Edward Kirk Herrmann (born July 21, 1943) is an American television and film actor. He is best known for his Emmy- nominated portrayals of Franklin D. Roosevelt on television, and to younger generations for his role as Richard Gilmore in Gilmore Girls, as a ubiquitous narrator for historical programs on the History Channel and PBS productions such as NOVA, and as the spokesman for Dodge automobiles in the 1990s.