RIP Ed Asner, Voice of Roland Daggett and Granny Goodness in the DCAU

[RoyalRubble]

Ed Asner passed away at the age of 91. While his most famous role is probably that of Lou Grant on both The Mary Tyler Moore Show and the spin-off Lou Grant series, he has played numerous other roles throughout his career, as well as did some voice acting.

Notably for this forum, Asner voiced the villainous Roland Daggett on Batman: TAS, and Granny Goodness on Superman: TAS, Justice League Unlimited and even the Superman/Batman: Apocalypse movie. He also voiced the original Doctor Fate on Young Justice, and reprised one of his role from the 90s, that of Sergent Cosgrove from Freakazoid! for a recent episode of Teen Titans Go!.

All of this is just a small part of Asner's extensive filmography, but important and entertaining nevertheless.

 

[Frontier]

Andrea Romano casting Ed Asner as Granny Goodness was ingenious casting. I will never unhear that voice for the despicable diva of Apokolips.

RIP Mr. Asner.

 

[PF9]

Betty White is now the last surviving main cast member of the MTM Show.

 

[the greenman]

Ed Asner passed away at the age of 91. While his most famous role is probably that of Lou Grant on both The Mary Tyler Moore Show and the spin-off Lou Grant series, he has played numerous other roles throughout his career, as well as did some voice acting.

Notably for this forum, Asner voiced the villainous Roland Daggett on Batman: TAS, and Granny Goodness on Superman: TAS, Justice League Unlimited and even the Superman/Batman: Apocalypse movie. He also voiced the original Doctor Fate on Young Justice, and reprised one of his role from the 90s, that of Sergent Cosgrove from Freakazoid! for a recent episode of Teen Titans Go!.

All of this is just a small part of Asner's extensive filmography, but important and entertaining nevertheless.

No offense, but shouldn't this thread be in Entertainment?

Anyway, yes he was an interesting character actor who pretty much played a version of himself & Lou Grant everytime. Last time I saw him was on the news telling people to take the shot, after he got one on camera.

I know he was in Young Justice, did he reprise his role on Outsiders? He was also on Cobra Kai, haven't kept up with that though.

R.I.P. Good sir!

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[Rick Jones]

I just had him on the brain a few days back while rewatching an episode of Batman. I always thought he was great in anything I watched, animated or live-action, and whether he was playing a scumbag villain like Granny or Daggett, a stern crank like J. Jonah Jameson or Carl Fredrickson, or a warm presence like Kent Nelson or Uncle Ben, I couldn't help but love him as an actor. He will be missed.

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[RoyalRubble]

No offense, but shouldn't this thread be in Entertainment?

Anyway, yes he was an interesting character actor who pretty much played a version of himself & Lou Grant everytime. Last time I saw him was on the news telling people to take the shot, after he got one on camera.

I know he was in Young Justice, did he reprise his role on Outsiders? He was also on Cobra Kai, haven't kept up with that though.

R.I.P. Good sir!

Sent from my LM-Q730 using Tapatalk

Well this topic is supposed to focus only on Asner's roles in DC Animation. Considering his decades spanning career, I think it could be covered on multiple boards (there are already threads on Marvel Animation and the Voice Actors board). Feel free to start a topic on the Entertainment board too, which could cover all of his live-action roles.

Kent Nelson didn't appear during Outsiders. The Helmet of Nabu did, which was voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson from the beginning.

 

[-batmat-]

That's sad news. I'm happy we got so much from him that will live on forever.

 

[Raider969]

R.I.P Ed Asner. He was great as Roland Dagget and Granny Goodness.

 

[RoyalRubble]

I forgot Ed Asner also voiced Perry White, for All-Star Superman.

 

[b.t.]

The man was 100% made of Awesome. He was a spectacularly gifted actor and a warm, friendly person.

The only reason we didn’t hire him to play Perry White in our SUPERMAN series was because we all thought it would be too obvious. But it worked out great — the part he ended up playing on that show was SO much more fun! He LOVED playing Granny — and he did eventually play Perry for us in ALL STAR SUPERMAN (and was as great in the part as you would expect).

This world is a sadder place without Ed in it.

 

[Road to Gotham]

Rest in Peace, Mr. Asner.

 

[-batmat-]

When Dagget walked free at the end of "Appointment in Crime Alley", I'm sure everyone's as angry as Batman. Great writing, a great "love to hate" villain, with a flawless performance delivered by Ed

 

[murmur 2.0]

The man was 100% made of Awesome. He was a spectacularly gifted actor and a warm, friendly person.

The only reason we didn’t hire him to play Perry White in our SUPERMAN series was because we all thought it would be too obvious. But it worked out great — the part he ended up playing on that show was SO much more fun! He LOVED playing Granny — and he did eventually play Perry for us in ALL STAR SUPERMAN (and was as great in the part as you would expect).

This world is a sadder place without Ed in it.

Ed Asner's work as Granny Goodness was nothing short of superb. So appropriately over-the-top yet somehow grounded, with poisonous syrup in every line. And thank you, b.t., I KNEW he loved the role, for two reasons I'm about to explain but it's so good to see you validate that. It's been about a decade since I've posted here but I feel obligated to share something with you all:

Just a couple years ago, I was performing at a charity concert where Ed Asner was being awarded for philanthropy and he wasn't far away from where I was lined up backstage. I worked the nerve to approach him with something like, "Mr. Asner, please forgive me if I'm out of turn" and he greeted me with a warm smile and curious eyes. I started to gush to him about how incredible he was on Superman. In retrospect, I wasn't being very specific about his role, considering I was talking to a veteran actor with a gigantic resume (including in the DCAU and other superhero shows alone!), but it didn't take him more than a second or two to light up in recognition, to joyously exclaim, "Oh, you must mean Granny Goodness!" Awkwardly, but smiling broadly with him, I replied "Who else?"

The man grinned from ear to ear with relish and gusto, declaring firmly, "You'll never find a more despicable character in all the universe!" It made it more personally clear to me how much he enjoyed that role, though his work always conveyed that he put his all into it. More emotional now, I told him how much his contribution to that role meant to some of the most dedicated fans in entertainment and how blessed many of us are, as I am, to share that with our children. He told me, more softly but just as earnestly, that that meant a lot to him. A few hearty "thank you"'s back and forth later, I took back my spot in line. I never asked for an autograph, and I'm glad I didn't, especially now, leaving him only with praise and gratitude. So may it continue to accompany him along with all the rest of the good will he rightfully earned.