• Rich Sommer is an award-winning American actor best known for his roles in “Mad Men” and “In the Dark”.
• He was born in 1978 in Toledo, Ohio to German, Irish and English parents.
• After college, Rich focused on a career in improv comedy and film and TV roles.
• He is married and has two children.
• His net worth is estimated to be over $4 million.
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Who is Rich Sommer?
Rich Sommer is an American award-winning actor, still best known to the world as Harry Crane in the TV drama series “Mad Men” (2007-2015), and most recently as Dean Riley in the TV series “In the Dark” (2019-2020), among numerous other roles that he has secured so far in his career.
Early Life, Parents, and Education
Born Richard Olen Sommer II on 2 February 1978 under the Aquarius zodiac sign, in Toledo, Ohio USA, to Richard Olen Sommer Sr. and his wife Kathleen. He has a brother named Ryan, and they spent their childhood in Stillwater, Minnesota.
Of German, Irish, and English ancestry, Rich attended Oakland Junior High School and later Stillwater Area High School. Following matriculation, Rich enrolled at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, where he completed a major in theater, and was a member of the Concordia Choir. He continued his studies at the Brave New Workshop in Minneapolis, and would also launch and head the improv group, the Slush Puppies. He received a Master of Fine Arts degree in acting from Case Western Reserve University in 2004, and would then teach icebreakers to law students in 2006. Two years later, he formed an improv workshop with undergraduate theatre students.
Career Beginnings
Following his college graduation, Rich focused on a career in improv comedy, and in addition to the improv workshop, was a member of the Upright Citizens Brigade improv troupe. To support his acting career, Rich held several odd jobs, before making his on-screen debut in the film “Death 4 Told” in 2004. Two years later, he secured his first major role as Doug, a friend of the lead character in the romantic comedy-drama film “The Devil Wears Prada”, which was portrayed by Ann Hathaway.
Rise to Prominence
In 2007, Rich secured one of the most prominent roles in his career, as Harry Crane in the TV drama series “Mad Men”.
By the end of the series in 2015, Rich had appeared in all 92 episodes of the multiple Primetime Emmy Award-winning series, with he himself winning a couple of awards for his work; more importantly, he has turned into a star thanks to the success of the series.
While on the set of “Mad Men”, Rich worked on a number of other projects – in 2009 he was Jack Hoffman in the TV mini-series “The Storm”, in 2010 guest-starred in the TV series “Burn Notice”, the following year he appeared in the TV series “Nikita”, and in 2012 portrayed Brian in the film “The Giant Mechanical Man”. Furthermore, he co-starred in the comedy-drama film “Fairhaven”, alongside Chris Messina and Tom O’Brien.
Three years later, he was Robert in the award-winning romantic comedy-drama film “Hello, My Name Is Doris”, starring Sally Field, Max Greenfield, and Tyne Daly, and in the same year he won the role of Graham in the TV series “Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp” which he reprised in 2017 in the TV mini-series “Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later”.
From 2016 to 2017, he was Dustin in the TV series “Love”, and in 2017 starred as Michael Vaughn in the film “A Crooked Somebody”. Moreover, Rich was chosen for the part of Mark Eagan in the Primetime Emmy Award-winning comedy-drama series “GLOW”, with Alison Brie, Marc Maron and Betty Gilpin as co-stars.
Recent Projects
His next popular role was as Wayne Mackey in the horror drama film “Summer of 84”, starring Graham Verchere, Judah Lewis, and Caleb Emery, and the same year portrayed Harry Crane in the film “A Futile and Stupid Gesture”. In 2019 he was selected for the part of Dean Riley in the TV comedy crime-drama series “In the Dark” (2019-2020), then starred in the short-lived romantic comedy-thriller series “Run”, alongside Merritt Wever and Dmhnall Gleeson.
Most recently, he started working on the TV drama series “The White House Plumbers”, a biopic about Nixon and his political compatriots, starring Woody Harrelson, Justin Theroux and Nelson Ascencio, among other stars.
The series is currently filming, and is still awaiting its release date.
Voice Acting
In addition, Rich has been credited for lending his voice to a number of characters from various animated shows. As a voice actor, he made his debut in 2015 as a voice of the Young Man in the extremely popular TV series “The Simpsons”. He also voiced Daniel Turner in nine episodes of the animated series “Elena of Avalor” from 2016 to 2019, among several other characters.
Personal Life, Dating, Married, Wife, Children
Rich Sommer is a married man, meeting his future wife while both were graduate students. In 2004 they moved to New York, and married in 2005, since when the couple has welcomed daughter Beatrice in 2007 and son Patrick Ryan in 2010.
Net Worth
As of mid- 2021, Rich Sommer’s net worth has been estimated to be over $4 million, earned through his successful career as an actor, during which he has appeared in more than 70 film and TV titles.
Appearance and Vital Statistics
This popular actor has black hair and brown eyes. He stands at a height of 6ft 1in (1.85m), while he weighs approximately 200lbs (95kgs). His biceps size is 14, while there is no information about his other vital statistics.
Hobbies, Interests, and Trivia
In addition to acting, Rich has several other interests. Rich is a huge board game lover, and is an avid collector, some that still aren’t available in the US, such as the German “Würfel Bohnanza”. Furthermore, he has a full bookshelf of WWII board games. He even launched a podcast named “Cardboard”, in which he talks about card games.
Moreover, Rich has often guest-starred in Jimmy Pardo’s “Never Not Funny” podcast, in which he has talked about several topics, including his love for card games, but also about fulfilling his childhood dream of becoming an actor.
He featured in a few commercials before making his acting debut, working with such brands as Nextel, Bud Light, and Sprint, among others.
