Ed Asner has been chosen by the Screen Actors Guild for its most prestigious honor, the Lifetime Achievement Award for career achievement and humanitarian accomplishment. The seven-time Emmy winning actor with notable leads in "Lou Grant" and "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" will receive the honor at the 8th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on March 10.
"Ed Asner's prolific and much-honored acting career demonstrates a consummate ability to transcend the line between comedy and drama," said SAG President William Daniels. "His passion for social and political causes has been consistently underscored by deeds as well as words. His service and commitment to the rights of the working performer is unparalleled."
Daniels also called Asner "a superbly versatile actor and a dedicated advocate for human rights, world peace, environmental preservation and political freedom."
Asner was nominated for 16 acting Emmys. He won five times as newsman Lou Grant — three times for best supporting actor in a comedy series in "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" (1971-72 and 1975), and twice for best actor in a drama series in "Lou Grant" (1978 and 1980. He also won best actor Emmys for the miniseries, "Rich Man, Poor Man" (1976) and "Roots (1977).
Asner served as SAG president two consecutive terms from 1981-85. In 2000, SAG honored him with its Ralph Morgan Award, presented from time to time "for distinguished service to the Guild's Hollywood membership."
A well- known political activist, Asner has associated himself with Defenders of Wildlife, Peace Now, the ACLU, Food First, Death Penalty Focus, the Disarm Education Fund, Democratic Socialists of America and Amnesty International.
