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
- Blondie's Hero as Marty Greer
- Kill the Umpire as Jimmy O'Brien
- Pretty Baby as Corcoran
1949
- The Ed Wynn Show as Self
- East Side, West Side as Bill the Bartender
- Red Light as Hotel Night Clerk
- The Lady Takes a Sailor as Oliver Harker
- Chicken Every Sunday as George Kirby
- The Lone Wolf and His Lady as Inspector Crane
- 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
- Blondie's Anniversary as Sharkey the Loen Shark
- Mother Wore Tights as Mr. Schneider
- 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
- 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
- It Happened in Flatbush as Sam Sloan
- Wildcat as Oliver Westbrook
- Give Out, Sisters as Harrison
- Moonlight in Havana as Barney Crane
- Treat 'Em Rough as 'Hotfoot'
- 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
- Cracked Nuts as James Mitchell
- Blondie in Society as Waldo Pincus
- Six Lessons From Madame La Zonga as Chauncey Beheegan
1940
- One Night in the Tropics as Roscoe
- Untamed as Les Woodbury
- Rhythm on the River as Mr. Westlake
- Those Were the Days! as Prisoner
- Golden Gloves as Emory Balzar
- Dancing on a Dime as Mac
- The Farmer's Daughter as Scoop Trimble
- Opened by Mistake as Matt Kingsley
- The Quarterback as Coach
- Sandy Gets Her Man as Police Chief J. A. O'Hara
1939
- Rose of Washington Square as Harry Long
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as The 'Duke'
- Ex-Champ as Mushy Harrington
- Persons in Hiding as Alec Inglis
- Night Work as Bruiser Brown
- Grand Jury Secrets as Bright Eyes
- Ambush as Inspector J.L. Weber
- St. Louis Blues as Major Martingale
- Stop, Look and Love as Joe Haller
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
- 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
- Strike Me Pink as Mr. Copple
- Rose Bowl as 'Soapy' Moreland
- The General Died at Dawn as Brighton
- Three Married Men as Bill Mullins
- F-Man as Detective Rogan
1935
- Roberta as Bartender (uncredited)
- It's a Great Life as Lt. McNulty
- College Scandal as Chief of Police Magoun
- Alibi Ike as Cap
- Ship Cafe as Briney O'Brien
- Welcome Home as Painless
- Harmony Lane as Edwin P. 'Ed' Christy
- Car 99 as Training Sgt. Barrel
- Beautiful Dreamer
- Hold 'Em Yale as Sunshine Joe
1934
- Shoot the Works as Larry Hale
- The Crime Doctor as Fraser
- Here Is My Heart as James Smith
- Bolero as Mike DeBaere
- The Witching Hour as Jury Foreman
- Miss Fane's Baby Is Stolen as Captain Murphy
- 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