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