In 2008, Ed Herrmann joined the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square to narrate the annual Christmas concert. In the production he lent his well-known voice to the New Testament Christmas Story from the Book of Luke and told the story of Longfellow’s Christmas. In the above video, Herrmann recounts Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s inspiration behind the familiar carol, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.”

In the 1970’s, Herrmann became a household name for his portrayal of Franklin D. Roosevelt in the critically acclaimed television miniseries, Eleanor and Franklin: The Early Years. Since that time, Herrmann has built up quite the resume, appearing in a combined 129 roles in film and television. Some of his more memorable films include, Nixon, Ritchie Rich, Born yesterday and The Lost Boys, where he played the head vampire, Max. Younger audiences know him as Richard Gilmore in the T.V. series, Gilmore Girls.

While his film and television roles are many, Hermann actually began his career in the theater, making his Broadway debut in 1972, in Moonchildren. He frequently returns to the stage and has also performed in plays such as, The Philadelphia Story and The Deep Blue Sea. In addition to theater, film and television, Herrmann records audio books and won an AUDIE Award in 1999, for his recording of The King James Bible. As if that weren’t enough, he’s also the narrator for the A&E Channel’s series, History’s Lost and Found and The History Channel’s, Founding Fathers.