Edward Herrmann Biography: Age, Height, Cancer, Awards, Ethnicity, Net Worth, Movies, Wife, Death

Edward Herrmann was an American actor who became widely recognized for his recurring television role as the sophisticated family patriarch, Richard Gilmore, on the long-running show Gilmore Girls.

He also gained prominence for portraying President Franklin D. Roosevelt in multiple television films and for his distinguished, resonant voice work in a variety of documentaries and audiobooks.

Beyond the screen, he was an accomplished stage actor, winning a Tony Award early in his professional life, establishing a reputation as a versatile and dignified performer across all media.

Profile

• Full names: Edward Kirk Herrmann
• Date of birth: July 21, 1943
• Age: Deceased
• Gender: Male
• Place of birth: Washington D.C., USA
• Nationality: American
• Profession: Actor, director, writer, voice artist
• Height: 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m)
• Eye color: Blue
• Hair color: Gray
• Parents: John Anthony Herrmann (father), Jean Eleanor O’Connor (mother)
• Siblings: John “Tony” Herrmann (brother)
• Spouse: Leigh Curran (m. 1978; div. 1992), Star Herrmann (m. 1994; died 2014)
• Children: Ryen Herrmann, Emma Herrmann, Rory Herrmann (stepson)
• Relationship status: Deceased
• Religion: Christian
• Ethnicity: White American (Irish descent on mother’s side)
• Net worth: $10 million

Early Life and education

Edward Herrmann, who passed away in 2014, was born in Washington, D.C. on July 21, 1943. He was raised in a suburb of Detroit, Michigan, in the community of Grosse Pointe.

His father, John Anthony Herrmann, worked as an engineer for several large companies, and his mother, Jean Eleanor O’Connor, was a homemaker. He grew up with an older brother, John, known as Tony.

He graduated from Grosse Pointe High School before attending Bucknell University, where he initially studied history but found his interest leaning toward the theatre.

He graduated from Bucknell with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1965. Following his graduation, he received a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship to study acting abroad at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). He also received training at the Dallas Theater Center.

Personal Life

Edward Herrmann was married twice during his lifetime. His first marriage was to Leigh Curran, an actress and screenwriter. They married in 1978 and remained together for fourteen years before divorcing in 1992.

They had two daughters together, Ryen and Emma. He met his second wife, Star Herrmann, following his divorce from Curran. Star had a son, Rory, from a previous relationship.

Edward and Star married in 1994, and he adopted Rory legally, considering him his full son. Rory later changed his surname to Herrmann to honor his stepfather. Edward Herrmann was known for being a dedicated family man and a classic car enthusiast.

He owned and restored vintage automobiles, notably a 1929 Auburn phaeton, and was a frequent judge at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance automotive show.

Career

Edward Herrmann began his acting life in the theater in the early 1970s. His performance in the 1976 production of George Bernard Shaw’s Mrs. Warren’s Profession on Broadway earned him a Tony Award.

In film, he appeared in significant roles in The Great Gatsby (1974), the time-travel comedy The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985), and the vampire film The Lost Boys (1987). A generation of young fans recognized him as the wealthy and somewhat stiff father in the children’s movie Richie Rich (1994).

His most prominent recurring television role was Richard Gilmore on Gilmore Girls, a part he played from 2000 until 2007. He also gained acclaim for his historical portrayals of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in a miniseries in the 1970s.

He was an extensive voice artist, narrating numerous historical documentaries for PBS and The History Channel and several high-profile audiobooks, including the full Abridged version of the Bible and works by authors like Ken Follett.

He was a frequent guest star on television shows and won an Emmy Award in 1999 for his guest appearance on the legal drama The Practice.

Awards

• Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play (Mrs. Warren’s Profession) (1976)
• Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series (The Practice) (1999)
• Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture (The Aviator) (2005)

Net worth

Edward Herrmann’s net worth at the time of his death was estimated to be around $10 million. This wealth was primarily accumulated through his extensive career as an actor in film, television, and Broadway, as well as his lucrative work as a voice-over artist and audiobook narrator for documentaries and other productions.

Death

Edward Herrmann died at the age of 71 on December 31, 2014, in a hospital in Manhattan, New York. The cause of his death was complications from brain cancer.

He was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx. His death was honored in the Netflix revival series of Gilmore Girls, where his character, Richard Gilmore, was written to have also passed away.

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Filmography

• Lady Liberty (1971)
• The Paper Chase (1973)
• The Day of the Dolphin (1973)
• The Great Gatsby (1974)
• The White Dawn (1974)
• Mrs. Soffel (1974)
• Portrait of a Marriage (1974)
• A Walk in the Spring Rain (1975)
• Eleanor and Franklin (1976) (TV film)
• Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years (1977) (TV film)
• The North Avenue Irregulars (1979)
• Take Down (1979)
• Freedom Road (1979)
• Beyond the Reef (1980)
• A Little Sex (1982)
• Annie (1982)
• Come Along with Me (1982)
• The Return of the Living Dead (1985) (Voice role)
• The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)
• The Lost Boys (1987)
• Overboard (1987)
• Big Business (1988)
• Trapped in Silence (1988)
• Sweet Poison (1990)
• The Magnificent Ambersons (1991)
• My Boyfriend’s Back (1993)
• Born Yesterday (1993)
• Foreign Affairs (1993)
• Richie Rich (1994)