Edward "Ed" Asner (born November 15, 1929) is an American film, television, and stage actor, voice actor, and a former president of the
Screen Actors Guild. He is primarily known for his role as
Lou Grant during the 1970s and early 1980s, on both
The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its
spin-off series
Lou Grant, making him one of the few television actors to portray the same leading character in both a comedy and a drama. He is also known for portraying
Santa Claus in the 2003 comedy
Elf and its 2014 remake .