Acting
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.
Movies with William Frawley
Miracle on 34th Street
1947
Desire
1936
Roxie Hart
1942
Going My Way
1944
Good Sam
1948
Monsieur Verdoux
1947
Rancho Notorious
1952
Down to Earth
1947
Touchdown, Army
1938
The Virginian
1946
Ziegfeld Follies
1945
Lucille Ball: Finding Lucy
2000
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Invisible Man
1951
Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
1950
Gentleman Jim
1942
One Night in the Tropics
1940
Blondie's Hero
1950
College Scandal
1935
The Fighting Seabees
1944
I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now
1947
Lady on a Train
1945
Double or Nothing
1937
Footsteps in the Dark
1941
Pretty Baby
1950
The Lady Takes a Sailor
1949
The Bride Came C.O.D.
1941
The Crime Doctor
1934
The Babe Ruth Story
1948
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
1939
Red Light
1949
Strike Me Pink
1936
East Side, West Side
1949
Mother Wore Tights
1947
The Inner Circle
1946
Larceny with Music
1943
The Lemon Drop Kid
1951
Flame of Barbary Coast
1945
Opened by Mistake
1940
Kill the Umpire
1950
The General Died at Dawn
1936
Here Is My Heart
1934
I Love Lucy Christmas Special
2016
Blondie's Anniversary
1947
The Princess Comes Across
1936
Golden Gloves
1940
Rhubarb
1951
Gangs Of The City
1941
Roberta
1935
The Witching Hour
1934
It's a Great Life
1935
Sons of the Legion
1938
Something to Sing About
1937
The Farmer's Daughter
1940
Blondie in Society
1941
Untamed
1940
Car 99
1935
Give Out, Sisters
1942
Chicken Every Sunday
1949
Texas, Brooklyn & Heaven
1948
Whistling in Brooklyn
1943
Ambush
1939
The Lone Wolf and His Lady
1949
Rhythm on the River
1940
Welcome Home
1935
Blossoms On Broadway
1937
Wildcat
1942
Rose of Washington Square
1939
Ex-Champ
1939
Three Married Men
1936
Those Were the Days!
1940
Cracked Nuts
1941
High, Wide and Handsome
1937
My Wild Irish Rose
1947
Alibi Ike
1935
Shoot the Works
1934
Professor Beware
1938
The Girl from Manhattan
1948
Hold 'Em Yale
1935
Bolero
1934
It Happened in Flatbush
1942
F-Man
1936
The Dirty Look
1954
Hell and High Water
1933
Mad About Music
1938
Persons in Hiding
1939
Joe Palooka in Winner Take All
1948
Hitchhike to Happiness
1945
I Love Lucy: The Movie
1953
Miss Fane's Baby Is Stolen
1934
Rendezvous with Annie
1946
Rose Bowl
1936
We've Never Been Licked
1943
The Quarterback
1940
Grand Jury Secrets
1939
Stop, Look and Love
1939
Treat 'Em Rough
1942
Safe at Home!
1962
Lucy's Really Lost Moments
1956
Should Husbands Be Watched?
1925
St. Louis Blues
1939
Dancing on a Dime
1940
Six Lessons From Madame La Zonga
1941
Sandy Gets Her Man
1940
Moonlight and Pretzels
1933
Harmony Lane
1935
Home in San Antone
1949
Ship Cafe
1935
Night Work
1939
Moonlight in Havana
1942
The Lemon Drop Kid
1934
Lake Placid Serenade
1944
The Yankee Doodler
1942
Beautiful Dreamer
1935
Crime Doctor's Man Hunt
1946
Ventriloquist
1927
TV Shows with William Frawley
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962
My Three Sons
1960
The Lucy Show
1962
I Love Lucy
1951
The Ed Sullivan Show
1948
The Bob Hope Show
1950
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
1958
This Is Your Life
1952
The Gale Storm Show
1956
The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour
1957
Letter to Loretta
1953
The Ed Wynn Show
1949