The multiple-Emmy-winning actor appeared opposite John Wayne in the 1966 western El Dorado.
The C&I crew offers condolences and warm wishes to the family, friends and many fans of Ed Asner, the award-winning actor who passed away Sunday at age 91 in Los Angeles.
Asner collected a total of five Emmy Awards for playing the gruff but principled news editor Lou Grant in two different series, the 1970-77 sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show and the 1977-82 drama Lou Grant. He also earned Emmys for his outstanding performances in the groundbreaking miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man (1976) and Roots (1977).
Like many actors of his generation, Asner often appeared in episodes of classic TV westerns, including Outlaws, The Virginian, Gunsmoke, A Man Called Shenandoah, Iron Horse and The Wild Wild West. On the big screen, he memorably co-starred opposite John Wayne in Howard Hawks’ El Dorado as Bart Jason, a rapacious land-grabber whose offer of employment is rejected by The Duke
Often praised as an indefatigable professional, Asner continued to appear in film and television productions, and work as a voice actor for animated projects, until earlier this year. In 2009, he delighted audiences by voicing the lead role of Carl Frederickson, an adventurous elderly widower, in the Oscar-winning Up. More recently, he guest starred in Modern Family, Blue Bloods, and three episodes of Cobra Kai.
Here is an interview host Rob Word conducted with Ed Asner at the Autry Museum of the American West for the YouTube series A Word on Westerns.
