William Frawley
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.
Photos
Movies (116)
I Love Lucy Christmas Special
2016 · Fred Mertz
Lucille Ball: Finding Lucy
2000 · Self (archive footage)
Safe at Home!
1962 · Bill Turner
Lucy's Really Lost Moments
1956 · Fred Mertz
The Dirty Look
1954
I Love Lucy: The Movie
1953 · Fred Mertz / Self
Rancho Notorious
1952 · Baldy Gunder
Rhubarb
1951 · Len Sickles
The Lemon Drop Kid
1951 · Gloomy Willie
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Invisible Man
1951 · Det. Roberts
Pretty Baby
1950 · Corcoran
Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
1950 · Byers
Kill the Umpire
1950 · Jimmy O'Brien
Blondie's Hero
1950 · Marty Greer
East Side, West Side
1949 · Bill the Bartender
The Lady Takes a Sailor
1949 · Oliver Harker
Red Light
1949 · Hotel Night Clerk
The Lone Wolf and His Lady
1949 · Inspector Crane
Home in San Antone
1949 · O'Fleery
Chicken Every Sunday
1949 · George Kirby
The Girl from Manhattan
1948 · Mr. Bernouti
Joe Palooka in Winner Take All
1948 · Knobby Walsh
The Babe Ruth Story
1948 · Jack Dunn
Good Sam
1948 · Tom
Texas, Brooklyn & Heaven
1948 · Agent
My Wild Irish Rose
1947 · William Scanlon
Blondie's Anniversary
1947 · Sharkey the Loen Shark
Monsieur Verdoux
1947 · Jean La Salle
Down to Earth
1947 · Police Lieutenant
Mother Wore Tights
1947 · Mr. Schneider
I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now
1947 · Jim Mason
Miracle on 34th Street
1947 · Charlie Halloran
Crime Doctor's Man Hunt
1946 · Police Inspector Harry B. Manning
The Inner Circle
1946 · Det. Lt. Webb
Rendezvous with Annie
1946 · General Trent
The Virginian
1946 · Honey Wiggen
Ziegfeld Follies
1945 · Martin (segment "A Sweepstakes Ticket")
Lady on a Train
1945 · Desk Sgt. Brennan
Hitchhike to Happiness
1945 · Sandy Hill
Flame of Barbary Coast
1945 · Wolf Wylie
Lake Placid Serenade
1944 · Jiggers
The Fighting Seabees
1944 · Eddie Powers
Going My Way
1944 · Max Dolan, Publisher (uncredited)
Whistling in Brooklyn
1943 · Detective Ramsey
Larceny with Music
1943 · Mike Simms
We've Never Been Licked
1943 · Traveling Salesman
Gentleman Jim
1942 · Billy Delaney
The Yankee Doodler
1942
Moonlight in Havana
1942 · Barney Crane
Wildcat
1942 · Oliver Westbrook
Give Out, Sisters
1942 · Harrison
It Happened in Flatbush
1942 · Sam Sloan
Roxie Hart
1942 · O'Malley
Treat 'Em Rough
1942 · 'Hotfoot'
Gangs Of The City
1941 · Bang
Blondie in Society
1941 · Waldo Pincus
The Bride Came C.O.D.
1941 · Sheriff McGee
Cracked Nuts
1941 · James Mitchell
Footsteps in the Dark
1941 · Det. 'Hoppy' Hopkins
Six Lessons From Madame La Zonga
1941 · Chauncey Beheegan
One Night in the Tropics
1940 · Roscoe
Sandy Gets Her Man
1940 · Police Chief J. A. O'Hara
Dancing on a Dime
1940 · Mac
The Quarterback
1940 · Coach
Rhythm on the River
1940 · Mr. Westlake
Golden Gloves
1940 · Emory Balzar
Untamed
1940 · Les Woodbury
Those Were the Days!
1940 · Prisoner
Opened by Mistake
1940 · Matt Kingsley
The Farmer's Daughter
1940 · Scoop Trimble
Stop, Look and Love
1939 · Joe Haller
Night Work
1939 · Bruiser Brown
Grand Jury Secrets
1939 · Bright Eyes
Ex-Champ
1939 · Mushy Harrington
Rose of Washington Square
1939 · Harry Long
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
1939 · The 'Duke'
Persons in Hiding
1939 · Alec Inglis
St. Louis Blues
1939 · Major Martingale
Ambush
1939 · Inspector J.L. Weber
Sons of the Legion
1938 · Uncle Willie Lee
Touchdown, Army
1938 · Jack Heffernan
Professor Beware
1938 · Snoop Donlan
Mad About Music
1938 · Dusty Turner
Blossoms On Broadway
1937 · Francis X. Rush
Something to Sing About
1937 · Hank Mayers
Double or Nothing
1937 · John Pederson
High, Wide and Handsome
1937 · Mac
Rose Bowl
1936 · 'Soapy' Moreland
The General Died at Dawn
1936 · Brighton
Three Married Men
1936 · Bill Mullins
Three Cheers for Love
1936 · Milton Shakespeare
The Princess Comes Across
1936 · Benton
F-Man
1936 · Detective Rogan
Desire
1936 · Mr. Gibson
Strike Me Pink
1936 · Mr. Copple
Beautiful Dreamer
1935
Ship Cafe
1935 · Briney O'Brien
Harmony Lane
1935 · Edwin P. 'Ed' Christy
It's a Great Life
1935 · Lt. McNulty
Welcome Home
1935 · Painless
College Scandal
1935 · Chief of Police Magoun
Alibi Ike
1935 · Cap
Hold 'Em Yale
1935 · Sunshine Joe
Roberta
1935 · Bartender (uncredited)
Car 99
1935 · Training Sgt. Barrel
Here Is My Heart
1934 · James Smith
The Lemon Drop Kid
1934 · William Dunhill aka The Professor
Shoot the Works
1934 · Larry Hale
The Witching Hour
1934 · Jury Foreman
The Crime Doctor
1934 · Fraser
Bolero
1934 · Mike DeBaere
Miss Fane's Baby Is Stolen
1934 · Captain Murphy
Hell and High Water
1933 · Milton J. Bunsey
Moonlight and Pretzels
1933 · Mac
Ventriloquist
1927 · 'Hoak' salesman
Should Husbands Be Watched?
1925 · Beat Cop
TV shows (12)
The Lucy Show
1962 · Trainer
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962 · Self
My Three Sons
1960 · Bub O'Casey
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
1958
The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour
1957 · Fred Mertz
The Gale Storm Show
1956 · Jim Comstock
Letter to Loretta
1953 · Sam
This Is Your Life
1952 · Self
I Love Lucy
1951 · Fred Mertz
The Bob Hope Show
1950 · Self
The Ed Wynn Show
1949 · Self
The Ed Sullivan Show
1948 · Self