![Image of William Frawley](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w342/mPCnAsN2GbBoLl34nrviZ4aCCe1.jpg)
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 | I Love Lucy Christmas Special | 2016-12-02 | |
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 |
Movie | I Love Lucy: The Movie | Fred Mertz | 1953-01-01 |
Series | Letter to Loretta | Unknown | 1953-09-20 |
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 | Joe Palooka in Winner Take All | Knobby Walsh | 1948-09-19 |
Movie | The Girl from Manhattan | Mr. Bernouti | 1948-10-01 |
Movie | The Babe Ruth Story | Jack Dunn | 1948-09-16 |
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 | Give Out, Sisters | Harrison | 1942-09-01 |
Movie | Treat 'Em Rough | 'Hotfoot' | 1942-01-30 |
Movie | Roxie Hart | O'Malley | 1942-02-20 |
Movie | It Happened in Flatbush | Sam Sloan | 1942-05-28 |
Movie | Wildcat | Oliver Westbrook | 1942-09-03 |
Movie | Gentleman Jim | Billy Delaney | 1942-11-14 |
Movie | The Yankee Doodler | 1942-11-08 | |
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 | Untamed | Les Woodbury | 1940-07-24 |
Movie | Those Were the Days! | Prisoner | 1940-07-14 |
Movie | The Farmer's Daughter | Scoop Trimble | 1940-03-29 |
Movie | Golden Gloves | Emory Balzar | 1940-08-02 |
Movie | Opened by Mistake | Matt Kingsley | 1940-05-10 |
Movie | Rhythm on the River | Mr. Westlake | 1940-08-28 |
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 | The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn | The 'Duke' | 1939-02-10 |
Movie | St. Louis Blues | Major Martingale | 1939-02-03 |
Movie | Ambush | Inspector J.L. Weber | 1939-01-20 |
Movie | Persons in Hiding | Alec Inglis | 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 | Hold 'Em Yale | Sunshine Joe | 1935-04-27 |
Movie | Car 99 | Training Sgt. Barrel | 1935-03-02 |
Movie | Harmony Lane | Edwin P. 'Ed' Christy | 1935-10-22 |
Movie | Alibi Ike | Cap | 1935-06-15 |
Movie | Ship Cafe | Briney O'Brien | 1935-11-09 |
Movie | College Scandal | Chief of Police Magoun | 1935-06-21 |
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 |