 |
| image: Hallmark Crown Media |
Most of you probably heard the sad news over the weekend that actor Ed Asner passed away on August 29, 2021 at the age of 91. He was born on November 15, 1929 in Kansas City, Missouri to Morris David Asner and Lizzie Seliger. Asner was married twice and had four children: Matthew, Charles, Kate and Liza.
Ed Asner's passing was shared on social media Sunday morning with this message...
"We are sorry to say that our beloved patriarch passed away this morning peacefully. Words cannot express the sadness we feel. With a kiss on your head- Goodnight dad. We love you."
 |
| image: Hallmark Crown Media |
To a lot of viewers, he is well known from the TV series: Lou Grant and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. However, to a younger generation, he is most well known as Santa Claus in the popular Christmas movie comedy Elf and his Hallmark movies: The Christmas Card (which is a beloved, true Hallmark Classic that pays tribute to our military serving in Afghanistan and the Vietnam War, Asner portrays a Veteran), Generation Gap (like The Christmas Card, this movie is another great tribute to the military), Out of the Woods (he portrays an eccentric Grandpa), Second Chances (Ed plays another heroic character, as retired fireman, Buddy), and Ed Asner has an important role in the All of My Heart trilogy of films, alongside Lacey Chabert and Brennan Elliott. (In fact, I just watched one of the All of My Heart movies last week, and I was thinking how wonderful it was that they were able to have his involvement in all three movies. There's a brief military tribute in this movie, as well. In the first All of My Heart movie, Ed's character shares that his older brother sadly died during the war.)
Actor Brennan Elliott shared this heartfelt tribute on social media...
"This man made everything funny no matter what he said or did! Being able to work with him was a treasured moment for me and everyone on our #aomhmovies. We lost a genius today who will be missed greatly. Keep them all laughing in heaven my friend! Miss you!"
If you take a look at Ed Asner's extensive career at IMDB, then you'll also see that he was planning to do several more projects that were in pre-production. Also, the movie Elf isn't the only time he portrayed Santa; Ed played Kris Kringle in... A StoryBots Christmas, Santa Stole Our Dog: A Merry Doggone Christmas!, Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas, Olive, the Other Reindeer, The Story of Santa Claus, Christmas on the Bayou, Murdoch Mysteries, and in an episode of Highway to Heaven! Asner did the voice work for many various animations, including: the Pixar movie, Up, plus, Daniel, in the lions' den, in the Adventures from the Book of Virtues and Joshua in Joshua and the Battle of Jericho.
Besides Elf and The Christmas Card (my personal favorite!), Ed Asner starred in many other notable Christmas movies that should be aired each year, but typically aren't... The Man Who Saved Christmas, The Christmas Star, The Gathering, Thomas Kinkade's Christmas Cottage, Yes Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus, Home Alone: The Holiday Heist, and Christmas on the Bayou!
We say goodbye now to this iconic TV legend, and we will fondly remember him each time we watch one of his many shows or movies replay on TV. My prayers go out now to his dear family and friends.
God bless, Net
Ed Asner & Doris Roberts appeared on Macgyver: Skyscraper in the plane
ReplyDeleteI don't recall that episode of MacGyver, but with both of those amazing, iconic actors, it must be good! Thank you for sharing.
DeleteIt was Ed Asner but not Doris Roberts. I believe she had already passed when this came out. Net, it is not one of their better episodes. Let’s just say, glad we have a language sensor. The kid is terrible.
DeleteWhat movies on Hallmark Channel did Ed Asner play in?
ReplyDelete"The Christmas Card" and the "All of My Heart" movies are the most well known, but he also did the movie "The King and Queen of Moonlight Bay" and "Generation Gap" for Hallmark.
DeleteHe also played "Buddy" a retired fireman in
Delete"Second Chances" with Alison Sweeny and Greg Vaughan for Hallmark. It was Alison's first movie for Hallmark. Love that movie! Ed Asner will surely be missed! Of course my favorite he was in is "The Christmas Card"!
Joyce, Thank you so much for the reminder! That was such a special role Ed Asner portrayed in "Second Chances" as the retired fireman. I will be sure add that above. Thank you! Thank you!
DeleteBy the way, "The Christmas Card" is my all-time favorite, too!
He will be missed.
ReplyDeletedenise
Do t forget The Gathering
ReplyDeleteRick, Oh yes, thank you! That's another memorable Christmas movie. Very real and heartbreaking, too.
DeleteThere's a comment down below from actress, Stephanie Zimbalist ("Remington Steele"), who was also in that movie with Ed Asner.
R.I.P Ed Asner (1929-2021)
ReplyDeleteHe passed away yesterday at age 90
A television legend, the winner of seven acting Emmy Awards, who served two terms as President of the Screen Actors Guild.
Some of his Hallmark filmography:
💠The Christmas Card (2006)
💠Second Chances (2013)
💠All of My Heart (2015)
💠All of My Heart: Inn Love (2017)
💠All of My Heart: The Wedding (2018)
💠Out of the Woods (2005)
💠Thomas Kinkade's Christmas Cottage (2008)
💠Christmas on the Bayou (2013)
💠Love Finds You in Valentine (2016)
Thank you for all your wonderful rolls‼️
Edward “Ed” Asner Movies
ReplyDeleteOut of the Wood
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 2
Elf Buddy Musical Christmas
The Nutcracker Sweet
Home Alone: The Holiday Heist
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation 2
A Storybot Christmas
I worked with darling Ed on "The Gathering," my 2nd job, and he was just marvelous to work with. Kind, excellent, generous, and funny. (Stephanie Zimbalist)
ReplyDeleteStephanie, Thank you for sharing your special memories of working with Ed Asner with us. "The Gathering" had such an incredible cast; I'm glad you had this wonderful experience working with Ed on this movie project.
DeleteI must also add - it was an honor for me to receive your comment, as I've been a fan of the "Remington Steele" series for years.
Thank you, again, for sharing your heart with us.
God bless you, Net
This was really sad. I always enjoyed a good laugh every time he popped up in a movie I was watching.
ReplyDeleteAwe, I feel the same the way... I know exactly what you mean.
DeleteI pray someone told him the gospel and that he had repentance and received Jesus Christ as his savior before he died. He was always a special character in the Hallmark movies and I will miss him. I re-watched the scene when he walks Jenny down the isle and it made me cry. My prayers are with his family.
ReplyDeleteAbigail, I pray he knew the Lord, too. I was encouraged to see that he voiced animated Biblical characters - Daniel and Joshua.
DeleteYou are so right, his characters were always special, memorable and unique. Thank you for your sweet comment!
Edward “Ed” Asner’s movies
ReplyDeleteThe Christmas Card (2006)
All of My Heart (2015)
All of My Heart: Inn Love
All of My Heart: The Wedding
Second Chances (2013)
Christmas on the Bayou (2013)
Saving Santa (2017)
Yes Virginia, There is a Santa Claus (1991)
The Man Who Saved Christmas (2002)
Love Finds You in Valentine (2017)
The Gathering (1977)
Thomas Kinkade’s Christmas Cottage (2008)
The Christmas Star (1986)
Generation Gap (2008)
The Marva Collins Story (1981)
Elf: Buddy’s
Musical Christmas (2014)
Home Alone: The Holiday Heist (2012)
The Nutcracker Sweet (2015)
Out of the Woods (2002)
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation 2 (2003)
A Storybot Christmas
Up (2009)
Elf (2009)
El Dorado (1966)
The Animal (2001)
Hard Rain (1998)
JFK (1991)
Fort Apache the Bronx (1981)
Change of Habit (1969)
Dug’s Special Mission (2009)
Gus (1976)
Faith, Hope, & Love (2019)
The Games Maker (2014)
Let Go (2011)
The Bachelor (1999)
Happily Ever After (1991)
The Partling Glass (2018)
Gigantic (2008)
John XXIII: The Pope of Peace (2002)
M.O.M. (Mothers of Monsters)
R 2020
Olive, the Other Reindeer
G 1999 ‧ Animation/Musical
Too Big to Fail
Not Rated 2011
Kid Galahad
Not Rated 1962 ‧ Musical/Sport
The Wrestler
PG 1974
Christmas Is Here Again
G 2007 ‧ Musical/Family
The Story of Santa Claus
1996 ‧ Animation/Fantasy
A Christmas Carol
PG 1997 ‧ Fantasy/Musical
The Garden Left Behind
2019
The Girl Most Likely To...
Not Rated 1973 ‧ Comedy/Dark comedy
Gargoyles the Movie: The Heroes Awaken
1995 ‧ Family/Fantasy
Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night
G 1987
Tiger Within
Film
————
The Mary Tyler Moore Show - Season 4
The Mary Tyler Moore Show - Season 5
The King and Queen of Moonlight Bay
Not Rated 2003
Mary Tyler Moore: The 20th Anniversary Show
1991 ‧ Documentary
The Mary Tyler Moore Reunion
2002 ‧ Comedy/Documentary
What did you think of All of My Heart movies that Edward Asner played in?
ReplyDeleteChris, I like them all - but I love the first one when they first met and worked on the house AND the third one when they got married - Best! The second movie is okay.
DeleteI not sure if you know this, but sadly we also lost Jeanne Robertson this last week. (A Christian comedian) She talked mostly about her husband and best friend Jerry(who passed away in June). She was always a joy to watch. She will be missed, but happy that God didn't keep her and her husband separated for long and that they are both with Him.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/27/arts/jeanne-robertson-dead.html
Thank you for sharing this. I'm not familiar with Jeanne, but I am so sorry to hear of this loss for this family and their friends. God bless them.
DeleteWhat? Oh that is sad. My dad will forever laugh at the 7-up cake story.
DeleteHere is a Hard one for you: What 2 Movie series did Brenden Elliott and Lacey Chabert appeared in together?
ReplyDeleteChris, that's actually easy for me since I love them both: "All of My Heart" and "Crossword Mysteries!" Would love to see more of both series.
DeleteEd Asner's Best Comic Book Roles, From Uncle Ben to Granny Goodness
ReplyDeleteThe late Ed Asner left a surprisingly strong stamp on superhero stories, with a quintet of memorable voiceover performances.
Roland Daggett (Batman: The Animated Series, 1992-1995)
J. Jonah Jameson (Spider-Man: The Animated Series, 1994-1997)
Ben Parker (The Spectacular Spider-Man, 2008-2009)
Perry White (All-Star Superman, 2011)
Remembering Ed Asner: How to watch his most memorable TV & movie roles
ReplyDeleteBeginning his TV career in 1957 on the show Studio One, Asner appeared in guest roles in a multitude of shows, including Naked City, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Route 66, The Virginian, Gun Smoke, The Fugitive, Mission: Impossible and many more. However, his career took off when he landed the role of Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, then his own spinoff show, Lou Grant.
Ed Asner kept busy in the world of TV in recent years. He had supporting and guest roles in popular current TV shows including Cobra Kai, Dead to Me, Grace and Frankie and Central Park.
The actor’s memorable roles were not just limited to TV, as Asner also had a healthy career on the big screen, most notably as Santa Claus in the classic Will Ferrell Christmas movie Elf and voicing the widowed ballooner Carl Frederickson in Pixar’s Up; a role that he reprised in the upcoming short films Dug Days that will premiere on Disney Plus on Sept. 1.
The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970-1977)
Asner’s Lou Grant, Mary’s boss at the TV station, was just as important to the show’s success thanks to the pairs great dynamic. Appearing in 166 of The Mary Tyler Moore Show’s 168 episodes, fans still wanted more of Lou Grant after the originally sitcom's run came to an end.
Lou Grant would be getting the eponymous treatment this time, as the character said goodbye to the Minneapolis TV station and hello to a Los Angeles newspaper. The show Lou Grant would also switch format from a half-hour comedy to an hour-long drama. It didn’t change the fact, however, that Asner’s portrayal of Grant was a fan favorite. Five of Asner’s seven Emmy wins (and 12 of his 17 nominations) would come from playing Lou Grant.
Spider-Man: The Animated Series (1994-1998)
Ed Asner was the boisterous newspaper editor pursuing the web slinger in Spider-Man: The Animated Series. Perhaps once again channeling Lou Grant, Asner gave a great voice performance whenever J. Jonah Jameson would appear in the popular kids’ cartoon. The actor also lent his voice to other popular cartoon series like Captain Planet, Gargoyles, Freakazoid and had a guest spot on The Simpsons.
Elf (2003)
Ed Asner would play Santa Claus multiple times throughout his career
Up (2009)
Ed Asner voices Carl Fredericksen