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 / Self
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
- Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye as Byers
- Pretty Baby as Corcoran
- Blondie's Hero as Marty Greer
- Kill the Umpire as Jimmy O'Brien
1949
- The Ed Wynn Show as Self
- The Lady Takes a Sailor as Oliver Harker
- Red Light as Hotel Night Clerk
- East Side, West Side as Bill the Bartender
- The Lone Wolf and His Lady as Inspector Crane
- Chicken Every Sunday as George Kirby
- Home in San Antone as O'Fleery
1948
- The Ed Sullivan Show as Self
- Good Sam as Tom
- The Babe Ruth Story as Jack Dunn
- Texas, Brooklyn & Heaven as Agent
- 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
- I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now as Jim Mason
- Mother Wore Tights as Mr. Schneider
- Blondie's Anniversary as Sharkey the Loen Shark
- My Wild Irish Rose as William Scanlon
1946
- The Virginian as Honey Wiggen
- The Inner Circle as Det. Lt. Webb
- Rendezvous with Annie as General Trent
- Crime Doctor's Man Hunt as Police Inspector Harry B. Manning
1945
- Ziegfeld Follies as Martin (segment "A Sweepstakes Ticket")
- Lady on a Train as Desk Sgt. Brennan
- Flame of Barbary Coast as Wolf Wylie
- 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
- Larceny with Music as Mike Simms
- We've Never Been Licked as Traveling Salesman
- Whistling in Brooklyn as Detective Ramsey
1942
- Gentleman Jim as Billy Delaney
- Roxie Hart as O'Malley
- Wildcat as Oliver Westbrook
- It Happened in Flatbush as Sam Sloan
- Give Out, Sisters as Harrison
- Moonlight in Havana as Barney Crane
- Treat 'Em Rough as 'Hotfoot'
- The Yankee Doodler
1941
- Footsteps in the Dark as Det. 'Hoppy' Hopkins
- The Bride Came C.O.D. as Sheriff McGee
- Cracked Nuts as James Mitchell
- Gangs Of The City as Bang
- Blondie in Society as Waldo Pincus
- Six Lessons From Madame La Zonga as Chauncey Beheegan
1940
- One Night in the Tropics as Roscoe
- Rhythm on the River as Mr. Westlake
- Golden Gloves as Emory Balzar
- Untamed as Les Woodbury
- The Farmer's Daughter as Scoop Trimble
- Those Were the Days! as Prisoner
- Opened by Mistake as Matt Kingsley
- Dancing on a Dime as Mac
- Sandy Gets Her Man as Police Chief J. A. O'Hara
- The Quarterback as Coach
1939
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as The 'Duke'
- Rose of Washington Square as Harry Long
- Stop, Look and Love as Joe Haller
- Persons in Hiding as Alec Inglis
- Ex-Champ as Mushy Harrington
- Ambush as Inspector J.L. Weber
- St. Louis Blues as Major Martingale
- Night Work as Bruiser Brown
- Grand Jury Secrets as Bright Eyes
1938
- Touchdown, Army as Jack Heffernan
- Professor Beware as Snoop Donlan
- Sons of the Legion as Uncle Willie Lee
- Mad About Music as Dusty Turner
1937
- Double or Nothing as John Pederson
- High, Wide and Handsome as Mac
- Something to Sing About as Hank Mayers
- Blossoms On Broadway as Francis X. Rush
1936
- Desire as Mr. Gibson
- The Princess Comes Across as Benton
- The General Died at Dawn as Brighton
- F-Man as Detective Rogan
- Strike Me Pink as Mr. Copple
- Rose Bowl as 'Soapy' Moreland
- Three Married Men as Bill Mullins
1935
- College Scandal as Chief of Police Magoun
- Roberta as Bartender (uncredited)
- Hold 'Em Yale as Sunshine Joe
- Welcome Home as Painless
- Car 99 as Training Sgt. Barrel
- Alibi Ike as Cap
- It's a Great Life as Lt. McNulty
- Ship Cafe as Briney O'Brien
- Beautiful Dreamer
- Harmony Lane as Edwin P. 'Ed' Christy
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
- The Witching Hour as Jury Foreman
- The Lemon Drop Kid as William Dunhill aka The Professor
- Shoot the Works as Larry Hale
1933
- Hell and High Water as Milton J. Bunsey
- Moonlight and Pretzels as Mac
1927
- Ventriloquist as 'Hoak' salesman
1925
- Should Husbands Be Watched? as Beat Cop