Richard Gilmore is the patriarchal centerpiece for the hit television series, Gilmore Girls. This character was portrayed by the late actor, Edward Hermann, who ed away seven years after the show's finale in December of 2014. Richard had a very commanding and somewhat intimidating presence, especially in the earlier seasons, but he also had beautiful moments with each of the women in his life that showed a softer side to the character and the actor playing him.
In a lot of ways, Richard Gilmore was the glue that held all of the Gilmore girls together. He took care of them when they needed it, but also gave them the space they needed to figure things out on their own. He found the perfect balance as a husband, father, and grandfather, and Emily, Lorelei, and Rory are better for it.
... (es Rory The Newspaper)
One of the wisest things Richard Gilmore can do when it comes to maintaining his sanity with all of the women in his life, is to sit back and not say anything. In the very first episode, after Lorelei goes to her parents to ask them for money for Rory's new private school, Lorelei, Rory, Richard, and Emily have their first Friday night family dinner, per Emily's request. It's awkward and uncomfortable for everybody, so Richard decides to read a paper instead of engaging in the awkwardness. He can sense Rory is feeling the same way, so he es her a section of the newspaper, almost as if he' extending an olive branch.
"Don't be a martyr... And don't be naive. Do you think I love the boy who got my daughter pregnant?"
Towards the end of season one, Rory's father, Christopher comes back into the picture, briefly. Lorelei and Christopher have a complicated relationship. They were high school sweethearts and got pregnant when they were only sixteen years old.
They're both from very upper class families who were shocked, and somewhat ashamed by their children's life choices. Years later, Lorelei has grown up and raised a wonderful daughter on her own, which means she, understandably, harbors a bit of resentment for Rory's father, who abandoned them. She thinks her father adores Christopher, but when she confronts Richard about everything, he sets her straight rather quickly.
"Logan, welcome to the family, son."
Richard Gilmore is loyal to his family and will do just about anything for his granddaughter. By season five, Rory is at Yale and meets Logan Huntzberger. They immediately develop a flirtatious, yet somewhat annoying relationship. Logan likes to pull stunts and doesn't take anything seriously, which is the exact opposite of Rory. When Logan takes one of his pranks too far and embarrasses Rory, Rory decides to retaliate with some help from her grandpa. Richard shows up at Yale and scares Logan by telling him he's very excited about he and Rory's courtship and future engagement. Richard gets a laugh, and Rory gets the upper-hand.
"Oh, people die, we pay."
Richard Gilmore made his millions in the insurance business. It's not necessarily inspiring work, but it has afforded him and his family a very luxurious lifestyle, with Emily getting anything she wants or needs.
When Lorelei and Rory come to Emily and Richard's mansion for one of their weekly Friday night dinners, Lorelei tries to break some of the awkward silence by asking her dad about work. She wants to know how things are going, but Richard doesn't seem to want to talk about what he does for a living. He tells her it's the same as always. "People die, we pay. People crash, we pay. People lose a foot, we pay."
"Look, it's getting late, so either shoot us or go away."
Richard Gilmore has a way with people. He's serious, but also charming, in a way that allows him to get away with just about anything, even when it comes to authority figures. Emily and Richard are in the middle of a very big fight, their biggest fight it seems, ever. The fight escalates and eventually, Emily climbs out of their basement window without her skirt on. Richard meets her outside, shocked by her behavior. While the two argue, they are approached by security. The officer explains they got a call about a disturbance, but Richard is too angry to care at that point.
"Everyone knows ugly men make the best doctors."
At one of the classic Gilmore Friday night dinners, Emily announces that she will be getting Lasik eye surgery the following day. She explains that three of her friends in the D.A.R. recently had the surgery and that inspired her to seek it out.
She also tells her family that the doctor performing the surgery is very good and "very handsome". That last part triggers Richard a little bit because this is the first Emily has mentioned that part. Richard seems to get jealous and is a bit on edge as Lorelei prods her mother for more details, amused by the entire situation.
"She has more to do, more to be! I don't want that life for her!"
Rory moves into Emily and Richard's house after a massive fight with her mother, Lorelei. While there, Rory seems to change drastically, so drastically, her grandfather really starts to worry. Richard goes to Lorelei in hopes of figuring out a way to get Rory back on track, but Lorelei doesn't like any of the ideas her father throws out because they all involve some form of bribery. Richard spirals even more and by the end of this episode he is at his wit's end and tells Emily that he doesn't want Rory becoming what she is on her way to becoming.
"Rory, you're a person of great heart and great character, and that combination will always win the day."
Rory turns to Richard when she's having trouble with her social life. She's met a new friend named Lucy, played by actress Kristen Ritter. Lucy is dating Marty and when she finds out that Marty and Rory have been hiding the fact that they've known each other since freshman year, she gets very upset.
She breaks up with Marty and won't speak to Rory. Rory is upset knowing she hurt Lucy's feelings, and she turns to her grandpa for advice. Luckily, her grandpa is now teaching at Yale, so Rory sits in during his office hours and he offers her these words of encouragement.
"Never let them see you sweat, dear."
When Rory graduates from Yale, her grandparents throw her a big graduation party with all of their closest friends. It's very fancy and well-planned, courtesy of Emily Gilmore. In addition to planning and hosting the event, Richard and Emily have one more surprise for Rory that evening. They get up in front of all of their guests and they sing Rory a song they've written for her to mark the occasion. Emily seems somewhat apologetic before the music starts and Richard tells her to "never let them see you sweat". They proceed to sing to Rory, it's adorable and heartfelt and you can tell her grandparents are just incredibly proud of her.
"It takes a remarkable person to inspire all of this."
In the series finale, Stars Hollow throws a going away party for Rory who has accepted a job working on Obama's campaign and is moving away from home. Lorelei is in awe of how the whole town comes together to give her daughter a proper farewell. Richard and Emily make it to the party and Lorelei tells them how touched she is by the town and how much they love Rory. That's when Richard steps in to remind Lorelei that it's not just Rory who inspires love, but also the woman who raised her. It's a touching scene, especially considering it is the final time we will ever see Richard and Lorelei on screen together.