newsmakers

newsmakers

Stage, screen actor Edward Herrmann dies

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, his son, Rory Herrmann, said. 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.

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 earlier this year.

His urbane tones were heard on a variety of other documentaries and on hundreds of audio books including Laura Hillenbrand’s “Unbroken.”

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 “Mrs. Warren’s Profession.”

Television also was a familiar home, with recent 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 played the patrician father of a single mother (Lauren Graham).

Reruns, Christmas bring dip in TV viewing

NEW YORK

As Americans trimmed the tree last week and hung their stockings with care, many viewers turned away from TV screens. During a week of mostly reruns, total prime-time viewership of the Big Four networks dipped by 25 percent from the week before.

Even so, CBS retained its customary lead position, claiming 12 of the top 20 programs, according to the Nielsen Co.

Only football scored big, with NBC’s faceoff between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, the week’s most-watched program, seen by nearly 21 million viewers, and ESPN’s coverage of the Denver vs. Cincinnati clash drawing 16 million viewers to take third place.

Associated Press