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
(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)
Red Light
as Hotel Night Clerk
(1949)
Chicken Every Sunday
as George Kirby
(1949)
East Side, West Side
as Bill the Bartender
(1949)
The Lady Takes a Sailor
as Oliver Harker
(1949)
The Lone Wolf and His Lady
as Inspector Crane
(1949)
Home in San Antone
as O'Fleery
(1948)
Good Sam
as Tom
(1948)
Texas, Brooklyn & Heaven
as Agent
(1948)
The Babe Ruth Story
as Jack Dunn
(1948)
Joe Palooka in Winner Take All
as Knobby Walsh
(1948)
The Girl from Manhattan
as Mr. Bernouti
(1947)
Miracle on 34th Street
as Charlie Halloran
(1947)
Monsieur Verdoux
as Jean La Salle
(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
(1947)
My Wild Irish Rose
as William Scanlon
(1946)
The Virginian
as Honey Wiggen
(1946)
Rendezvous with Annie
as General Trent
(1946)
The Inner Circle
as Det. Lt. Webb
(1946)
Crime Doctor's Man Hunt
as Police Inspector Harry B. Manning
(1945)
Flame of Barbary Coast
as Wolf Wylie
(1945)
Ziegfeld Follies
as Martin (segment "A Sweepstakes Ticket")
(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)
The Fighting Seabees
as Eddie Powers
(1944)
Lake Placid Serenade
as Jiggers
(1943)
Whistling in Brooklyn
as Detective Ramsey
(1943)
We've Never Been Licked
as Traveling Salesman
(1943)
Larceny with Music
as Mike Simms
(1942)
Gentleman Jim
as Billy Delaney
(1942)
Roxie Hart
as O'Malley
(1942)
Wildcat
as Oliver Westbrook
(1942)
It Happened in Flatbush
as Sam Sloan
(1942)
Moonlight in Havana
as Barney Crane
(1942)
Treat 'Em Rough
as 'Hotfoot'
(1942)
Give Out, Sisters
as Harrison
(1942)
(1941)
The Bride Came C.O.D.
as Sheriff McGee
(1941)
Footsteps in the Dark
as Det. 'Hoppy' Hopkins
(1941)
Cracked Nuts
as James Mitchell
(1941)
Blondie in Society
as Waldo Pincus
(1941)
Six Lessons From Madame La Zonga
as Chauncey Beheegan
(1941)
Gangs Of The City
as Bang
(1940)
Those Were the Days!
as Prisoner
(1940)
One Night in the Tropics
as Roscoe
(1940)
Opened by Mistake
as Matt Kingsley
(1940)
Untamed
as Les Woodbury
(1940)
The Farmer's Daughter
as Scoop Trimble
(1940)
Golden Gloves
as Emory Balzar
(1940)
Sandy Gets Her Man
as Police Chief J. A. O'Hara
(1940)
Rhythm on the River
as Mr. Westlake
(1940)
Dancing on a Dime
as Mac
(1940)
The Quarterback
as Coach
(1939)
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
as The 'Duke'
(1939)
Ambush
as Inspector J.L. Weber
(1939)
Rose of Washington Square
as Harry Long
(1939)
Ex-Champ
as Mushy Harrington
(1939)
Persons in Hiding
as Alec Inglis
(1939)
Stop, Look and Love
as Joe Haller
(1939)
St. Louis Blues
as Major Martingale
(1939)
Grand Jury Secrets
as Bright Eyes
(1939)
Night Work
as Bruiser Brown
(1938)
Mad About Music
as Dusty Turner
(1938)
Sons of the Legion
as Uncle Willie Lee
(1938)
Professor Beware
as Snoop Donlan
(1938)
Touchdown, Army
as Jack Heffernan
(1937)
Something to Sing About
as Hank Mayers
(1937)
Blossoms On Broadway
as Francis X. Rush
(1937)
Double or Nothing
as John Pederson
(1937)
High, Wide and Handsome
as Mac
(1936)
Desire
as Mr. Gibson
(1936)
The Princess Comes Across
as Benton
(1936)
The General Died at Dawn
as Brighton
(1936)
Strike Me Pink
as Mr. Copple
(1936)
Rose Bowl
as 'Soapy' Moreland
(1936)
Three Married Men
as Bill Mullins
(1936)
F-Man
as Detective Rogan
(1935)
Roberta
as Bartender
(1935)
Car 99
as Training Sgt. Barrel
(1935)
Harmony Lane
as Edwin P. 'Ed' Christy
(1935)
College Scandal
as Chief of Police Magoun
(1935)
Welcome Home
as Painless
(1935)
Ship Cafe
as Briney O'Brien
(1935)
Hold 'Em Yale
as Sunshine Joe
(1935)
It's a Great Life
as Lt. McNulty
(1935)
Alibi Ike
as Cap
(1934)
Here Is My Heart
as James Smith
(1934)
Miss Fane's Baby Is Stolen
as Captain Murphy
(1934)
Shoot the Works
as Larry Hale
(1934)
The Witching Hour
as Jury Foreman
(1934)
The Crime Doctor
as Fraser
(1934)
Bolero
as Mike DeBaere
(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