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
- Kill the Umpire as Jimmy O'Brien
- Blondie's Hero as Marty Greer
1949
- The Ed Wynn Show as Self
- East Side, West Side as Bill the Bartender
- The Lady Takes a Sailor as Oliver Harker
- The Lone Wolf and His Lady as Inspector Crane
- Home in San Antone as O'Fleery
- Red Light as Hotel Night Clerk
- Chicken Every Sunday as George Kirby
1948
- The Ed Sullivan Show as Self
- Good Sam as Tom
- The Babe Ruth Story as Jack Dunn
- Joe Palooka in Winner Take All as Knobby Walsh
- The Girl from Manhattan as Mr. Bernouti
- Texas, Brooklyn & Heaven as Agent
1947
- Miracle on 34th Street as Charlie Halloran
- Monsieur Verdoux as Jean La Salle
- I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now as Jim Mason
- Down to Earth as Police Lieutenant
- My Wild Irish Rose as William Scanlon
- Mother Wore Tights as Mr. Schneider
- Blondie's Anniversary as Sharkey the Loen Shark
1946
- The Virginian as Honey Wiggen
- The Inner Circle as Det. Lt. Webb
- Crime Doctor's Man Hunt as Police Inspector Harry B. Manning
- Rendezvous with Annie as General Trent
1945
- Flame of Barbary Coast as Wolf Wylie
- Lady on a Train as Desk Sgt. Brennan
- Ziegfeld Follies as Martin (segment "A Sweepstakes Ticket")
- 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
- We've Never Been Licked as Traveling Salesman
- Whistling in Brooklyn as Detective Ramsey
- Larceny with Music as Mike Simms
1942
- Roxie Hart as O'Malley
- Gentleman Jim as Billy Delaney
- It Happened in Flatbush as Sam Sloan
- Give Out, Sisters as Harrison
- Wildcat as Oliver Westbrook
- Treat 'Em Rough as 'Hotfoot'
- 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
- Gangs Of The City as Bang
- Six Lessons From Madame La Zonga as Chauncey Beheegan
- Blondie in Society as Waldo Pincus
- Cracked Nuts as James Mitchell
1940
- One Night in the Tropics as Roscoe
- The Farmer's Daughter as Scoop Trimble
- Those Were the Days! as Prisoner
- Rhythm on the River as Mr. Westlake
- Sandy Gets Her Man as Police Chief J. A. O'Hara
- Dancing on a Dime as Mac
- Untamed as Les Woodbury
- Opened by Mistake as Matt Kingsley
- The Quarterback as Coach
- Golden Gloves as Emory Balzar
1939
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as The 'Duke'
- Ambush as Inspector J.L. Weber
- Rose of Washington Square as Harry Long
- Stop, Look and Love as Joe Haller
- Ex-Champ as Mushy Harrington
- Night Work as Bruiser Brown
- St. Louis Blues as Major Martingale
- Grand Jury Secrets as Bright Eyes
- Persons in Hiding as Alec Inglis
1938
- Touchdown, Army as Jack Heffernan
- Sons of the Legion as Uncle Willie Lee
- Mad About Music as Dusty Turner
- Professor Beware as Snoop Donlan
1937
- High, Wide and Handsome as Mac
- Double or Nothing as John Pederson
- 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
- Three Cheers for Love as Milton Shakespeare
- Strike Me Pink as Mr. Copple
- Rose Bowl as 'Soapy' Moreland
- F-Man as Detective Rogan
- Three Married Men as Bill Mullins
1935
- It's a Great Life as Lt. McNulty
- Roberta as Bartender (uncredited)
- College Scandal as Chief of Police Magoun
- Hold 'Em Yale as Sunshine Joe
- Ship Cafe as Briney O'Brien
- Car 99 as Training Sgt. Barrel
- Alibi Ike as Cap
- Harmony Lane as Edwin P. 'Ed' Christy
- Welcome Home as Painless
- Beautiful Dreamer
1934
- Here Is My Heart as James Smith
- Miss Fane's Baby Is Stolen as Captain Murphy
- The Lemon Drop Kid as William Dunhill aka The Professor
- The Witching Hour as Jury Foreman
- Shoot the Works as Larry Hale
- The Crime Doctor as Fraser
- Bolero as Mike DeBaere
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