Edward Herrmann Dead at 71

Edward Herrmann, the beloved character actor best known for his roles on Gilmore Girls and The Good Wife, has died at age 71.

According to Herrmann's family, the actor had been battling brain cancer, and had spent the last three weeks hospitalized in New York.

"Edward Herrmann, besides being an accomplished actor, he was also a true gentleman and a scholar, as well as being an incredibly kind and decent man. He will be sorely missed," said Herrmann's manager, Robbie Kass, in a statement to USA TODAY.

In addition to his recurring role on The Good Wife, he was also an Emmy nominee for his portrayals of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in various made-for-TV movies in the 1970s. He even had the opportunity to portray Roosevelt again just a few months ago as part of the Ken Burns PBS documentary series, The Roosevelts: An Intimate History. His trademark voice has also graced countless History Channel documentaries over the years, making him among the most distinctive voiceover artists of his generation. Herrmann also enjoyed a fairly distinguished film career, appearing in such big screen hits as The Wolf of Wall Street, The Aviator, Intolerable Cruelty and his own leading role as William Randolph Hearst in the 2001 gem, The Cat's Meow.

Yet it was his role as Richard Gilmore on The WB series Gilmore Girls that was his most notable. As the patriarch of the Gilmore family, Richard was both pragmatic and a bit eccentric, a man very much set in his ways, but also imbued with a certain warmth of character. It was one of the most three-dimensional characters on the show, since we didn't really need to know a whole lot about Richard in order to get a feel for who he was, and where his values rested (in one notable episode, he's inconsolable upon the death of his mother. It was played for laughs, but was strangely touching all the same, owing to Herrmann's thoughtful performance.

Herrmann is survived by his wife and two daughters. He will truly be missed, and our thoughts are with his family and loved ones right now.

Via: USA TODAY

Credit: Hallmark Channel