Ed Asner’s rich, full voice has been used in numerous films, documentaries and animated features. Earlier this year, Mr. Asner paid his first visit to the Oscars when his film, the Disney-Pixar animated UP! was nominated for Best Animated Picture. Asner voiced the lead character, Carl Fredrickson, a grumpy yet loveable senior citizen who sets out on the adventure of a lifetime in a floating house powered by thousands of helium balloons. UP! won the Oscar.

LEFT, Shattered Director Ryan Katzenbach with Ed Asner, the Narrator of Shattered Hopes, and Shattered Exec Producer Diana Maiocco in Hollywood, December 2007.

Asner is a legendary Hollywood actor, celebrity and humanitarian. His career has spanned over 40-years; he’s starred in hundreds of films and television shows, including the show that made him famous, Mary Tyler Moore and the spinoff CBS series Lou Grant. His most recent work includes National Lampoons Hard Four with Paula Prentiss, Ross Benjamin, Dabney Coleman and Ed Bagley Jr., as well as new episodic television series for CMT, Working Class. A veteran of stage, Ed has also been touring the entire country over the past year with his one man show, FDR, wherein he portrays American President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In April, Mr. Asner will set off to Alaska to commence filming on a new movie.

RIGHT, Ryan Katzenbach directs Ed Asner on the stage of Garry Marshall's Falcon Theatre, May 2010. The production was a live staged reading of one of Katzenbach's original screenplays, Back of Book, a comedy-caper set in the car business.

Ryan Katzenbach has worked with Ed Asner on multiple projects and their professional relationship has spanned for over 7 years. “When we started considering a Narrator, the very first choice was Ed. He’s got a great voice that commands respect, and he’s an absolute gentleman to work with, a really good friend, and I’m honored to have had this experience,” says Ryan Katzenbach

In Shattered Hopes, Ed Asner projects a grizzled-detective persona, masterfully guiding the viewer with great ease through the complexities of the DeFeo story. His rich voice commands the authority and is a perfect pairing to the instant dark subject matter.

LEFT, Hollywood Actor & Director Richard Benjamin, his wife, actress Paula Prentiss, Ed Asner and actress Loa Allebach at the Back of Book reading at the Falcon Theatre.

"Ed is such an amazing professional to work with because he brings not only a rich talent to the table, but he is the consummate pro," says Katzenbach. "He just shows up and turns on the magic, which was the case of July 20th when we began recording the narrative tracks for Shattered. We were all, in the studio, amazed at his precise delivery of the script, and there was very little direction on my part in getting the tone and tenor of the narrative that we had envisioned. It was simply amazing, and the entire recording session was done with lightening speed. If you're in the industry, and you get an opportunity to work with Asner, you should take it. He's an amazing human being."

Ed and Ryan have a few other projects in the hopper which they hope to bring to fruition when Shattered wraps.

RIGHT, Actor Tom Metcalf, (girl unknown), Ed Asner, John Heard and Ryan Katzenbach.