Rich Sommer Quotes

Powerful Rich Sommer for Daily Growth

About Rich Sommer

Rich Sommer, an accomplished American actor and voice artist, was born on February 8, 1980, in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. Raised in a family of educators, Sommer developed an early interest in the performing arts through his school plays and local community theater productions. After graduating from high school, Sommer pursued a Bachelor's degree in English at Brown University. While there, he discovered his passion for acting and joined the Trinity Repertory Company, the university's professional theater company. Post-graduation, he attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London on a full scholarship. Upon returning to the United States, Sommer kickstarted his career with roles in off-Broadway productions and small screen appearances on shows like "Law & Order," "CSI: Miami," and "The West Wing." However, it was his portrayal of Harry Crane in the critically acclaimed series "Mad Men" (2007–2015) that brought him mainstream recognition. In 2009, Sommer voiced a character in the video game "Left 4 Dead 2," marking his entry into voice acting. He has since lent his voice to numerous animated projects such as "Gravity Falls" and "Star Wars: The Clone Wars." Sommer's major works extend beyond television and voice acting. In 2015, he made his feature film debut in "The Big Short," followed by roles in "In a Relationship" (2018) and the critically acclaimed independent film "Bitch" (2017). Rich Sommer's career is a testament to the power of dedication, versatility, and a passion for storytelling. His performances continue to resonate with audiences worldwide, solidifying his status as a beloved figure in the entertainment industry.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"The best thing about being on set all day is that I'm not thinking about what I'm having for dinner."

This quote by Rich Sommer suggests that working on a film or television set, which requires focus and dedication, serves as an effective distraction from daily worries or concerns, such as what to have for dinner. It highlights the immersive and engrossing nature of film production, where artists find solace in their craft and lose themselves in the creative process.


"There are two sides to every story, and in the middle of that lies the truth."

This quote emphasizes the idea that perspectives can be biased or incomplete, and therefore, a single account of an event may not fully reveal the truth. The "truth" often resides in understanding both sides of a story, recognizing their individual biases, and seeking common ground between them. In other words, it encourages us to think critically, listen empathetically, and seek objective understanding when engaging with diverse perspectives.


"I think you can tell a lot about a person by how they treat their past."

This quote suggests that a person's character or nature can be inferred from how they deal with their past experiences. If someone treats their past with respect, learning from mistakes and embracing successes, it indicates a level of self-awareness, resilience, and maturity. Conversely, if they dismiss, avoid, or harbor negative feelings about their past, it may indicate an inability to grow, learn, or move forward in life. Essentially, the way one treats their past can serve as a window into their emotional intelligence and personal development.


"Acting is like any other job, it's just more fun."

This quote suggests that acting, while still being work, offers a level of enjoyment and entertainment that many people find appealing. It implies that acting shares similarities with other professional roles, but the creativity, expression, and interaction involved in acting make it an enjoyable career choice for many individuals who pursue it.


"When I'm not working, I'm usually trying to get better at what I do or finding ways to be entertained and learn something new."

This quote signifies a continuous pursuit of growth and self-improvement in both personal and professional domains. Rich Sommer values his downtime not as an escape, but as an opportunity for enrichment and expansion of skills. He seeks entertainment not just for amusement, but also as a means to learn something new, fostering a mindset that embraces curiosity and adaptability.


I'm pretty quick to delete something off of my phone if it's become obsolete. And things like RSS readers have made life easier - all of the headlines are going to be related to a topic I'm interested in.

- Rich Sommer

Life, Quick, Delete, Obsolete

I listen to a lot of podcasts, which are split down the middle between comedy and board game podcasts, and a couple of eclectic ones like 'The Dinner Party' from NPR, where they take an event that happened that week in history and give you a cocktail recipe inspired by it.

- Rich Sommer

Game, Week, Couple, Dinner Party

I think not every improviser is a good stage actor. Certainly not every stage actor is a good improviser.

- Rich Sommer

Think, Actor, Certainly, Improviser

For the three years I lived in New York leading up to moving out to Los Angeles for 'Mad Men,' I was an office temp at Ernst & Young in Times Square. That's about as desk-jobby as it can get. There was a lot of, 'Go two floors up and make a copy of this and then bring it to me.'

- Rich Sommer

Young, Leading, About, Moving Out

So what's so enticing about doing a play is that you get to do that thing that got you into acting in the first place... There's a real attraction to being able to play, to just play. And that's something that theater affords you.

- Rich Sommer

Play, Doing, About, Attraction

My roomate at 'Harvey' is this guy Morgan Spector, an actor in town, and I've taught him Hive and Fastrack. Others have played For the Win, but Cards Against Humanity has been the dressing room hit. We've had the understudies, even Jim Parsons playing it. Our dressing room is practically sponsored by Cards Against Humanity.

- Rich Sommer

Cards, Been, Hive, Morgan

I'll usually stay up a little later than my wife and play Xbox, a little 'Modern Warfare 3.' Or I'll have a friend over, and we'll play board games until late at night. I'll always choose fun over sleep.

- Rich Sommer

Sleep, Play, Choose, Xbox

In college, my friend Melanie and I used to have weekly Jimmy Stewart viewings, and 'Harvey' seemed to make its way into the rotation an inordinate amount of times.

- Rich Sommer

College, Amount, Seemed, Harvey

I don't know if it's the sunshine, or the fact that I actually have a job, but I do like L.A. a lot. In New York, it can be gray and rainy and cold, and you still don't have any money, and you feel like a bad Dickens character.

- Rich Sommer

Sunshine, Fact, Bad, Dickens

Three times a year, there's Strategicon convention, and I go for the board games. It happens Presidents Day, Labor Day, and Memorial Day weekends. You go and take a look at the new board games and meet a couple of board game designers, and you can check out games you don't own from the library and then return them.

- Rich Sommer

Game, Weekends, Couple, Memorial

The 12 years that I was improvising are why I got the number of commercials I got when I was in New York and why I got 'The Devil Wears Prada,' and it's why I even got in the door for 'Mad Men.'

- Rich Sommer

Door, New, Commercials, Improvising

I am a board game enthusiast, a board game evangelist, a board game nerd, but I wouldn't say I'm 'keen' because I very rarely win, and 'keen' suggests you're actually good at something. But I do play a lot of them, and I have a pretty good-sized collection.

- Rich Sommer

Game, Play, Very, Nerd

I'm a bit of a nerd, and my extracurricular activity is nerd games.

- Rich Sommer

Games, Activity, Bit, Nerd

The worst job I ever had was as a telemarketer for, oh, I don't know, I think I made it about 90 minutes. I quit before lunch. I went in around 10:30 or 11 and said, 'I can't do this.' It was horrific. I had too many people yell at me within that 90 minutes to be able to continue.

- Rich Sommer

Lunch, I Think, 90 Minutes, Too Many People

Frankly, as much as I love to improvise, it hasn't been difficult to stick to the script on 'Mad Men.' The writing is so precise, and the story so carefully crafted, that I don't think there's room - or need - for ad libbing. I could never come up with dialogue as lovely as these writers do, anyway.

- Rich Sommer

Love, Been, Improvise, Precise

I'm very, very fortunate to be in the job that I'm in, and I would love for it to continue forever, but it won't. I have to financially and emotionally prepare for the day that 'Mad Men' will go away, because who knows what my next job is going to be?

- Rich Sommer

Love, Next, Very, Financially

After 'Urinetown,' 'Avenue Q' and now 'Mormon,' is there an envelope remaining to be pushed?

- Rich Sommer

Now, Avenue, After, Envelope

Improv definitely made me a better auditioner, without a doubt. We did do an audition semester in grad school, and that was helpful for those times that you have a script and you have a few days to prepare it, to really work on sides. But the auditions I was doing in New York, if you got it the night before, you were very lucky.

- Rich Sommer

Lucky, Prepare, Auditions, Semester

I wonder if games are maybe a terminus for ideas. Things can be books or movies or operas or plays, but once they're a game, that's where they should end. Things shouldn't start as games and be taken to movies.

- Rich Sommer

Game, Operas, Plays, I Wonder

The amount of times my wife has rolled her eyes at board games is impossible to count.

- Rich Sommer

Her, Amount, Times, Board

I have an RSS reader, Feeddler. I mostly subscribe to board game blogs - they have reviews of new games and discussions about trends. It's straight-up dork talk.

- Rich Sommer

Game, New, Mostly, Board

I'm a Joseph Abboud fan. I'm a Hugo Boss fan. I'm a Brooks Brothers fan. As far as suits go, those are my go-tos.

- Rich Sommer

Boss, Brothers, Hugo, Joseph

Before 'Mad Men,' I definitely had very dry spells and I know what those feel like, and I don't think that ever leaves you as an actor.

- Rich Sommer

Think, Before, Very, Spells

I can juggle, not well... I can balance a broom on my chin. I can do very simple carny tricks, a little sleight of hand with cards and coins.

- Rich Sommer

Cards, Chin, Very, Broom

I'm very happy to say goodbye to the three-button suits. I hate three-button suits. Some people can pull them off, but they're legitimately really, really skinny. Unfortunately, the only people who actually wear them are, like, Mr. Monopoly, and people like that.

- Rich Sommer

Happy, Some, Very, Monopoly

Anytime you're on camera, 95 percent of whatever character you're playing, unless you're Daniel Day-Lewis - or maybe, no, pretty much just him - you're cast because you're you.

- Rich Sommer

Pretty, Maybe, Anytime, Daniel

The work that I've gotten in the hiatuses seems to indicate that I will have a little more work after 'Mad Men' than I did when I was scraping by while I was temping in New York, but who knows? People very easily could be like, 'Meh, we're done with that. We've got Jon Hamm. We're good without the weird one with glasses.'

- Rich Sommer

Very, Gotten, Jon, Indicate

My only foray into anything stock-market-related was in my eighth grade social studies class. I have steered clear ever since.

- Rich Sommer

Clear, Social, Eighth, Studies

I abhor 'baby talk.' I speak to kids like I would any other person, and they seem to respond to it.

- Rich Sommer

Other, Like, Any, Abhor

I was a temp for three years in New York when I was auditioning; when I was cast in 'Mad Men,' I was still a temp. I'm good at making copies; I'm good at typing things. I'm good at killing the day and making it look like I'm doing something.

- Rich Sommer

Good, Doing, Three, Typing

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