Lou Grant
| Lou Grant | |
|---|---|
Ed Asner as Lou Grant | |
| First appearance | "Love Is All Around" September 19, 1970 |
| Last appearance | "Charlie" September 13, 1982 |
| Created by | James L. Brooks Allan Burns |
| Portrayed by | Ed Asner |
| In-universe information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | City editor of The Los Angeles Tribune newspaper Former News producer at WJM-TV Station Former Reporter Former Copy boy |
| Family | John Simpson Grant (father) Ellen Hammersmith Grant (mother) Irene “Reenie” (cousin) |
| Spouse | Edie Grant (divorced) |
| Children | Ruth (daughter) Jane (daughter) Sara (daughter) |
| Relatives | Amy (granddaughter) Abby (granddaughter) Eric (grandson) Matthew (grandson) Allen Stevens (nephew) Bill Phelps (son-in-law) (By 1979, he had begun referring to one of his daughters as "Ellen", and she had a young son named Nick.) |
Lou Grant is a fictional character played by Ed Asner in two television series produced by MTM Enterprises for CBS. The first was The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970–1977), a half-hour light-hearted situation comedy in which the character was the news director at fictional television station WJM-TV in Minneapolis. A spinoff series, entitled Lou Grant (1977–1982), was an hour-long serious dramatic series that frequently engaged in social commentary, featuring the same character as city editor of the fictional Los Angeles Tribune. Although spin-offs are common on American television, Lou Grant remains one of a very few characters played by the same actor to have a leading role on both a popular comedy and a popular dramatic series.