Edward Herrmann obit

Stage, screen actor Edward Herrmann dies at 71

He was not on the list.

Edward Herrmann, the towering, melodious-voiced actor who brought Franklin D. Roosevelt to life in films and documentaries, won a Tony Award and charmed audiences as the stuffy dad on TV's "Gilmore Girls," died Wednesday. He was 71.

Herrmann died at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital of brain cancer, said his son, Rory Herrmann. The actor, who had been hospitalized for several weeks, was surrounded by family members including his wife, Star, and his three children, his son said.

"He was full of knowledge and kindness and goodness. ... He always wanted to share the great and beautiful things in life," said Rory Herrmann. That included art, music and classic cars.

The 6-foot-5 actor's favorite role was playing President Roosevelt, his son said, which he did in projects including the TV movies "Eleanor and Franklin" (1976) and its sequel "Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years" (1977) and in the 1982 movie musical "Annie."

Herrmann also provided the voice for FDR in Ken Burns' documentary series "The Roosevelts: An Intimate History," which aired on PBS last year.

His urbane tones were heard on other documentaries and on hundreds of audio books including Laura Hillenbrand's "Unbroken." He had recently narrated a documentary on cancer, Rory Herrmann said.

He appeared frequently on the big screen, in major films including "Reds" and "The Wolf of Wall Street," and was an acclaimed stage actor whose Tony-winning performance came in 1976 for a revival of "Mrs. Warren's Profession" opposite Lynn Redgrave.

Television was also a familiar home, with appearances on "The Good Wife" and "How I Met Your Mother. His best-known role came on the 2000-07 series "Gilmore Girls," on which he portrayed the patrician father of a single mother, played by Lauren Graham.

Besides his wife and son, Herrmann's survivors include daughters Ryen and Emma. A private funeral was planned, followed by a public memorial early next week, Rory Herrmann said.



TV and filmography


Lady Liberty (1971) as Policeman (uncredited)

The Paper Chase (1973) as Thomas Craig Anderson

The Day of the Dolphin (1973) as Mike - Research Team

The Great Gatsby (1974) as Klipspringer

The Great Waldo Pepper (1975) as Ezra Stiles

Eleanor and Franklin (1976, TV Mini-Series) as Franklin Delano Roosevelt, age 20-50

Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years (1977, TV Movie) as Franklin D. Roosevelt

A Love Affair: The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story (1978, TV Movie) as Lou Gehrig

The Betsy (1978) as Dan Weyman

Brass Target (1978) as Col. Walter Gilchrist

Take Down (1979) as Ed Branish

The North Avenue Irregulars (1979) as Michael Hill

Portrait of a Stripper (1979, TV Movie) as Frank Andrews

Freedom Road (1979, TV Movie) as Stephen Holms

3 by Cheever (1979, TV Mini-Series) as Kip Lawton

M*A*S*H (1980, TV Series) as Capt. Steven J. Newsome

Harry's War (1981) as Harry Johnson

Reds (1981) as Max Eastman

The Electric Grandmother (1982, TV Movie) as Father

Death Valley (1982) as Paul Stanton

A Little Sex (1982) as Tommy

Annie (1982) as FDR

Mrs. Soffel (1984) as Warden Peter Soffel

Concealed Enemies (1984, TV Series) as Alger Hiss

The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985) as Henry

The Man with One Red Shoe (1985) as Brown

Compromising Positions (1985) as Bob Singer

St. Elsewhere (1986, TV Series) as Father Joseph McCabe / Priest

The Lawrenceville Stories (1986-1987, TV Mini-Series) as Head Master

Laughter in the Dark (1986)

The Lost Boys (1987) as Max

Overboard (1987) as Grant Stayton III

Big Business (1988) as Graham Sherbourne

Sweet Poison (1991, TV Movie) as Henry

The End of a Sentence (1991, TV Series)

Hero (1992) as Mr. Broadman - Man Committing Suicide (uncredited)

Born Yesterday (1993) as Ed Devery

My Boyfriend's Back (1993) as Mr. Dingle

A Foreign Field (1993, TV Series) as Ralph

Foreign Student (1994) as Zachary 'Zach' Gilmore

Richie Rich (1994) as Richard Rich

The Face on the Milk Carton (1995, TV Movie) as Frank Jessmon

Here Come the Munsters (1995, TV Movie) as Herman Munster

Law & Order (1995-2009, TV Series) as Frederic Matson / Mr. Mosbeck / Drew Seely

Wings (1995, TV Series) as Y.M. Burg

Nixon (1995) as Nelson Rockefeller

A Season in Purgatory (1996, TV Movie) as Dr. Shugrue

Soul of the Game (1996, TV Movie) as Branch Rickey

The Practice (1997-1999, TV Series) as Anderson Pearson

Critical Care (1997) as Robert Payne

Frank Lloyd Wright (1998) as Narrator (voice)

Better Living (1998) as Jack

A Civil Action (1998) (uncredited)

History's Lost & Found (1999-2005, TV Series) as Narrator

Atomic Train (1999, TV Mini-Series) as The President

RKO 281 (1999, TV Movie)

Walking Across Egypt (1999) as Rev. Vernon

Oz (2000-2003, TV Series) as Harrison Beecher

Gilmore Girls (2000-2007, TV Series) as Richard Gilmore

Double Take (2001) as Charles Allsworth

Down (aka The Shaft) (2001) as Milligan

The Cat's Meow (2001) as W.R. Hearst

James Dean (2001, TV Movie) as Raymond Massey

The Emperor's Club (2002) as Headmaster Woodbridge

Intolerable Cruelty (2003) as Rex Rexroth

Russia, Land of the Tsars (2003) as Narrator

Welcome to Mooseport (2004) as Avery Hightower (Debate Moderator) (uncredited)

Isaac's Storm (2004, TV Movie) as Narrator (voice)

Bereft (2004) as Lloyd

The Aviator (2004) as Joseph Breen

The Presidents (2005) as Host

FDR: A Presidency Revealed (2005) as Narrator (voice)

Tom Goes to the Mayor (2005, TV Series) as Benjamin Kaplan (voice)

Relative Strangers (2006) as Doug Clayton

The Revolution (2006, TV Mini-Series) as Narrator

Wedding Daze (2006) as Lyle

Desperate Crossing - The True Story of the Mayflower (2006) as Narrator

Factory Girl (2006) as James Townsend

I Think I Love My Wife (2007) as Mr. Landis

Sherman's March (2007, TV Movie)

The States (2007, TV Series) as Narrator

Grey's Anatomy (2007, "TV Series") as Dr. Norman Shales

30 Rock (2008, TV Series) as Co-Op Board Member

The Skeptic (2009) as Dr. Shepard

Hatching Pete (2009, TV Movie) as Principal Fred Daly

The Six Wives of Henry Lefay (2009) as Goodenough

Ring Christmas Bells (2009, TV Movie) as Narrator

The Good Wife (2010-2013, TV Series) as Lionel Greenfield

Son of Morning (2011) as Thomas

Better with You (2011, TV Series) as Judge

Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star (2011) as Jeremiah Larson

A Christmas Wish (2011, TV Hallmark Movie) as Les McCallum

Drop Dead Diva (2011, TV Series) as Reverend Phillips

Redemption: For Robbing the Dead (2011) as Governor Dawson

The Christmas Pageant (2011, TV Movie) as Garrett Clark

Price Check (2012) as Jack Bennington

Treasure Buddies (2012) as Philip Wellington

Christmas Oranges (2012) as Mr. Crampton

Heaven's Door (2013) as Nate Christensen

Are You Here (2013) as Dr. Vincent

How I Met Your Mother (2013, TV Series) as Reverend Robert Lowell

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) as Stratton Oakmont Commercial (voice)

The Town That Dreaded Sundown (2014) as Reverend Cartwright

The Roosevelts (2014, PBS-TV documentary) as Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Voice)

Perception (2015, TV Series) as Jack Pierce

Coach of the Year (2015) as Bill Ford

Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies (2015, PBS-TV documentary) as Narrator

Terry Becker obit

Terry Becker, Actor on 'Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea,' Dies at 93

He was not on the list.

He also appeared in a memorable episode of 'The Twilight Zone' and directed for such series as 'Room 222,' 'The Brady Bunch' and 'M*A*S*H'

Terry Becker, who starred on TV’s Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and played a condemned man in a memorable episode of The Twilight Zone, has died. He was 93.

Becker, who also directed and produced episodes of the ABC series Room 222, died Dec. 30 in the Los Angeles area, his family announced.

Becker portrayed Chief Petty Officer Francis Ethelbert Sharkey on 71 episodes of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. Starring Richard Basehart and based on Irwin Allen’s 1961 adventure film, it aired on ABC from 1964-68.

He joined the show in the second season after Henry Kulky, who played Chief Petty Officer Curly Jones on the series, died of a heart attack in February 1965.

In the 1964 Twilight Zone episode, “I Am the Night — Color Me Black,” Becker portrayed Jagger, a man found guilty of murder — wrongfully— who is set to be hanged that morning at sunrise. The sun never comes up, but he’s executed anyway; the town later learns that the sky has stayed black in other places of hate around the world.

Becker was an associate producer on Room 222, a high-school set series that starred Lloyd Haynes as a history teacher and Michael Constantine (who also was in Becker’s Twilight Zone episode) as a principal. He directed several episodes as well.

A native of New York, Becker started out as an actor and appeared in Starlight Theatre, Gunsmoke, The Millionaire, The Asphalt Jungle and Combat! and starred in the 1960 crime drama Code of Silence.

He mainly worked behind the camera after Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and directed for such series as Mod Squad, Love, American Style, The Brady Bunch, Mission: Impossible and M*A*S*H and produced telefilms.

He also partnered in a production company with actor Carroll O’Connor in the 1970s.

Survivors include his wife, Erlinda, children Joseph and Anna, grandchildren Savannah, Jack and James and brother Sidney.

Partial filmography as actor

    Danger (1951-1952, TV Series) .... Lou

    Short Short Dramas (1953, TV Series)

    Teacher's Pet (1958) .... Mr. Appino (uncredited)

    The Fiend Who Walked the West (1958) .... Lew Lane (uncredited)

    Compulsion (1959) .... Benson, Angry Reporter (uncredited)

    Wanted Dead or Alive (1960, TV Series) .... Deputy Fred Kimball (billed as Adam Becker)

    Perry Mason (1958-1960, TV Series) .... Everett Ransome / Philip Larkin

    Code of Silence (1960) .... Mike Story

    The Asphalt Jungle (1961, TV Series) .... Ira Fallon

    Sea Hunt (1961, TV Series) .... Putnam's Agent / Alcott - Newspaper Reporter

    The Twilight Zone (1964, TV Series, Episode: "I Am the Night Color Me Black") .... Jagger

    Rawhide (1959-1964, TV Series) .... Burt / Seth Warner

    Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1965-1968, TV Series, Main Character) .... Chief Francis Ethelbert Sharkey

    The Writer (2004) .... Dr. Norman Solomon

    Neighborhood Watch (2005) .... Judd Sowell

    Finishing the Game (2007) .... Breeze's Dad

    In Case of Emergency (2007, TV Series Episode: "Disorder in the Court") .... Judge

    Infection: The Invasion Begins (2010) .... Grandpa Sy (final film role)

Partial filmography as producer-director

    The Thirsty Dead, motion picture, producer-director, 1974

    Bronk, executive producer TV series 1975-76 (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072481/fullcredits)

    Hallmark Hall of Fame The Last Hurrah, TV movie, executive producer, 1977 (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076296/fullcredits#cast)

    Bender, TV series, executive producer, 1979 (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1854424/fullcredits#cast)

    Riding for the Pony Express, TV movie, producer, 1980 (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1135945/fullcredits#cast)

    Archie Bunker's Place, TV series, 1979-83 O'Connor-Becker Company (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078562/companycredits)

    Savage in the Orient, TV movie- TV series pilot, executive producer 1983 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0204615/fullcredits#cast

    Blade in Hong Kong, TV movie, producer, 1985 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088817/fullcredits

    Room 222, associate producer 26 episodes 1969-70 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063948/combined

    Room 222, TV series, director 8 episodes 1969-71 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063948/combined

    The Courtship of Eddie's Father, TV series, director,1970

    The Mod Squad, TV series, director,1970

    Love, American Style, TV series, director,1970–72

    The Brady Bunch, TV series, director,1971

    Mission: Impossible, TV series, director, 1970–72

    M*A*S*H,TV series, director 1972

Beau Kazer obit

Beau Kazer, Actor on 'The Young and the Restless,' Dies at 63

He was not on the list.

He starred for years as Brock Reynolds, Jeanne Cooper’s son, on the long-running CBS soap

Beau Kazer, who portrayed Brock Reynolds on the long-running CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless, has died. He was 63.

Kazer is believed to have died on Dec. 30 in his sleep in Thousand Oaks, Calif., said his wife, photographer Sharon Alkus. She said he had been staying in Thousand Oaks to finish writing a book he called Adventures in Honkerville.

“Sadly, he was almost done,” she said. “I will type up the remainder of the chapters and dedicate it: ‘To Beau Kazer, a truly loving human being, one I hope to meet again someday.'”

The actor had health issues for two years, Alkus said, adding Wednesday that no cause of death had been determined.

Kazer played the lawyer son of Katherine Chancellor (Jeanne Cooper) starting in 1974. He left the show in the early 1980s but returned to Genoa City on several occasions through 2013. He came back twice for his mother’s funeral (however, it was his mother’s look-alike that had died the first time).

The Toronto native also played Dr. Bunny Willis on the ABC soap General Hospital and appeared in guest-star gigs on such primetime shows as Hart to Hart, B.J. and the Bear and Barnaby Jones.

In Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver (1976), Kazer is seen playing Brock on a television set that is kicked over by Robert De Niro’s character, Travis Bickle. For that, he received a credit as “Soap Opera Man.”