Editing Ed Asner (section)

=== 1970–1982: ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' and ''Lou Grant'' ===
[[File:Mary Tyler Moore cast 1977.jpg|thumb|left|Publicity photo of the cast of [[The Mary Tyler Moore Show]] in 1977. From left standing: [[Ted Knight]] (Ted Baxter), [[Gavin McLeod]] (Murray Slaughter), Ed Asner (Lou Grant). Seated: [[Betty White]] (Sue Ann Nivens), [[Georgia Engel]] (Georgette Baxter), [[Mary Tyler Moore]] (Mary Richards).]]
Asner was best known for his character [[Lou Grant]], who was first introduced on ''[[The Mary Tyler Moore Show]]'' in 1970. In 1977, after Moore's series ended, Asner's character was given his own show, ''[[Lou Grant (TV series)|Lou Grant]]'' (1977–82). In contrast to the ''Mary Tyler Moore'' series, a thirty-minute award-winning comedy about television journalism, the ''Lou Grant'' series was an hour-long award-winning drama about newspaper journalism. For his role as Grant, Asner was one of only two actors to win an Emmy Award for a sitcom and a drama for the same role (the second being [[Uzo Aduba]]). In addition he made appearances as Lou Grant on two other shows: ''[[Rhoda]]'' and ''[[Roseanne]]''.<ref>{{cite web|first=Nellie |last=Andreeva |url=https://deadline.com/2021/08/ad-asner-dead-lou-grant-mary-tyler-moore-1234823859/ |title=Ed Asner Dies: TV Icon Who Played Lou Grant Was 91|work=Deadline Hollywood |date=August 29, 2021 |access-date=August 29, 2021}}</ref> Other television series starring Asner in regular roles include ''[[Thunder Alley (TV series)|Thunder Alley]]'', ''[[The Bronx Zoo (TV series)|The Bronx Zoo]]'', and ''[[Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip]]''. He also starred in one episode of the [[Westerns on television|Western series]] ''[[Dead Man's Gun]]'' (1997), as well as portraying art smuggler August March in an episode of the original ''[[Hawaii Five-O (1968 TV series)|Hawaii Five-O]]'' (1975) and reprised the role in the ''[[Hawaii Five-0 (2010 TV series)|Hawaii Five-0]]'' (2012) remake.<ref>{{cite web|first=Nellie |last=Andreeva |url=https://deadline.com/2011/12/ed-asner-to-reprise-role-from-original-hawaii-five-0-in-the-series-cbs-reboot-202774/ |title=Ed Asner To Reprise Role From Original 'Hawaii Five-0' In The Series' CBS Reboot|work=Deadline Hollywood |date=December 8, 2011 |access-date=August 29, 2021}}</ref> He also appeared as a streetwise veteran police officer in an episode of the 1973 version of ''[[Police Story (1973 TV series)|Police Story]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cleveland.com/movies/2011/09/police_story_from_1973_finally.html|title='Police Story' from 1973 finally lands on DVD|first1=Chris|last1=Ball|date=September 16, 2011|website=The Plain Dealer}}</ref>

Asner was acclaimed for his role in the ABC miniseries ''[[Roots (1977 miniseries)|Roots]]'', as Captain Davies, the morally conflicted captain of the ''Lord Ligonier'', the slave ship that brought [[Kunta Kinte]] to America. The role earned Asner an [[Emmy Award]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/06/27/archives/a-saga-of-slavery-that-made-the-actors-weep-a-moving-saga-of.html |title=A Saga of Slavery That Made The Actors Weep|work=The New York Times |date=June 27, 1976 |access-date=August 29, 2021}}</ref> as did the similarly dark role of Axel Jordache in the miniseries ''[[Rich Man, Poor Man (miniseries)|Rich Man, Poor Man]]'' (1976). In contrast, he played [[Pope John XXIII|a former pontiff]] in the lead role of ''[[John XXIII: The Pope of Peace|Papa Giovanni: Ioannes XXIII]]'' (''Pope John XXIII'' 2002), an Italian television film for [[RAI]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.katolsk.no/nyheter/2002/02/11-0011 |title=Ed Asner Satisfied with John XXIII Portrayal in TV Series — Den katolske kirke |publisher=Katolsk.no |date=February 10, 2002 |access-date=August 29, 2021}}</ref>