By Charity Brunson
Richard Herd is best known to television audiences as Wilhelm, George''s boss on 'Seinfeld.'
But this week, theatergoers will see him transform into Cecil B. DeMille for a one-man show about the life of the legendary Hollywood director.
'Cecil B. DeMill Presents...A One Man-Show,' runs Thursday and Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the Pardoe Theatre of the Harris Fine Arts Center.
Since the end of his three-season run on 'Seinfield,' Herd has kept busy on both stage and screen.
'I''ve tried to do one play a year so I could keep up my creative muscles and so my mind doesn''t atrophy on the vine,' Herd said.
He said several years ago he began searching for material for a one-person show.
After considering such icons as Jack London and General Douglas McArthur, Herd came upon the complex life of Cecil B. DeMille.
'He was a remarkable man - very commanding and sometimes tyrannical, but with a sweet, soft side and very loyal,' Herd said of DeMille, best known for religious epics including 'The Ten Commandments.'
A friend of Herd''s wife introduced him to DeMille''s family members, providing him access to the DeMille house and records.
Herd gained further insight into DeMille''s life by speaking to people who had worked with him, including actor Charleton Heston.
He said he is thrilled to come to BYU and go through the DeMille archives housed in the Harold B. Lee Library.
BYU Special Collections acquired DeMille''s production files, research material script drafts and storyboards, among other working papers, in 1978, said curator James D''Arc.
'It is a major world-class collection that documents one of the major motion picture makers in history,' D''Arc said.
D''Arc equated DeMille with Stephen Spielberg.
'He was much more than a filmmaker, he was a cultural icon,' D''Arc said.
Herd also cited DeMille''s extensive impact.
'The wonderful thing about the show is that it is unending - there are always more things to find out about DeMille,' Herd said.
The challenge of building the show - including hiring a director and playwright and determining lighting and costuming - was no less daunting than performing it, he said.
'A one-man show is like a marathon for an actor,' Herd said. You are totally responsible - it requires a tremendous amount of energy and stamina.'
He said stage work is an inherently different challenge than film.
'Once you walk out on the stage the director can''t stop you - there''s a greater sense of artistic freedom,' he said.
With 25 years of New York theater experience plus 23 years of acting in California, Herd seems prepared for the demands of portraying the life of the legend.