User blog:ARTaylor/Edward Asner Turns 90

Today is the ninetieth birthday of Edward Asner. Born Yitzhak Edward Asner November 15, 1929 in Kansas City, Missouri, he was a born competitor playing football and basketball in high school where he toured liberated Europe after World War II. He then served with the United States Army Signal Corps in Europe.

After his tour he joined the Playwrights Theatre Company in Chicago before moving to New York City. He started by playing villains due to his resemblance to several Soviet Union leaders. He later earned his most iconic role playing editor Lou Grant on the half-hour sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show, spinning off into his own hour-long drama Lou Grant. He gained significant recognition for the role, and is the only person to win an Emmy on both a sitcom and drama for the same role. He is also famous for playing the slave ship captain Davies on the iconic miniseries Roots.

In his later years, he has gone on to become an iconic voice actor. He was a major character on Gargoyles as Hudson. In DC Comics's animated universe he appeared in several series as Roland Daggett, Hephaestus, and Granny Goodness. He also appeared in Pixar Animation Studios's Best Picture nominated film Up as Carl Fredricksen.

Marvel fans would most recognize him as J. Jonah Jameson on Spider-Man. The role was notably close to Grant and fans felt he was one of the best cast actors on the series. As a tribute to this role, he would later be cast as Officer Barr on Spider-Man: The New Animated Series and Uncle Ben on The Spectacular Spider-Man.