Ed Asner Dies; Played Lou Grant On “MTM”

(Los Angeles, CA) — The actor best known for portraying gruff-but-loveable newsroom boss Lou Grant has died. Ed Asner’s family said on Twitter the 91-year-old Emmy-winner passed away peacefully Sunday morning surrounded by loved ones. Asner won seven Emmy Awards — three for playing Grant on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and two more for “Lou Grant,” an hour-long drama that ran on CBS shortly after the Moore show ended production in 1977. The Kansas City native also won Emmys for his performances in the landmark ABC miniseries “Rich Man, Poor Man” and “Roots.” Asner is one of only two actors to win Emmys for playing the same character on both a situation comedy and a drama series. He also served as president of the Screen Actors Guild from 1981 to 1985.