedy 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show', for which Asner won Emmys in 1971, 1972 and 1975. He garnered the same award for the same character in 1978 and again in 1980 on the highly acclaimed dramatic series 'Lou Grant' - and added two more Emmys with 'Rich Man, Poor Man' and 'Roots'.

Although born in Kansas City, Missouri, Asner grew up in Kansas City, Kansas, the youngest of five children. Active in both school sports and drama, Asner was voted All-City tackle for Wyandotte High School, edited the school newspaper and appeared in several school plays.

After graduating from high school, Asner enrolled at the University of Chicago, where he appeared as Thomas Becket in 'Murder in the Cathedral'. As a member of the campus dramatic group "Tonight at Eight-Thirty," he was directed by a young Mike Nichols and appeared in works by authors such as Shaw and Yeats.

A two-year hitch in the army interrupted aspirations for a career in theatre, but as soon as he was discharged, Asner returned to Chicago and joined The Playwrights Theater Club, headed by Paul Sills and David Sheppard. After two years, Asner left to pursue his dreams on the New York stage, where he appeared with Jack Lemmon in 'Face of a Hero'. He has also appeared in numerous off-Broadway productions, and the American and New York Shakespeare Festivals.

In 1961, Asner moved to Hollywood, where he began making a name for himself as an accomplished film and television actor, both comedic and dramatic. Motion picture credits include 'El Dorado', 'The Venetian Affair', 'Fort Apache-The Bronx', 'They Call Me Mr. Tibbs', 'JFK', 'Daniel' and 'The Bachelor'. Additional television credits include HBO's 'Arliss', Showtime's TV movie 'Common Ground', 'Tender is the Night', 'A Case of Libel' and 'Above Suspicion' to name a few. Besides commercials and various books on tape, he has lent his voice to popular cartoons shows such as 'The Simpsons', 'Max of Steel' and Disney's 'Recess'.