Peter Simon is simply the only actor I've seen in the role. I wasn't even alive when Mart Hulswit was around, and I don't even remember when Robert Gentry returned. It would be jarring for me to see anyone different, like MH or even RG. Simon is just the one and only Ed for me, he was the one who mourned Mo's death, went up against Roger the second time around, and had such a believable father/daughter rapport with Rachel Miner's Michelle. I think Van Fleet could be an actor I could get use to in the role if Simon wasn't returning. The guy seems to have this charisma or naturalness about him that makes him believable in any role he takes on.

Agreed completely, except for the Van Fleet part. I've seen his Ed in clips. I'm not impressed. But Peter was also the Ed who returned in 2002 and was like a tonic for the show. I'm usually a believer in the idea that no one actor or character can improve the show, but Peter Simon's return brought so much history, heart, and humanity back to the show that it was such a breath of fresh air watching him. Sigh Millee Taggart come home!

I will say this though, I like Mart Hulswit from the various clips and episodes I've seen with him, so I understand that, when you get down to it, the two actors play the role differently. I happen to like both. But at the end of my favorite show, Simon is the one I want to see ending it with me.

I saw RVV and PS. RVV I associated too much with AMC from his stint as Chuck Tyler and he wasn't on GL long enough for me to feel like he was anything more than a seat-warmer. PS, while I saw him the longest, was too much of a milquetoast for me to ever be all that interested in the character of Ed Bauer.

Edited June 21, 200916 yr by applcin