Herrmann became known as a character actor having appeared in various films such as Warren Beatty's Reds (1981), Woody Allen's The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985), Garry Marshall's Overboard (1987), The Lost Boys (1987), Martin Scorsese's The Aviator (2004) and Chris Rock's I Think I Love My Wife (2007).

[5] Of German and Irish descent, Herrmann grew up in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, and graduated from Bucknell University[6] in 1965, where he was a member of Phi Kappa Psi.

Frank Rich praised the performance: "If Mr. Baker's Wilfred is a bit of an uncomplicated, foursquare boy scout and if Mr. Herrmann's stiff-upper-lipped Siegfried at first arouses deja vu, they form a passionate symbiosis as the darker clouds gather in Act II.

The fictional play is rooted in the real-life relationship between a Soviet diplomat and an American negotiator who broke protocol in 1982 and made a private limited arms control deal while taking a stroll in a forest outside Geneva.

As an actor, he stood head and shoulders above everybody else (literally—he was 6'5") and he was an inspired choice to play the Depression era/World War II president for a generation who never knew the real man who had long since become an historical figure.

"[19] Emily VanDerWerff wrote that while she found Annie to be a mediocre film, "Herrmann's warm charm as FDR shines through.

"[20] In 1980 Herrmann starred in an episode of M*A*S*H as an army surgeon suffering from PTSD, and in 1987 he portrayed Grant Stayton III in Overboard and Max in The Lost Boys.

[26] Ken Tucker wrote, "In smaller roles, veteran character actors Austin Pendleton, Josef Sommer, and Edward Herrmann nail their lines like the seasoned pros they are.

Herrmann found the script "silly and funny" and wanted to play a clown again, though also admitting a lack of prior involvement with the original The Munsters: "I was way too old.

"[55] Scott Patterson, another costar, agreed with Sherman-Palladino: "[Herrmann's death] left a big void, but Amy honored it beautifully.

"[56] After concluding filming, Bishop said of Herrmann, "There was a space where he was supposed to be, so he certainly was with us, and he's very prevalent in the show so that will make everybody happy I think, who'll miss him, but I'm sorry he couldn't be with us.

Herrmann played the lead in the 1979 Kieth Merrill film, Take Down, in the role as the high-school English teacher turned wrestling coach.

[66] He played the corporate foil to Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin's mismatched twins in their 1988 comedy Big Business.

[67] He was offered praise for the role, Vincent Canby citing him as one of the four actors heading "the excellent supporting cast",[68] and Malcolm Johnson writing Herrmann and Fred Dalton Thompson had the "most convincing performances".

[70] Kevin Thomas commented, "Edward Herrmann, so often a fine actor, emerges as a caricature of the tweedy, pipe-smoking professor".

[74] Herrmann also had a supporting role as William Randolph Hearst in the 2001 film The Cat's Meow, starring Kirsten Dunst as Marion Davies.

[81][82] Kirk Honeycutt lamented Herrmann, along with costars Chris Rock and Steve Buscemi, as character actors "wasted on such lightweight roles.

"[83] In 2011, Herrmann appeared in Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star, playing a father whose son discovers his previous career.

[87] Herrmann took on the role due to the character being an English villain, allowing him to portray an antagonist with an accent, as well as being able to work with animals and make a film for children.

[92] Herrmann was known for his voluminous voice work for The History Channel and various PBS specials, including hosting a revival of Frank Capra's Why We Fight,[93] and made appearances and did voiceovers in Dodge commercials from 1992 to 2001, and Rayovac batteries in the same timeframe.

[98] His final work was as narrator for another Burns documentary, Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies, which aired three months after Herrmann's death.

[99] Director Barak Goodman recalled Herrmann collapsing during the first day of his work on the project and explaining his illness of terminal brain cancer to the production crew of the documentary, Goodman furthering that by this point it was clear to Herrmann that he was not going to live despite receiving new forms of treatment: "He was confident he could do this, and felt it [was appropriate to] be his final project.

"[100] Mary McNamara wrote that Herrmann delivered "a final performance, equal in breathtaking courage and beauty, that embodies precisely what allows Goodman to explore the staggering numbers and many defeats without ever falling to its knees as defeatist.

Prior to his second marriage, Herrmann's future second wife, Star (Hayner) Roman, filed a paternity suit against him after he fathered a child with her while filming Harry's War (1981).

[106] He was a regular master of ceremonies for the annual Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance[106] and hosted the television show Automobiles on The History Channel.

[106] In December 2014, it was reported that Edward and Star Herrmann had filed a lawsuit against their accountants seeking $14.5 million that they alleged had been misappropriated.