In Memory of Actor Edward Herrmann: 10 Years After His Tragic Death From Brain Cancer

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It's been ten years since esteemed actor Edward Herrmann, best known for playing Lorelai Gilmore’s father Richard on the TV show Gilmore Girls, died from brain cancer. He was only 71 years old when he passed away in a New York hospital, and this is his story.

A Closer Look

Edward Herrmann was born in Washington, D.C., graduated from Bucknell University in 1965, and studied his craft on a Fulbright scholarship to the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art from 1968 to 1969.

The 6-foot-5 actor found initial mainstream fame playing President Roosevelt in TV-movies like Eleanor and Franklin (1976), Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years (1977), and in the feature film Annie (1982).

Herrmann later provided the voice for FDR in the acclaimed Ken Burns documentary series, The Roosevelts: An Intimate History, which was broadcast in 2014.

Herrmann's distinguished vocal timbre was further heard in other documentaries and several hundred audiobooks such as Laura Hillenbrand’s Unbroken. He had recently narrated a documentary on cancer.

His work on the big screen includes the movies Reds and The Wolf of Wall Street, while he performed in countless stage productions, including his Tony-award-winning performance in the 1976 Broadway revival of Mrs. Warren’s Profession (starring Lynn Redgrave).

Herrmann's other live theatre credits include the original rendition of Love Letters (1989), The Deep Blue Sea (1998), and Plenty (1993), for which he received a Tony nomination.

Beyond Gilmore Girls

Beyond Gilmore Girls (on which he played father to Lauren Graham's central character), Edward Herrmann appeared on other TV shows, such as The Good Wife and How I Met Your Mother, and in his Emmy-winning his role in The Practice.

In real life, he was married with three children.

In the End

Edward Herrmann was the rare breed of actor whose talent and appeal managed to reach audiences via every media platform in the pop-culture spectrum.