David Eigenberg’s birthday: Why we love Chicago Fire’s Christopher Herrmann
Thursday is the birthday of Chicago Fire star David Eigenberg, so we’re dishing on why we love him and his character, the irascible Christopher Herrmann.
Today we’re saying happy birthday to Chicago Fire‘s own David Eigenberg, who plays our favorite short-tempered firefighter, Christopher Herrmann.
Herrmann has been with Firehouse 51 since the beginning of the series, and while he’s more of a supporting character, there’s no doubt that he’s left his own distinct impression on his team—and the Chicago Fire fans!
His cynical attitude, and the not-so-infrequent bouts of frustration that it leads to, are one of the sources of the show’s comic relief. We’ve seen many great scenes in which Herrmann expresses what many of us are thinking, or shoots down an idea with a well-placed one-liner.
He’s always there to bring Otis (Yuri Sardarov) back down to Earth, or tell someone how it really is, or generally rain on the proverbial parade.
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And David Eigenberg is positively brilliant at those moments, whether it’s a subtle verbal slap in the face or a full-on tirade that has us wondering if eventually he’s just going to explode.
But as entertaining as those moments involving his short fuse are, they’re just scratching the surface of Christopher Herrmann and of what David Eigenberg does as an actor.
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Underneath his hard exterior, Herrmann has a real soft side, particularly when it comes to children. He and his wife Cindy (Robyn Coffin) have raised several of their own, with Herrmann not being afraid to dispense tough love—but also loving his kids immensely.
He’s spread that love around to other kids in need, too, whether it’s the kid he caught tagging the firehouse last season or doing everything he could to replace the baseball card collection of a boy who lost his in a fire. And he’s out there coaching youth basketball!
Christopher Herrmann is also as loyal as they come. There was no better example of that than his storyline to end Chicago Fire season 7, which was one of David Eigenberg’s best performances.
Herrmann was devastated when one of his fellow firefighters died in the line of duty—moreso because the man was going back into the blaze looking for Herrmann himself. We saw our hero as a friend when he tried to give Colannino (Andy John Kalkounos) some fatherly advice, and we saw him grieve, too.
Perhaps no one sums up what makes Chicago Fire‘s Christopher Herrmann special better than David Eigenberg himself.
“He’s not a dull character,” David told us in our interview. “He gets himself into pickles and he’s got to deal with stuff, so he has a full plate of emotions he goes through, which I’m really grateful to have the opportunity to explore.”
Next: Monica Raymund leaving Chicago Fire
Join us in wishing David Eigenberg a happy birthday in the comments and on Twitter! Chicago Fire wouldn’t be the same without him.
Chicago Fire airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on NBC.