Rich Sommer

The Man Who Lived in the Offices

Rich Sommer arrived in New York with a suitcase and the intention of performing improv theater. It was the year 2004. He wasn't looking for an office on Madison Avenue, but he ended up spending nearly a decade of his professional life there.

Before landing on television, he worked as a waiter and recorded voiceovers for radio ads in Minnesota. Sommer doesn't have the profile of an action star who thrives on physical conflict. His territory is the spoken word, the restrained gesture, and the ability to seem like the most ordinary guy in the room while his character falls apart inside.

In 2007, he signed the contract that changed his bank account. The role of Harry Crane in Mad Men started as a minor presence in the pilot episode. He had only a couple of lines. But Sommer understood that the most sleazy guy at the advertising agency needed a pathetic humanity so audiences wouldn't hate him entirely.

And the gamble paid off.

Over 92 episodes, the actor carried the story of a man who goes from marital naivety to toxic ambition in Hollywood. He was paid per episode an amount that exceeded $30,000 in the middle seasons of the series. That gave him the financial security to pick projects without checking his bank balance every month.

Supporting Roles with Real Weight

He left the AMC series with a reputation as a reliable supporting actor. In 2015, he shot Hello, My Name Is Doris opposite Sally Field. In that film, he showed he could handle a bittersweet romantic comedy with ease. But his real niche remained prestige television.

He appeared in GLOW, playing an unfaithful husband who was oddly relatable. Sommer has that neighbor's face that hides an uncomfortable secret. That quality led him to projects such as In the Dark and The Dropout during 2022.

But theater was his first school.

In 2012, he made his Broadway debut in the play Harvey. He shared the stage with Jim Parsons. Critics praised his ability not to be overshadowed by the lead stars. Sommer doesn't compete for the frame; he builds the context so the scene can move forward.

Off camera, he is an obsessive board game fan. He owns a collection of more than 1,200 titles at his home in Los Angeles. He even hosted a podcast devoted exclusively to the hobby for years. This passion helps him disconnect from the pressure of filming and the tyranny of ratings.

The Return to the Suit and Tie

In 2023, he played Egil Bud Krogh in the miniseries White House Plumbers. The tone of the production called for a mix of satire and rigor about the Watergate scandal. Sommer once again fit the role of a gray official trapped in a political machine that was bigger than he was.

And he returned to the office.

By 2024, he appeared in Unfrosted, the movie directed by Jerry Seinfeld about the creation of Pop-Tarts. He played a Quaker Oats executive. The production contract specified that filming had to be completed in under seventy days to avoid budget overruns for Netflix.

His schedule filled up with the series The Runarounds during 2025. Filming for this production was mainly scheduled at outdoor locations in North Carolina to take advantage of the state's tax incentives.