Famous Grumps, Grouches & Curmudgeons


Old man Witherspoon from the Our House TV showGus Witherspoon (Wilford Brimley, "Our House"
Wilford Brimley is one of those actors you see and immediately recognize, but you don't know his name. Not only has he perfected the grumpy old man, old codger, and old coot, he brings the walrus mustache into the ultimate curmudgeon image. "Our House," a TV show that ran from 1986-1988, featured Gus Witherspoon as a widower who brings his daugher-in-law and three grandkids into his home after his son dies. In the way of all good curmudgeons, each episode tried to teach a moral lesson, and the importance of character and values.
 
Fred Sanford curmudgeon and comedian from Sanford & Son TV showFred Sanford (Redd Foxx, "Sanford & Son")
Few people managed better to capture the confusing insanity that passes for life with a Master Curmudgeon than Redd Foxx in the TV show, "Sanford & Son" from 1972-1977. Sanford, played by Redd Foxx was a widower always on the verge of a heart-attack that would be "the big one" through which he would meet his dearly departed wife in the sky. His son, Lamont, played by Desmond Wilson, always had to stay on the ball in order to keep his dad out of trouble.
 
Ed Asner, Lou Grant from the Mary Tyler Moore showLou Grant (Ed Asner, "Lou Grant" Show)
Not only is Ed Asner a curmudgeon and grump in real life, he plays one on TV. Very well, in fact. Best known for his role as Lou Grant, first in the Mary Tyler Moore show (1970-1977), then in the "Lou Grant" spin-off show, he also played a grumpy old man in the family show, "Thunder Alley." In "Lou Grant," he worked opposite a female curmudgeon, Mrs. Margaret Pynchon, the grumpy but elegant newspaper owner, played by Nancy Marchand.