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Biography for
Fred Gwynne
Date of Birth
10 July 1926, New York City, New York, USA
Date of Death
2 July 1993, Taneytown, Maryland, USA (pancreatic cancer)
Birth Name
Frederick Hubbard Gwynne
Height
6' 5" (1.96 m)
Mini Biography
Fred Gwynne was an enormously talented character actor most famous for starring in the television situation comedies "Car 54, Where Are You?" (1961) (as "Officer Francis Muldoon") and "The Munsters" (1964) (as the Frankenstein clone "Herman Munster"). He was very tall and had a resonant, baritone voice that he put to good use in Broadway musicals.
Born Frederick Hubbard Gwynne in New York City on July 10, 1926, to a wealthy stockbroker father, he attended the exclusive prep school Groton, where he first appeared on stage in a student production of William Shakespeare's "Henry V". After serving in the United States Navy as a radioman during World War II, he went on to Harvard, where he majored in English and was on the staff of the "Harvard Lampoon". At Harvard, he studied drawing with artist R.S. Merryman and was active in dramatics. A member of the Hasty Pudding Club, he performed in the dining club's theatricals, appearing in the drag revues of 1949 and 1950. After graduating from Harvard with the class of 1951, Gwynne acted in Shakespeare with a Cambridge, Massachusetts repertory company before heading to New York City, where he supported himself as a musician and copywriter. His principal source of income for many years came from his work as a book illustrator and as a commercial artist. His first book, "The Best in Show", was published in 1958.
On February 20, 1952, he made his Broadway debut as the character "Stinker", in support of Helen Hayes, in the comic fantasy "Mrs. McThing". The play, written by "Harvey (1950)" author Mary Chase, had a cast featuring Ernest Borgnine, the future "Professor" Irwin Corey and Brandon De Wilde, the young son of the play's stage manager, Frederick DeWilde. The play ran for 320 performances and closed on January 10, 1953. He next appeared on Broadway in Burgess Meredith's staging of Nathaniel Benchley's comedy "The Frogs of Spring", which opened at the Broadhurst Theatre on October 21, 1953. The play flopped, closing on Halloween Day after but 15 performances. He did not appear on Broadway again for almost seven years.
Gwynne made his movie debut, unbilled, as one of "Johnny Friendly"'s gang of thugs who menace Marlon Brando in Elia Kazan's classic On the Waterfront (1954). From 1956 - 1963, he appeared on the TV dramatic showcases "Studio One in Hollywood" (1948), "The Kaiser Aluminum Hour" (1956), "Kraft Theatre" (1947), "The DuPont Show of the Month" (1957), "The DuPont Show of the Week" (1961) and "The United States Steel Hour" (1953). But it was in situation comedies that he made his name and his fame.
In 1955, he made a memorable guest appearance as "Private Honigan" on "The Phil Silvers Show" (1955). He played a soldier with an enormous appetite that Phil Silvers' "Sgt. Bilko" entered into a pie-eating contest, only to discover he could only eat like a trencherman when he was depressed. The spot led to him coming back as a guest in more episodes. While appearing on Broadway as the pimp "Polyte-Le-Mou" in the Peter Brook-directed hit "Irma La Douce" (winner of the 1961 Tony Award for Best Musical), "Bilko" producer-writer Nat Hiken cast him in one of the lead roles in the situation comedy "Car 54, Where Are You?" (1961). The show, in which he revealed his wonderful flair for comedy, had Gwynne appearing as New York City police officer "Francis Muldoon", who served in a patrol car in the Bronx with the dim-witted "Officer Gunther Toody", played by co-star Joe E. Ross ("Oooh! Oooh!"). "Car 54, Where Are You?" (1961) lasted only two seasons, but it was so fondly remembered by Baby Boomers, it inspired a feature film version in 1994. He also served as "Lamb Chop"'s doctor on another Baby Boomer classic, "The Shari Lewis Show" (1960).
Another one of his Car 54, Where Are You? co-stars, Al Lewis, not only became a life-long friend, he appeared as Gwynne's father-in-law in his next situation comedy. Gwynne was cast as the Frankenstein's monster-like paterfamilias in "The Munsters" (1964), which also lasted two seasons. In addition to wearing heavy boots with four-inch lifts on them, Gwynne had to wear 40 - 50 lbs of padding and makeup for the role and he reportedly lost ten pounds in one day of filming under the hot lights. He made guest appearances as "Herman Munster", most notably on "The Red Skelton Hour" (1951), appearing on April 27, 1965, along with Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, a pop band from The Beatles' native Liverpool. Gwynne appeared in character as "Herman Munster" in a "Freddie the Freeloader" comedy sketch.
When The Munsters was cancelled after the 1965-1966 season, Gwynne returned to the theatre to escape television typecasting, although he did return for a featured appearance in the televised version of Arsenic and Old Lace (1969) (TV), playing the psychotic "Jonathan Brewster" in an all-star cast, including with his "Mrs. McThing" co-star Helen Hayes, Lillian Gish, Bob Crane, Sue Lyon, Jack Gilford and David Wayne.
He appeared twice on television in Mary Chase's _"Harvey" (1950)_, the first time in 1958 on the "Dupont Show of the Month" version broadcast by CBS, in which he appeared in support of Art Carney as "Elwood P. Dodd". Others in the cast included Elizabeth Montgomery, Jack Weston and Larry Blyden. He appeared as the cab driver in the 1972 version, Harvey (1972) (TV), in which James Stewart reprised his role as "Elwood P. Dodd", in which he was reunited with his Broadway co-star Helen Hayes.
In 1968, he made a TV series pilot for Screen Gems, "Guess What I Did Today?", co-starring Bridget Hanley, who later played "Candy Pruit" on "Here Come the Brides" (1968). The pilot, which was made for NBC, was not picked up by the network. Gwynne had trouble making producers forget his "Herman Munster" character and he started refusing to have anything to do with or even to speak of the show. One of the few visual productions to utilise his beautiful singing voice was The Littlest Angel (1969) (TV), a musical produced as part of the "Hallmark Hall of Fame" (1951).
His movie and TV appearances were sporadic throughout the 1970s as he worked on- and off-Broadway. He had used his singing voice again to great effect in Meredith Wilson's musical "Here's Love", which opened at the Shubert Theatre on October 20, 1963 and played for 334 performances, closing on July 25, 1964. Exactly nine years from the "Here's Love" opening, he appeared at the Plymouth as "Abraham Lincoln" in the Broadway play "The Lincoln Mask", a flop that lasted but one week of eight performances.
His most distinguished performance on Broadway (and the favourite of all of his theatrical roles, was as "Big Daddy" in the 1974 Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof". Though not as cutting as Burl Ives had been in the original production, his "Big Daddy" was lyrical and powerful, so much so that he overpowered Keir Dullea in the role of "Brick". Elizabeth Ashley, however, won a Tony Award for playing "Maggie the Cat" in the production, which gave Tennessee Williams his first big success in a decade, albeit in a revival.
Gwynne also was memorable as the elderly "Klansman" in the first two parts of "The Texas Trilogy" in 1977 season. His last appearance on Broadway was in Anthony Shaffer's "Whodunnit", which opened at the Biltmore Theatre on December 30, 1983 and closed May 15, 1983 after 157 total performances. Before saying goodbye to the Broadway stage in a hit, he had appeared on the Great White Way in two flops in 1978: "Angel", the musical version of Thomas Wolfe's "Look Homeward, Angel" (which lasted but five performances) and the Australian professional football club drama "Players" (which lasted 23 performances). For the Joseph Papp Public Theatre/New York Shakespeare Festival, he had appeared in Off-Broadway in "More Than You Deserve" in the 1973-1974 season and, in "Grand Magic", during the 1978-1979 season, for which he won an Obie Award. On the radio, Gwynne appeared in 79 episodes of "The CBS Radio Mystery Theatre" between 1975 and 1982.
With time, his characterisation of "Herman Munster" began to fade and he began establishing himself as a film character actor of note in the 1980s with well-reviewed appearances in The Cotton Club (1984), Ironweed (1987), Disorganized Crime (1989) and Pet Sematary (1989), in which his character, "Jud Crandall", was based on author Stephen King, who himself is quite tall. Gwynne also made a memorable turn as the judge who battles with the eponymous My Cousin Vinny (1992), his last film. Critic and cinema historian Mick LaSalle cited Gwynne's performance as "Judge Chamberlain Haller" in his August 2003 article "Role call of overlooked performances is long", writing: "Half of what made Joe Pesci funny in this comedy was the stream of reactions of Gwynne, as the Southern Judge, a Great Dane to Joe Pesci's yapping terrier."
Gwynne sang professionally, painted, sculpted, wrote & illustrated children's books, including: "The King Who Rained" (1970); "A Chocolate Moose for Dinner" (1976); "A Little Pigeon Toad" (1988) and "Pondlarker" (1990). He wrote 10 books in all and "The King Who Rained", "A Chocolate Moose for Dinner" and "A Little Pigeon Toad", which all were published by the prestigious house Simon & Schuster, are still in print.
In the first part of his professional life, Gwynne lived a quiet life in suburban Bedford, New York and avoided the Hollywood and Broadway social scenes. He married his first wife Foxy in 1952. They had five children and divorced in 1980. He and his second wife Deb, whom he married in 1981, lived in a renovated farmhouse in rural Taneytown, Maryland. His neighbors described him as a good friend and neighbour who kept his personal and professional lives separate.
Fred Gwynne died on July 2, 1993, in Taneytown, Maryland, after a battle with cancer of the pancreas. He was just eight days shy of turning 67 years old. He is sorely missed by Baby Boomers who grew up delighted by his "Officer Francis Muldoon" and "Herman Munster" and were gratified by his late-career renaissance on film.
IMDb Mini Biography By: Jon C. Hopwood
Spouse
Deb Gwynne
(9 March 1988 - 2 July 1993) (his death)
Foxy Gwynne
(30 June 1951 - 1980) (divorced) 5 children
Trade Mark
Deep, commanding voice
Best known for his iconic role as Herman Munster on "The Munsters" (1964)
Characters often spend much of their time frowning
Towering Height
Trivia
Harvard University class of 1951.
Performed in Harvard's famous drag troupe Hasty Pudding Theatricals from 1949-1951. Harvard University Class of 1951 Performed in Harvard's famous Hasty Pudding drag revue from 1949-1950.
In addition to acting, Gwynne was the talented author & illustrator of several popular children's books, including "A Chocolate Moose for Dinner", "The King Who Rained" and "A Little Pigeon Toad".
Between 1975 and 1982, he appeared in 79 episodes of "The CBS Radio Mystery Theatre".
By choice, never part of the Hollywood or Broadway social whirl, Gwynne lived a quiet life in suburban Bedford, New York and, after his second marriage, in a renovated farmhouse in rural Taneytown, Maryland. Most who knew him described him as a good friend and neighbour who liked to keep his personal and professional lives separate.
Biography in: "Who's Who in Comedy" by Ronald L. Smith, pg. 199-200. New York: Facts on File, 1992. ISBN 0816023387.
Herman Munster, Gwynne's character on "The Munsters" (1964), was ranked #19 in TV Guide's list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time" [20 June 2004 issue].
In his most popular post-"The Munsters" (1964) role, that of "Judge Chamberlain Haller" in My Cousin Vinny (1992), one of the sight gags is that the good judge looms a full foot taller than his antagonist, Vinny, as played by Joe Pesci.
Was a member of the Harvard a cappella group, the Krokodiloes.
Worked as a salesman at Seal Lock Burial Vault, Forest Hills, New York, in the early 1950s. (The McCloskey family later changed this Woodhaven Blvd. business into a florist shop, still operating in 2007.).
Was originally under consideration for the part of Henry Warnimont on "Punky Brewster" until a casting director referred to him as "Herman Munster" instead of his real name. An offended Gwynne abruptly withdrew from consideration and George Gaynes wound up with the part.
Was featured/parodied in Playboy's Little Annie Fanny (The Unhappy Comic - April, 1963) as Freddy (Annie served as a kind of "visual relief" on-stage), and represented by Annie's agent, Solly, a recurring character based upon Phil Silvers.
In 1964, along with Al Lewis and the Munstermobile (with car designer George Barris at the controls), he appeared in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Five children with Jean Reynard (Foxy Gwynne); three sons Evan, Dylan (died in 1963, drowned in the family pool and Keiron (born mentally handicapped). Two daughters - Madyn and Gaynor.
Personal Quotes
[on his most famous role, 1979]: Funny thing, yesterday morning I found my youngest son and daughter watching the rerun of an old ("The Munsters" (1964)) episode and I said, "My God, THAT'S not still on, is it?" Well, even so, I was very lucky and it was great fun to be as much of a household product as something like Rinso. I almost wish I could do it all over again.
Filmography
Jump to: Actor | Soundtrack | Self | Archive Footage
Hide Actor (62 titles)
1964-2007 The Munsters (TV series)
Herman Munster / Charlie Munster
– My Fair Munster: Unaired Pilot 1 (2007) … Herman Munster
– A Visit from the Teacher (1966) … Herman Munster
– Herman's Lawsuit (1966) … Herman Munster
– Herman's Sorority Caper (1966) … Herman Munster
– A House Divided (1966) … Herman Munster
See all 72 episodes »
1992 Lincoln (TV movie)
Edwin Stanton (voice)
1992 My Cousin Vinny
Judge Chamberlain Haller
1991 Shadows and Fog
Hacker's Follower
1990 Earthday Birthday (TV movie)
Fred the Moose (voice)
1990 Murder in Black and White (TV movie)
Brannigan
1989 Pet Sematary
Jud Crandall
1989 Disorganized Crime
Max Green
1987 Ironweed
Oscar Reo
1987 American Masters (TV series documentary)
George S. Kaufman
– The Ten-Year Lunch: The Wit and Legend of the Algonquin Round Table (1987) … George S. Kaufman (voice) (uncredited)
1987 Fatal Attraction
Arthur
1987 The Secret of My Succe$s
Donald Davenport
1987 Murder by the Book (TV movie)
Victor Greville
1987 Jake's M.O.
Jake Tekulve
1986 Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color (TV series)
Waters
– The Christmas Star (31.11) (1986) … Waters
1986 The Boy Who Could Fly
Uncle Hugo
1986 Vanishing Act (TV movie)
Father Macklin
1986 Off Beat
The Commissioner
1985 Kane & Abel (TV mini-series)
Davis LeRoy
1985 Water
Franklin Spender
1984 The Cotton Club
Frenchy Demange
1982 The Mysterious Stranger (TV movie)
Balthasar Hoffman
1982 American Playhouse (TV series)
Charles Dickens
– Any Friend of Nicholas Nickleby Is a Friend of Mine (1982) … Charles Dickens
1981 So Fine
Chairman Lincoln
1981 The Munsters' Revenge (TV movie)
Herman Munster
1980 The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg (TV short)
Rev. Burgess
1980 Simon
Maj. Gen. Korey
1980 A Day with Conrad Green (TV movie)
Conrad Green
1980 Jack-a-boy (short)
1979 Luna
Douglas Winter
1979 Sanctuary of Fear (TV movie)
Judge Potter
1977 Captains Courageous (TV movie)
Long Jack
1976 Captains and the Kings (TV mini-series)
1976 Bound for Freedom (TV movie)
Waldruss
1972 Harvey (TV movie)
Cab Driver
1972 Norman Corwin Presents (TV series)
– Aunt Dorothy's Playroom (1972)
1971 Dames at Sea (TV movie)
Hennesy
1971 The Police (TV movie)
Sergeant
1971 Great Performances (TV series)
Pike
– Paradise Lost (1971) … Pike
1969 The Littlest Angel (TV movie)
Patience the Guardian Angel
1969 Anderson and Company (TV movie)
Marshall Anderson
1969 Arsenic and Old Lace (TV movie)
Jonathan Brewster
1968 Mad Mad Scientist (TV movie)
Warren Springer
1967 NET Playhouse (TV series)
Officer Avonzino
– Infancy and Childhood (1967) … Officer Avonzino
1966 Antkeeper (short)
Narrator
1966 New York Television Theatre (TV series)
The Professor
– The Lesson (1966) … The Professor
1966 Munster, Go Home!
Herman Munster
1965 The Red Skelton Hour (TV series)
Herman Munster
– Ta-Ra-Ra-Bum-Today (1965) … Herman Munster
1964 Brenner (TV series)
Francis X. Fish
– Charlie Paradise: The Tragic Flute (1964) … Francis X. Fish
1963 The United States Steel Hour (TV series)
Willie Botsford
– Don't Shake the Family Tree (1963) … Willie Botsford
1961-1963 Car 54, Where Are You? (TV series)
Officer Francis Muldoon
– The Curse of the Snitkins (1963) … Officer Francis Muldoon
– Puncher & Judy (1963) … Officer Francis Muldoon
– The Loves of Sylvia Schnauser (1963) … Officer Francis Muldoon
– Lucille Is 40 (1963) … Officer Francis Muldoon
– Joan Crawford Didn't Say No (1963) … Officer Francis Muldoon
See all 60 episodes »
1962 The DuPont Show of the Week (TV series)
William Hallowell Magee
– Seven Keys to Baldpate (1962) … William Hallowell Magee
1961 Play of the Week (TV series)
– The Old Foolishness (1961)
1958 The DuPont Show of the Month (TV series)
E.J. Loffgrin
– The Hasty Heart (1958)
– Harvey (1958) … E.J. Loffgrin
1958 The Steve Allen Plymouth Show (TV series)
Comedian-Regular
– Episode #3.23 (1958) … Comedian-Regular
1957 Kraft Theatre (TV series)
– The Big Heist (1957)
– Sextuplets (1957)
1957 Suspicion (TV series)
Hughie
– Hand in Glove (1957) … Hughie
1957 The Kaiser Aluminum Hour (TV series)
Egghead
– A Man's Game (1957) … Egghead
1956 Studio One in Hollywood (TV series)
Little Dude
– The Landlady's Daughter (1956) … Little Dude
1955-1956 The Phil Silvers Show (TV series)
Cpl. Ed Honergan / Pvt. Ed Honergan
– It's for the Birds (1956) … Pvt. Ed Honergan
– The Eating Contest (1955) … Cpl. Ed Honergan
1954 On the Waterfront
Slim (uncredited)
1953 You Are There (TV series)
Davy Crockett
– The Burning of the Alamo (1953) … Davy Crockett
– The Defense of the Alamo (1953) … Davy Crockett
Hide Soundtrack (3 titles)
1971 Dames at Sea (TV movie) (performer: "Let's Have a Simple Wedding")
1967 The Danny Kaye Show (TV series)
– Episode #4.21 (1967) (performer: "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles")
1965 The Munsters (TV series)
– Will Success Spoil Herman Munster? (1965) (performer: "That's how Herman was born")
Hide Self (10 titles)
1988 Cameramen Who Dared (TV documentary short)
Narrator (voice)
1975 Good Morning America (TV series)
Himself
– Episode dated 4 August 1975 (1975) … Himself
1965-1967 The Danny Kaye Show (TV series)
Himself - Sketch Actor / Himself - Singer / Sketch Actor
– Episode #4.21 (1967) … Himself - Singer/Sketch Actor
– Episode #3.30 (1966) … Himself - Sketch Actor
– Episode #2.20 (1965) … Himself - Sketch Actor
1966 The Hollywood Squares (TV series)
Himself
– Episode #1.25 (1966) … Himself
– Episode #1.24 (1966) … Himself
– Episode #1.23 (1966) … Himself
– Episode #1.22 (1966) … Himself
– Episode #1.21 (1966) … Himself
1965 Salute to Stan Laurel (TV special documentary)
Herman Munster
1965 I've Got a Secret (TV series)
Guest
– Episode dated 27 September 1965 (1965) … Guest
1964 The Celebrity Game (TV series)
Himself
– Episode dated 13 September 1964 (1964) … Himself
1963 The Keefe Brasselle Show (TV series)
Himself
– Episode #1.4 (1963) … Himself
– Episode #1.1 (1963) … Himself
1963 The Price Is Right (TV series)
Himself-Guest
– Episode dated 8 February 1963 (1963) … Himself-Guest
1962 Password All-Stars (TV series)
Himself
– Peggy Cass vs. Fred Gwynne (1962) … Himself
Hide Archive Footage (11 titles)
2011 The Lego Munsters (short)
Herman Munster
2008 60/90 (TV series)
2007 La tele de tu vida (TV series)
2006 Stephen King's 'Pet Sematary': The Characters (video short)
Himself
2005 50 y más (TV movie)
Herman Munster
1999-2003 Biography (TV series documentary)
2003 50 Greatest TV Animals (TV documentary)
Herman Munster (uncredited)
2000 Twentieth Century Fox: The Blockbuster Years (TV documentary)
Judge Chamberlain Haller
1995 50 Years of Funny Females (TV documentary)
Himself
1994 The 66th Annual Academy Awards (TV special)
Himself - Memorial Tribute
1993 The Poetry Hall of Fame (TV movie)
Himself
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