William Sommerfield beat out a prominent contender the first time he auditioned to portray George Washington. During the bicentennial celebration of the United States Constitution in 1989, Sommerfield was chosen to play Washington for a re-creation of the first president's journey from Mt. Vernon to New York. His competition⢠Charlton Heston.
"My wife said, 'Of course he didn't get it -- he looks too much like Moses,'" Sommerfield said.
The actor has been portraying Washington ever since. He will appear Monday at the Ligonier Theatre for a first-person historical interpretation of Washington.
Sommerfield, who lives in Philadelphia, said he's been the only person allowed to portray Washington at his home in Mt. Vernon and has become "the official George Washington for the United States government." He makes about 200 appearances as Washington a year and attributes his success to some similar facial features and a lot of research.
"My wife once told me that I looked a lot like George Washington. He was 6 foot 3, about 220 pounds and had red hair that turned white. He also had piercing blue eyes, and so do I," Sommerfield said. "But the most important thing that made us similar was that I am able to improvise Washington from my knowledge. I can adopt myself to his speech patterns that I gather from reading his letters and diary entries."
And while some may remember history class as a plethora of dates and battles, Sommerfield said that kind of chronological learning is "boring." His mission is to make history come alive.
"You can make these people into human beings. You can see their sorrows, their happiness and how they feel about each other. You can always look up the dates," he said. "Everybody hated history because they taught dates. I am trying very hard to get schools to change, to start teaching about the person who existed."
Sommerfield has appeared at the White House three times and performed for three different presidents. Last year, he was assigned to travel with the Lord Lansdowne portrait of George Washington.
"Every time the picture goes to a different museum, I appear for a week at the opening at that exhibit," he said. "This has gone on for three years. Every 17 weeks, the exhibit moves to a different site."
The portrait is currently on display in the Seattle Art Museum.
Saying he is an actor above all, Sommerfield has also appeared on the big screen, portraying the president in "Mr. Dreyfus goes to Washington," as well as an A&E movie, "Just Ask George."
A full-length movie, "Washington: Man or Myth?," is also shown to school children around the country as part of history classes.
His has written numerous plays based on his research, including "The Love Letters of George and Martha Washington." He said he never tires of being Washington, because the information always changes.
"It's a very interesting, challenging life I live," he said. "There always so much new information to be found. I am in constant research mode. I keep the character alive. I do a lot of of writing, small plays and presentation pieces. I get new information all the time and am constantly reading his letters and doing research."
In Ligonier, Sommerfield will perform his play, "The Glorious Burden," which details Washington's presidency.
"He was being criticized and was very unhappy about what people were saying. The play is an hour long and describes that period and how he felt. He wanted to disappear. He didn't want to be president. He decides to go home to Mt. Vernon after two terms and we find out why," Sommerfield said. "In the last scene, Washington meets members of the press, which will be the members in the audience, and they can ask questions."
Additional Information:
Details
'George Washington'A first-person historical interpretation by William Sommerfield
Sponsored by the Ligonier Valley Historical Society
When : 7 p.m. Monday
Where : Ligonier Theatre
Admission : Donations accepted
Info : 724-238-6818
