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.
Movie | Safe at Home! | Bill Turner | 1962-04-13 |
Series | The Lucy Show | Unknown | 1962-10-01 |
Series | My Three Sons | 1960-09-29 | |
Series | Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse | Unknown | 1958-10-06 |
Series | The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour | Fred Mertz | 1957-11-06 |
Movie | Lucy's Really Lost Moments | Fred Mertz | 1956-01-01 |
Series | Letter to Loretta | Unknown | 1953-09-20 |
Movie | I Love Lucy: The Movie | Fred Mertz | 1953-01-01 |
Movie | Rancho Notorious | Baldy Gunder | 1952-03-06 |
Series | This Is Your Life | Unknown | 1952-10-01 |
Movie | The Lemon Drop Kid | Gloomy Willie | 1951-04-02 |
Movie | Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man | Det. Roberts | 1951-04-12 |
Series | I Love Lucy | Fred Mertz | 1951-10-15 |
Movie | Rhubarb | Len Sickles | 1951-08-29 |
Movie | Blondie's Hero | Marty Greer | 1950-03-09 |
Movie | Kill the Umpire | Jimmy O'Brien | 1950-04-27 |
Movie | Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye | Byers | 1950-08-19 |
Movie | Pretty Baby | Corcoran | 1950-09-16 |
Movie | Home in San Antone | O'Fleery | 1949-04-14 |
Movie | Chicken Every Sunday | George Kirby | 1949-01-18 |
Movie | The Lone Wolf and His Lady | Inspector Crane | 1949-08-11 |
Movie | East Side, West Side | Bill the Bartender | 1949-12-22 |
Movie | Red Light | Hotel Night Clerk | 1949-09-30 |
Movie | The Lady Takes a Sailor | Oliver Harker | 1949-12-16 |
Movie | Texas, Brooklyn & Heaven | Agent | 1948-07-16 |
Movie | Good Sam | Tom | 1948-09-01 |
Movie | The Babe Ruth Story | Jack Dunn | 1948-09-16 |
Movie | Joe Palooka in Winner Take All | Knobby Walsh | 1948-09-19 |
Movie | The Girl from Manhattan | Mr. Bernouti | 1948-10-01 |
Movie | I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now | Jim Mason | 1947-07-31 |
Movie | Miracle on 34th Street | Charlie Halloran | 1947-06-04 |
Movie | Mother Wore Tights | Mr. Schneider | 1947-08-20 |
Movie | Monsieur Verdoux | Jean La Salle | 1947-09-26 |
Movie | Blondie's Anniversary | Sharkey the Loen Shark | 1947-12-18 |
Movie | Down to Earth | Police Lieutenant | 1947-08-21 |
Movie | My Wild Irish Rose | William Scanlon | 1947-12-24 |
Movie | Rendezvous with Annie | General Trent | 1946-07-22 |
Movie | The Virginian | Honey Wiggen | 1946-05-05 |
Movie | The Inner Circle | Det. Lt. Webb | 1946-08-07 |
Movie | Crime Doctor's Man Hunt | Police Inspector Harry B. Manning | 1946-10-24 |
Movie | Hitchhike to Happiness | Sandy Hill | 1945-07-16 |
Movie | Flame of Barbary Coast | Wolf Wylie | 1945-05-28 |
Movie | Lady on a Train | Desk Sgt. Brennan | 1945-08-03 |
Movie | Ziegfeld Follies | Mr. Martin (segment A Sweepstakes Ticket) | 1945-08-26 |
Movie | The Fighting Seabees | Eddie Powers | 1944-01-27 |
Movie | Going My Way | Max Dolan (Publisher) (uncredited) | 1944-05-15 |
Movie | Lake Placid Serenade | Jiggers | 1944-12-23 |
Movie | Larceny with Music | Mike Simms | 1943-09-10 |
Movie | We've Never Been Licked | Traveling Salesman | 1943-07-29 |
Movie | Whistling in Brooklyn | Detective Ramsey | 1943-12-01 |
Movie | It Happened in Flatbush | Sam Sloan | 1942-05-28 |
Movie | Treat 'Em Rough | 'Hotfoot' | 1942-01-30 |
Movie | Give Out, Sisters | Harrison | 1942-09-01 |
Movie | Roxie Hart | O'Malley | 1942-02-20 |
Movie | Wildcat | Oliver Westbrook | 1942-09-03 |
Movie | Gentleman Jim | Billy Delaney | 1942-11-14 |
Movie | Moonlight in Havana | Barney Crane | 1942-10-16 |
Movie | Six Lessons From Madame La Zonga | Chauncey Beheegan | 1941-01-17 |
Movie | Footsteps in the Dark | Det. 'Hoppy' Hopkins | 1941-03-08 |
Movie | Cracked Nuts | James Mitchell | 1941-07-02 |
Movie | Blondie in Society | Waldo Pincus | 1941-07-17 |
Movie | Gangs Of The City | Bang | 1941-10-30 |
Movie | The Bride Came C.O.D. | Sheriff McGee | 1941-07-12 |
Movie | Those Were the Days! | Prisoner | 1940-07-14 |
Movie | Opened by Mistake | Matt Kingsley | 1940-05-10 |
Movie | The Farmer's Daughter | Scoop Trimble | 1940-03-29 |
Movie | Untamed | Les Woodbury | 1940-07-24 |
Movie | Golden Gloves | Emory Balzar | 1940-08-02 |
Movie | One Night in the Tropics | Roscoe | 1940-11-15 |
Movie | Dancing on a Dime | Mac | 1940-11-01 |
Movie | Sandy Gets Her Man | Police Chief J. A. O'Hara | 1940-11-08 |
Movie | The Quarterback | Coach | 1940-10-15 |
Movie | Rhythm on the River | Mr. Westlake | 1940-08-28 |
Movie | Persons in Hiding | Alec Inglis | 1939-02-10 |
Movie | St. Louis Blues | Major Martingale | 1939-02-03 |
Movie | Ambush | Inspector J.L. Weber | 1939-01-20 |
Movie | The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn | The 'Duke' | 1939-02-10 |
Movie | Ex-Champ | Mushy Harrington | 1939-05-11 |
Movie | Stop, Look and Love | Joe Haller | 1939-09-22 |
Movie | Rose of Washington Square | Harry Long | 1939-05-05 |
Movie | Night Work | Bruiser Brown | 1939-08-04 |
Movie | Professor Beware | Snoop Donlan | 1938-07-29 |
Movie | Mad About Music | Dusty Turner | 1938-02-27 |
Movie | Touchdown, Army | Jack Heffernan | 1938-08-04 |
Movie | Sons of the Legion | Uncle Willie Lee | 1938-09-18 |
Movie | High, Wide and Handsome | Mac | 1937-07-21 |
Movie | Double or Nothing | John Pederson | 1937-09-17 |
Movie | Something to Sing About | Hank Mayers | 1937-09-30 |
Movie | Blossoms On Broadway | Francis X. Rush | 1937-11-19 |
Movie | Desire | Mr. Gibson | 1936-04-11 |
Movie | Strike Me Pink | Mr. Copple | 1936-01-24 |
Movie | F-Man | Detective Rogan | 1936-05-02 |
Movie | Three Married Men | Bill Mullins | 1936-09-24 |
Movie | Rose Bowl | 'Soapy' Moreland | 1936-11-30 |
Movie | The Princess Comes Across | Benton | 1936-05-22 |
Movie | The General Died at Dawn | Brighton | 1936-11-17 |
Movie | Roberta | Bartender | 1935-03-07 |
Movie | Alibi Ike | Cap | 1935-06-15 |
Movie | Car 99 | Training Sgt. Barrel | 1935-03-02 |
Movie | Harmony Lane | Edwin P. 'Ed' Christy | 1935-10-22 |
Movie | College Scandal | Chief of Police Magoun | 1935-06-21 |
Movie | Ship Cafe | Briney O'Brien | 1935-11-09 |
Movie | It's a Great Life | Lt. McNulty | 1935-10-04 |
Movie | Bolero | Mike DeBaere | 1934-02-23 |
Movie | Miss Fane's Baby Is Stolen | Captain Murphy | 1934-01-12 |
Movie | The Crime Doctor | Fraser | 1934-03-14 |
Movie | Shoot the Works | Larry Hale | 1934-07-18 |
Movie | The Witching Hour | Jury Foreman | 1934-04-26 |
Movie | Here Is My Heart | James Smith | 1934-12-28 |
Movie | The Lemon Drop Kid | William Dunhill aka The Professor | 1934-09-27 |
Movie | Moonlight and Pretzels | Mac | 1933-08-01 |
Movie | Should Husbands Be Watched? | Beat Cop | 1925-03-14 |