Edward Herrmann, ‘Gilmore Girls’ Patriarch, Dies At 71

Edward Herrmann, who played Richard Gilmore on Gilmore Girls, died after a battle with brain cancer on Dec. 31. He was 71.

Edward Herrmann Dies

Herrmann was an acclaimed actor on the theater stage and both the big and small screens. According to his son Rory, Herrmann’s favorite part to play was President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, which he played three times – in TV movies Eleanor and Franklin and Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years and in the 1982 big screen musical Annie.

In addition to Annie, Herrmann’s feature film roles include The Great Gatsby, The Betsy, Reds, Harry’s War, Overboard, Richie Rich, The Purple Rose of Cairo and The Lost Boys.

While Herrmann is most recognized for his work on Gilmore Girls, his other TV credits include St. Elsewhere, Oz, The Good Wife and The Practice, for which he won an Emmy Award following multiple nominations for other work.

“We, the Gilmore Girls family, are so terribly sad and somewhat stunned,” Kelly Bishop, who played Herrmann’s onscreen wife on the comedy-drama series, said in the statement. “We only learned about his illness a week or so ago. I got a call from [Edward’s wife] Star Monday night asking if I wanted to come to the hospital to say goodbye. I went yesterday and was able to give Ed love from Lauren [Graham], Alexis [Bledel] and Amy [Sherman-Palladino]. I have so many fond memories of our time together on Gilmore Girls and since, mainly via email. I think everyone who knew or worked with Ed found him to be absolutely delightful… Everything looks a little dim as if the lights went down.”

Herrmann made his Broadway debut in 1972 in Moonchildren. In 1976, he won a Tony for Mrs. Warren’s Profession and went on to appear in The Philadelphia Story and Plenty.

Herrmann is survived by his wife of 22 years, Star Hayner, daughters Ryan and Emma, and son Rory.