William Frawley
Born: 1887-02-25 in Burlington, Iowa, USA
Died: 1966-03-03
Known For: Acting
Biography
William Frawley was born in Burlington, Iowa. As a boy he sang at St. Paul's Catholic Church and played at the Burlington Opera House. His first job was as a stenographer for the Union Pacific Railroad. He did vaudeville with his brother Paul, then joined pianist Franz Rath in an act they took to San Francisco in 1910. Four years later he formed a light comedy act with his new wife Edna Louise Broedt, "Frawley and Louise", touring the Orpheum and Keith circuits until they divorced in 1927. He next moved to Broadway and then, in 1932, to Hollywood with Paramount. By 1951, when he contacted Lucille Ball about a part in her TV show I Love Lucy (1951), he had performed in over 100 films. His Fred Mertz role lasted until the show ended in 1960, after which he did a five-year stint on My Three Sons (1960). Poor health forced his retirement. He collapsed of a heart attack on March 3, 1966, aged 79, walking along Hollywood Boulevard after seeing a movie. He is buried in San Fernando Mission Cemetery.
Filmography
2016
- I Love Lucy Christmas Special as Fred Mertz
2000
- Lucille Ball: Finding Lucy as Self (archive footage)
1962
- The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson as Self
- The Lucy Show as Trainer
- Safe at Home! as Bill Turner
1960
- My Three Sons as Bub O'Casey
1957
- The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour as Fred Mertz
1956
- The Gale Storm Show as Jim Comstock
- Lucy's Really Lost Moments as Fred Mertz
1954
1953
- Letter to Loretta as Sam
- I Love Lucy: The Movie as Fred Mertz
1952
- This Is Your Life as Self
- Rancho Notorious as Baldy Gunder
1951
- I Love Lucy as Fred Mertz
- Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Invisible Man as Det. Roberts
- The Lemon Drop Kid as Gloomy Willie
- Rhubarb as Len Sickles
1950
- The Bob Hope Show as Self
- Pretty Baby as Corcoran
- Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye as Byers
- Blondie's Hero as Marty Greer
- Kill the Umpire as Jimmy O'Brien
1949
- The Ed Wynn Show as Self
- Red Light as Hotel Night Clerk
- East Side, West Side as Bill the Bartender
- The Lady Takes a Sailor as Oliver Harker
- Home in San Antone as O'Fleery
- The Lone Wolf and His Lady as Inspector Crane
- Chicken Every Sunday as George Kirby
1948
- The Ed Sullivan Show as Self
- Good Sam as Tom
- Texas, Brooklyn & Heaven as Agent
- The Babe Ruth Story as Jack Dunn
- Joe Palooka in Winner Take All as Knobby Walsh
- The Girl from Manhattan as Mr. Bernouti
1947
- Miracle on 34th Street as Charlie Halloran
- Monsieur Verdoux as Jean La Salle
- Down to Earth as Police Lieutenant
- Mother Wore Tights as Mr. Schneider
- I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now as Jim Mason
- My Wild Irish Rose as William Scanlon
- Blondie's Anniversary as Sharkey the Loen Shark
1946
- The Virginian as Honey Wiggen
- Rendezvous with Annie as General Trent
- Crime Doctor's Man Hunt as Police Inspector Harry B. Manning
- The Inner Circle as Det. Lt. Webb
1945
- Flame of Barbary Coast as Wolf Wylie
- Ziegfeld Follies as Martin (segment "A Sweepstakes Ticket")
- Lady on a Train as Desk Sgt. Brennan
- Hitchhike to Happiness as Sandy Hill
1944
- Going My Way as Max Dolan, Publisher (uncredited)
- The Fighting Seabees as Eddie Powers
- Lake Placid Serenade as Jiggers
1943
- Whistling in Brooklyn as Detective Ramsey
- We've Never Been Licked as Traveling Salesman
- Larceny with Music as Mike Simms
1942
- Gentleman Jim as Billy Delaney
- Roxie Hart as O'Malley
- Wildcat as Oliver Westbrook
- It Happened in Flatbush as Sam Sloan
- Treat 'Em Rough as 'Hotfoot'
- Give Out, Sisters as Harrison
- Moonlight in Havana as Barney Crane
- The Yankee Doodler
1941
- The Bride Came C.O.D. as Sheriff McGee
- Footsteps in the Dark as Det. 'Hoppy' Hopkins
- Blondie in Society as Waldo Pincus
- Cracked Nuts as James Mitchell
- Six Lessons From Madame La Zonga as Chauncey Beheegan
- Gangs Of The City as Bang
1940
- Those Were the Days! as Prisoner
- Untamed as Les Woodbury
- One Night in the Tropics as Roscoe
- The Farmer's Daughter as Scoop Trimble
- Sandy Gets Her Man as Police Chief J. A. O'Hara
- The Quarterback as Coach
- Dancing on a Dime as Mac
- Golden Gloves as Emory Balzar
- Rhythm on the River as Mr. Westlake
- Opened by Mistake as Matt Kingsley
1939
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as The 'Duke'
- Ex-Champ as Mushy Harrington
- Rose of Washington Square as Harry Long
- Grand Jury Secrets as Bright Eyes
- Ambush as Inspector J.L. Weber
- St. Louis Blues as Major Martingale
- Night Work as Bruiser Brown
- Stop, Look and Love as Joe Haller
- Persons in Hiding as Alec Inglis
1938
- Touchdown, Army as Jack Heffernan
- Mad About Music as Dusty Turner
- Professor Beware as Snoop Donlan
- Sons of the Legion as Uncle Willie Lee
1937
- Something to Sing About as Hank Mayers
- Double or Nothing as John Pederson
- Blossoms On Broadway as Francis X. Rush
- High, Wide and Handsome as Mac
1936
- Desire as Mr. Gibson
- The Princess Comes Across as Benton
- The General Died at Dawn as Brighton
- Strike Me Pink as Mr. Copple
- Rose Bowl as 'Soapy' Moreland
- F-Man as Detective Rogan
- Three Married Men as Bill Mullins
1935
- Ship Cafe as Briney O'Brien
- Roberta as Bartender (uncredited)
- It's a Great Life as Lt. McNulty
- Hold 'Em Yale as Sunshine Joe
- College Scandal as Chief of Police Magoun
- Alibi Ike as Cap
- Harmony Lane as Edwin P. 'Ed' Christy
- Car 99 as Training Sgt. Barrel
- Welcome Home as Painless
- Beautiful Dreamer
1934
- Here Is My Heart as James Smith
- The Crime Doctor as Fraser
- Bolero as Mike DeBaere
- Miss Fane's Baby Is Stolen as Captain Murphy
- Shoot the Works as Larry Hale
- The Witching Hour as Jury Foreman
- The Lemon Drop Kid as William Dunhill aka The Professor
1933
- Moonlight and Pretzels as Mac
- Hell and High Water as Milton J. Bunsey
1927
- Ventriloquist as 'Hoak' salesman
1925
- Should Husbands Be Watched? as Beat Cop