“Lou Grant” This is Ed Asner courtesy CBS

Ed Asner, he has left the building back in 2021. I did this interview with him back about 20-25 years ago. Really funny guy and very nice!

What is your all time favorite movie?

Ed – “Best Years of Our Lives”

If you had only one book, and you were on a deserted island, what would that book be?

Ed – “The Brothers Karamazov”

One place you haven’t been that you still want to go to.

Ed – Africa

Your five most interesting people at dinner, real or fictional, past or present – who would they be?

Ed – Abraham Lincoln, Moses, Napoleon Bonaparte, Adolf Hitler and George Bernard Shaw

Apple pie – plain, or alamode?

Ed – Alamode

Casual or business wear?

Ed – Casual

Procrastination or ‘just do it!’?

Ed – Just Do it!

And now, the interview:

Paul – Mr. Asner, it’s rather intriguing that a kid from Kansas City should turn out to be a 7 time Emmy and 5 Golden Globe winner. Can you tell me a bit about your childhood and your family?

From Ed Asner’s childhood in Kansas City. Pretty sure I could have picked him out of a baby lineup. Photo courtesy Ed Asner

Ed – Sure, Paul. I was born in 1929 in KC, Kansas. We had a pretty big family – 5 kids. I was the youngest of the brood. My father was a junkman, so weren’t exactly the silver spoon bunch. I was raised as an Orthodox Jew. I was also what some people call a “Type A” in high school, you know – hard-driving perfectionists who hurry all the time, talk fast, interrupt other people, etc.

Ed Asner Wyandotte High School 1947, courtesy Ed Asner

Paul – When did you discover that you had a talent for acting?

Ed – After graduating from high school, I enrolled at the University of Chicago. I was a member of a campus group for dramatics. One of the people that directed me was a much younger version of Mike Nichols (Director of “The Graduate”, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolfe, “Postcards From the Edge” and others.)

Ed as part of the Second City comedy lineup, photo courtesy Second City Comedy

Paul – And what did your family think about your acting career?

Ed – My family was by no means impressed.

Paul – What were the most important things you picked up when you were attending the University of Chicago, and do you still have friends you stay in touch with from there?’

Ed – Oh yes, I still have plenty of friends from college that I stay in touch with. As far as what I learned, it would be something along the lines of how greatdt it is to be an intellect and an aesthete.

Paul – You spent a couple of years in the US Army. Can you tell me a bit about that period and how it affected the rest of your life?

Ed – I guess I was like most GI’s, there were a lot of highs and lows. It did get me to France, a place I’d always wanted to go. As for how it affected my life, I came out of the Army knowing exactly what I wanted to do with the rest of my life – and that’s to act!

Paul – Your career appears to have really started to take off after you left the Army. Where, when and how did your big break come about?

Ed – Actually I was still in the Army when I got my first break. While still stationed in France I received a letter from Paul Sills asking me to join his theatre company. We worked at the Playwright’s Theatre Club in Chicago with a group that was a predecessor of the famous “Second City” comedy circuit. My life pretty much began falling in place after that. I took off after a couple of years to head to New York City and worked some off Broadway gigs for a while, working with Jack Lemmon and others. I didn’t stay there too long – we packed up and headed out to California in 1961.

Paul – Who would you say had the largest influence on your early years?

Ed – Definitely my sophomore English teacher, my journalism teacher and later on, other actors from University of Chicago and the different theatres.

Paul – Without a doubt, your most well known character is ‘Lou Grant’. With a twelve year run starting with the “Mary Tyler Moore” show, and subsequently evolving into the “Lou Grant” show, the character of Lou seemed to take on a life of it’s own. How much of Ed Asner is in Lou Grant, and how much of that character is in Ed Asner?

Ed as “Lou Grant” courtesy Chicago Tribune, Bob Fila. Asner shaking hands with Chicago Tribune city editor Bernie Judge while researching his role.

Ed – Lou’s comedic side was based on two of my brothers. They were always cutting up. The more somber side of Lou was delving into my own, dark soul.

Paul – From what appeared on the screen, both shows appeared to be a fabulously fun bunch of talent to be around. Is that true, and was there the same camaraderie off camera?

Ed – I really loved those people. We had a great time working together.

Paul – Will there ever be a Lou Grant revival on the small or big screen?

Ed – Absolutely not. Not with me anyhow.lou

Paul – With the exception of Lou Grant, what has been your favorite role and why?

Ed – I loved doing Axel Jordache in “Rich Man, Poor Man”.

Paul – That was an incredible show. If I remember correctly it was the first real mini-series. You won an Emmy for your role, and it was also Nick Nolte’s breakout role.

Ed – Yes, it was the perfect role for me and Nick was magnificent!

Paul – You’ve done a plethora of films and TV shows over the years. I’d assume that you’re able to select the roles you want. With that in mind, what do you look for in a script? Do you prefer comedy to a more serious role?

Ed – Well, what I look for now are roles that are interesting to me or comedic. Strangely enough, as I get older, I feel that I can get bigger roles in comedy. At least that’s the direction I’m looking

Paul – Do you have any favorite writers that seem to be able to capture your talent?

Ed – I really enjoy David Lloyd. He’s the fellow behind the comedy of shows like “Cheers”, “Frazier” and “Taxi.”

Paul – One of your roles that hit close to home for me was the one in an “Arliss” episode as a broadcaster who was in the early stages of Alzheimer’s. It must feel incredible to touch people with a role like this. Patty (Mr. Asner’ s assistant) told me that you received quite a response. Can you comment on this, and how it touched you?

Ed – Well the “Arliss” role itself wasn’t that difficult as far as the Alzheimer’s and dialogue. The toughest part was learning to portray an ace sportscaster well. And it’s always good to know that you’ve touched someone’s life.

Paul – As you’re quite the accomplished voice actor, how hard do you feel voice acting is?

Ed – I truly love voice work. It’s not hard if you’re a reaonably good talent and somewhat intelligent. You really need a sense of flow and a sense of music to guide you. Some of the projects I’ve worked on are “Captain Planet”, “Batman”, “Gargoyles” and others – it’s something I really enjoy.

Paul – Who is the favorite voice character you’ve done?

Ed – Who else? God! I really love playing that the character of God, and/or someone in conversations with God.

Paul – Who are some of your favorite actors to work with?

Ed – Well, I could go on and on, but I really enjoyed some of the people from my earlier days – Mary Tyler Moore, Vic Morrow, Dan Travanti, Jack Lemmon and Ted Knight.

Paul – Who are some of your favorite producers, directors and/or crew to work with?

Ed – Allan Burns is near the top of my lists, he was the Executive Producer of “Mary Tyler Moore”, “Rhoda” and “Lou Grant” Another talent that I really enjoyed was Roger Young. He directed the pilot and some of the episodes of Lou Grant. He also did a couple more pilots that were picked up like “Magnum, PI” and “Hardcastle and McCormick” and a ton of other projects.

Paul – A few years ago, you were the President of SAG (Screen Actors Guild) How much has it changed since then? Where do you see the organization going?

Ed – SAG is enormous now compared to when I was the President. I know there are some difficult times due to assaults on unionism and runaway production. But of course nothing can top being a union actor.

Paul – When you answered the questions for the “Two Minute Drill”, of the five most interesting people that you would like to have at a dinner table, one was Adolf Hitler. Why would a man of your faith choose someone like Hitler?

Ed – I would really love to find out exactly what made him tick. You know he had this reputation as a dynamic and magnetic individual. Those kind of people fascinate me. And when you think of the other guests -Lincoln, Napoleon, Moses, and Shaw, well, I don’t think he’ll dominate the conversation.

Paul – What ‘glass ceilings’ do you observe to still be hanging around ‘the biz’?

Ed – Well, I suppose that women at the top are safer than those at the bottom.

Paul – If you could start your career over, and know what you know now, what would you do differently?

Ed – Save my money!

Paul – What’s the best advice you could give someone wanting to start an acting career?

Ed – Look elsewhere or get rich first!

Paul – Mr. Asner, I thank you for your time and wish you and yours the best in life.

Ed – This was fun, call me anytime!

Ed passed away in 2021

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