William Frawley
Personal Info
Known for
Acting
Gender
Male
Birthday
1887-02-25
Day of Death
1966-03-03 (79 years old)
Place of Birth
Burlington, Iowa, USA
William Frawley
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.
Known For
Acting
(2016)
I Love Lucy Christmas Special
as Fred Mertz
(2000)
Lucille Ball: Finding Lucy
as Self (archive footage)
(1962)
Safe at Home!
as Bill Turner
(1956)
Lucy's Really Lost Moments
as Fred Mertz
(1954)
(1953)
I Love Lucy: The Movie
as Fred Mertz
(1952)
Rancho Notorious
as Baldy Gunder
(1951)
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Invisible Man
as Det. Roberts
(1951)
Rhubarb
as Len Sickles
(1951)
The Lemon Drop Kid
as Gloomy Willie
(1950)
Pretty Baby
as Corcoran
(1950)
Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
as Byers
(1950)
Kill the Umpire
as Jimmy O'Brien
(1950)
Blondie's Hero
as Marty Greer
(1949)
East Side, West Side
as Bill the Bartender
(1949)
Red Light
as Hotel Night Clerk
(1949)
The Lone Wolf and His Lady
as Inspector Crane
(1949)
Chicken Every Sunday
as George Kirby
(1949)
Home in San Antone
as O'Fleery
(1949)
The Lady Takes a Sailor
as Oliver Harker
(1948)
Texas, Brooklyn & Heaven
as Agent
(1948)
The Babe Ruth Story
as Jack Dunn
(1948)
The Girl from Manhattan
as Mr. Bernouti
(1948)
Joe Palooka in Winner Take All
as Knobby Walsh
(1948)
Good Sam
as Tom
(1947)
My Wild Irish Rose
as William Scanlon
(1947)
Monsieur Verdoux
as Jean La Salle
(1947)
Miracle on 34th Street
as Charlie Halloran
(1947)
Mother Wore Tights
as Mr. Schneider
(1947)
Down to Earth
as Police Lieutenant
(1947)
I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now
as Jim Mason
(1947)
Blondie's Anniversary
as Sharkey the Loen Shark
(1946)
The Virginian
as Honey Wiggen
(1946)
Crime Doctor's Man Hunt
as Police Inspector Harry B. Manning
(1946)
Rendezvous with Annie
as General Trent
(1946)
The Inner Circle
as Det. Lt. Webb
(1945)
Ziegfeld Follies
as Martin (segment "A Sweepstakes Ticket")
(1945)
Flame of Barbary Coast
as Wolf Wylie
(1945)
Lady on a Train
as Desk Sgt. Brennan
(1945)
Hitchhike to Happiness
as Sandy Hill
(1944)
Going My Way
as Max Dolan, Publisher (uncredited)
(1944)
Lake Placid Serenade
as Jiggers
(1944)
The Fighting Seabees
as Eddie Powers
(1943)
Whistling in Brooklyn
as Detective Ramsey
(1943)
Larceny with Music
as Mike Simms
(1943)
We've Never Been Licked
as Traveling Salesman
(1942)
It Happened in Flatbush
as Sam Sloan
(1942)
Wildcat
as Oliver Westbrook
(1942)
Gentleman Jim
as Billy Delaney
(1942)
Give Out, Sisters
as Harrison
(1942)
Treat 'Em Rough
as 'Hotfoot'
(1942)
Roxie Hart
as O'Malley
(1942)
(1942)
Moonlight in Havana
as Barney Crane
(1941)
Blondie in Society
as Waldo Pincus
(1941)
Gangs Of The City
as Bang
(1941)
Cracked Nuts
as James Mitchell
(1941)
The Bride Came C.O.D.
as Sheriff McGee
(1941)
Footsteps in the Dark
as Det. 'Hoppy' Hopkins
(1941)
Six Lessons From Madame La Zonga
as Chauncey Beheegan
(1940)
Rhythm on the River
as Mr. Westlake
(1940)
Those Were the Days!
as Prisoner
(1940)
The Farmer's Daughter
as Scoop Trimble
(1940)
Dancing on a Dime
as Mac
(1940)
One Night in the Tropics
as Roscoe
(1940)
Golden Gloves
as Emory Balzar
(1940)
Untamed
as Les Woodbury
(1940)
Sandy Gets Her Man
as Police Chief J. A. O'Hara
(1940)
Opened by Mistake
as Matt Kingsley
(1940)
The Quarterback
as Coach
(1939)
Stop, Look and Love
as Joe Haller
(1939)
Persons in Hiding
as Alec Inglis
(1939)
St. Louis Blues
as Major Martingale
(1939)
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
as The 'Duke'
(1939)
Rose of Washington Square
as Harry Long
(1939)
Night Work
as Bruiser Brown
(1939)
Grand Jury Secrets
as Bright Eyes
(1939)
Ambush
as Inspector J.L. Weber
(1939)
Ex-Champ
as Mushy Harrington
(1938)
Touchdown, Army
as Jack Heffernan
(1938)
Professor Beware
as Snoop Donlan
(1938)
Mad About Music
as Dusty Turner
(1938)
Sons of the Legion
as Uncle Willie Lee
(1937)
Blossoms On Broadway
as Francis X. Rush
(1937)
High, Wide and Handsome
as Mac
(1937)
Something to Sing About
as Hank Mayers
(1937)
Double or Nothing
as John Pederson
(1936)
F-Man
as Detective Rogan
(1936)
Strike Me Pink
as Mr. Copple
(1936)
Three Married Men
as Bill Mullins
(1936)
Desire
as Mr. Gibson
(1936)
The Princess Comes Across
as Benton
(1936)
Rose Bowl
as 'Soapy' Moreland
(1936)
The General Died at Dawn
as Brighton
(1935)
Alibi Ike
as Cap
(1935)
Harmony Lane
as Edwin P. 'Ed' Christy
(1935)
Car 99
as Training Sgt. Barrel
(1935)
Roberta
as Bartender
(1935)
Welcome Home
as Painless
(1935)
Ship Cafe
as Briney O'Brien
(1935)
College Scandal
as Chief of Police Magoun
(1935)
(1935)
Hold 'Em Yale
as Sunshine Joe
(1935)
It's a Great Life
as Lt. McNulty
(1934)
The Witching Hour
as Jury Foreman
(1934)
Bolero
as Mike DeBaere
(1934)
Miss Fane's Baby Is Stolen
as Captain Murphy
(1934)
Here Is My Heart
as James Smith
(1934)
The Crime Doctor
as Fraser
(1934)
Shoot the Works
as Larry Hale
(1934)
The Lemon Drop Kid
as William Dunhill aka The Professor
(1933)
Moonlight and Pretzels
as Mac
(1933)
Hell and High Water
as Milton J. Bunsey
(1927)
Ventriloquist
as 'Hoak' salesman
(1925)
Should Husbands Be Watched?
as Beat Cop