Edward Kirk Herrmann (July 21, 1943 – December 31, 2014) was an American actor, director, writer, and comedian, best known for his Emmy-nominated portrayals of Franklin D. Roosevelt on television, Richard Gilmore in Gilmore Girls, a ubiquitous narrator for historical programs on The History Channel and in such PBS productions as Nova, and as a spokesman for Dodge automobiles in the 1990s.