Born to an Orthodox Jewish family in Kansas City, where Orthodox Jews were thin on the ground, Ed Asner is an Army veteran, athlete, political progressive and much admired actor. Best known to people Randy’s age as Lou Grant, a new generation discovered him as the voice of Carl Frederickson in the animated feature Up. In this episode of PPT, Ed takes Shakespeare down a peg: that guy’s had a free ride for too long.

• PERSON: Ben Jonson
• PLACE: A section of Yellowstone National Park where wolves are being reintroduced
• THING: A Spanish knife