Miracle on 34th Street1947
As Charlie Halloran
TMDb 7.4 / 10
William Frawley
Born
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.
Filmography (116)
Monsieur Verdoux1947
As Jean La Salle
TMDb 7.7 / 10
Rancho Notorious1952
As Baldy Gunder
TMDb 6.5 / 10
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Invisible Man1951
As Det. Roberts
TMDb 6.3 / 10
Good Sam1948
As Tom
TMDb 6.3 / 10
Desire1936
As Mr. Gibson
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Going My Way1944
As Max Dolan, Publisher (uncredited)
TMDb 6.7 / 10
Ziegfeld Follies1945
As Martin (segment "A Sweepstakes Ticket")
TMDb 6.0 / 10
One Night in the Tropics1940
As Roscoe
TMDb 5.8 / 10
Flame of Barbary Coast1945
As Wolf Wylie
TMDb 5.5 / 10
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn1939
As The 'Duke'
TMDb 6.7 / 10
East Side, West Side1949
As Bill the Bartender
TMDb 7.1 / 10
The Bride Came C.O.D.1941
As Sheriff McGee
TMDb 7.0 / 10
The General Died at Dawn1936
As Brighton
TMDb 6.5 / 10
Gentleman Jim1942
As Billy Delaney
TMDb 7.2 / 10
The Virginian1946
As Honey Wiggen
TMDb 6.2 / 10
Down to Earth1947
As Police Lieutenant
TMDb 6.0 / 10
Rose of Washington Square1939
As Harry Long
TMDb 6.7 / 10
The Lemon Drop Kid1951
As Gloomy Willie
TMDb 6.5 / 10
I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now1947
As Jim Mason
TMDb 7.5 / 10
The Fighting Seabees1944
As Eddie Powers
TMDb 6.2 / 10
Roxie Hart1942
As O'Malley
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye1950
As Byers
TMDb 6.8 / 10
The Girl from Manhattan1948
As Mr. Bernouti
TMDb 6.3 / 10
Lady on a Train1945
As Desk Sgt. Brennan
TMDb 6.7 / 10
The Princess Comes Across1936
As Benton
TMDb 6.2 / 10
Footsteps in the Dark1941
As Det. 'Hoppy' Hopkins
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Lucille Ball: Finding Lucy
Lucille Ball: Finding Lucy2000
As Self (archive footage)
TMDb 7.0 / 10
The Lady Takes a Sailor1949
As Oliver Harker
TMDb 5.7 / 10
Something to Sing About1937
As Hank Mayers
TMDb 6.2 / 10
High, Wide and Handsome1937
As Mac
TMDb 6.2 / 10
Here Is My Heart1934
As James Smith
TMDb 7.3 / 10
Those Were the Days!1940
As Prisoner
TMDb 8.0 / 10
Rhythm on the River1940
As Mr. Westlake
TMDb 6.9 / 10
Touchdown, Army1938
As Jack Heffernan
TMDb 7.5 / 10
The Babe Ruth Story1948
As Jack Dunn
TMDb 6.1 / 10
The Farmer's Daughter1940
As Scoop Trimble
TMDb 5.3 / 10
Mother Wore Tights1947
As Mr. Schneider
TMDb 5.7 / 10
My Wild Irish Rose1947
As William Scanlon
TMDb 6.0 / 10
We've Never Been Licked1943
As Traveling Salesman
TMDb 6.5 / 10
Kill the Umpire1950
As Jimmy O'Brien
TMDb 6.9 / 10
Double or Nothing1937
As John Pederson
TMDb 6.7 / 10
It Happened in Flatbush1942
As Sam Sloan
TMDb 5.4 / 10
Bolero1934
As Mike DeBaere
TMDb 6.4 / 10
Strike Me Pink1936
As Mr. Copple
TMDb 6.6 / 10
Miss Fane's Baby Is Stolen1934
As Captain Murphy
TMDb 6.0 / 10
Roberta1935
As Bartender (uncredited)
TMDb 7.1 / 10
Red Light1949
As Hotel Night Clerk
TMDb 5.9 / 10
Dancing on a Dime1940
As Mac
TMDb 5.0 / 10
Joe Palooka in Winner Take All1948
As Knobby Walsh
TMDb 7.5 / 10
I Love Lucy: The Movie1953
As Fred Mertz / Self
TMDb 7.7 / 10
Whistling in Brooklyn1943
As Detective Ramsey
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Texas, Brooklyn & Heaven1948
As Agent
TMDb 5.8 / 10
Shoot the Works1934
As Larry Hale
TMDb 6.7 / 10
Untamed1940
As Les Woodbury
TMDb 5.0 / 10
Rhubarb1951
As Len Sickles
TMDb 5.8 / 10
The Lone Wolf and His Lady1949
As Inspector Crane
TMDb 6.0 / 10
Sons of the Legion1938
As Uncle Willie Lee
TMDb 7.5 / 10
Car 991935
As Training Sgt. Barrel
TMDb 7.5 / 10
Gangs Of The City
Gangs Of The City1941
As Bang
TMDb 7.0 / 10
It's a Great Life1935
As Lt. McNulty
TMDb 9.0 / 10
Sandy Gets Her Man1940
As Police Chief J. A. O'Hara
TMDb 6.5 / 10
Pretty Baby1950
As Corcoran
TMDb 6.8 / 10
Home in San Antone1949
As O'Fleery
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Lucy's Really Lost Moments1956
As Fred Mertz
TMDb 6.5 / 10
Blondie in Society1941
As Waldo Pincus
TMDb 6.4 / 10
Hold 'Em Yale1935
As Sunshine Joe
TMDb 7.0 / 10
The Inner Circle1946
As Det. Lt. Webb
TMDb 5.7 / 10
College Scandal1935
As Chief of Police Magoun
TMDb 6.8 / 10
Ex-Champ1939
As Mushy Harrington
TMDb 7.3 / 10
I Love Lucy Christmas Special2016
As Fred Mertz
TMDb 10.0 / 10
Blondie's Hero1950
As Marty Greer
TMDb 6.8 / 10
Three Cheers for Love
Three Cheers for Love1936
As Milton Shakespeare
TMDb 8.0 / 10
Hell and High Water
Hell and High Water1933
As Milton J. Bunsey
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Harmony Lane1935
As Edwin P. 'Ed' Christy
TMDb 4.5 / 10
Stop, Look and Love1939
As Joe Haller
TMDb 6.5 / 10
Professor Beware1938
As Snoop Donlan
TMDb 6.0 / 10
Hitchhike to Happiness1945
As Sandy Hill
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Six Lessons From Madame La Zonga1941
As Chauncey Beheegan
TMDb 5.8 / 10
Crime Doctor's Man Hunt1946
As Police Inspector Harry B. Manning
TMDb 6.6 / 10
Golden Gloves1940
As Emory Balzar
TMDb 6.0 / 10
Chicken Every Sunday1949
As George Kirby
TMDb 6.2 / 10
Mad About Music1938
As Dusty Turner
TMDb 7.0 / 10
The Lemon Drop Kid1934
As William Dunhill aka The Professor
TMDb 6.3 / 10
Alibi Ike1935
As Cap
TMDb 6.2 / 10
Blondie's Anniversary1947
As Sharkey the Loen Shark
TMDb 5.9 / 10
St. Louis Blues1939
As Major Martingale
TMDb 7.3 / 10
Safe at Home!1962
As Bill Turner
TMDb 5.0 / 10
Ship Cafe1935
As Briney O'Brien
TMDb 8.0 / 10
Rendezvous with Annie1946
As General Trent
TMDb 7.0 / 10
F-Man1936
As Detective Rogan
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Grand Jury Secrets1939
As Bright Eyes
TMDb 7.0 / 10
The Crime Doctor1934
As Fraser
TMDb 3.8 / 10
Blossoms On Broadway1937
As Francis X. Rush
TMDb 4.8 / 10
Larceny with Music1943
As Mike Simms
TMDb 5.3 / 10
Rose Bowl1936
As 'Soapy' Moreland
TMDb 7.0 / 10
The Witching Hour1934
As Jury Foreman
TMDb 6.5 / 10
Opened by Mistake1940
As Matt Kingsley
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Wildcat1942
As Oliver Westbrook
TMDb 5.7 / 10
Lake Placid Serenade1944
As Jiggers
TMDb 10.0 / 10
Give Out, Sisters1942
As Harrison
TMDb 6.0 / 10
Moonlight in Havana1942
As Barney Crane
TMDb 9.0 / 10
Welcome Home1935
As Painless
TMDb 9.0 / 10
Should Husbands Be Watched?1925
As Beat Cop
TMDb 8.0 / 10
The Quarterback1940
As Coach
TMDb 10.0 / 10
Persons in Hiding1939
As Alec Inglis
TMDb 3.8 / 10
Moonlight and Pretzels1933
As Mac
TMDb 9.0 / 10
Cracked Nuts1941
As James Mitchell
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Three Married Men1936
As Bill Mullins
TMDb 8.0 / 10
Treat 'Em Rough
Treat 'Em Rough1942
As 'Hotfoot'
TMDb 8.0 / 10
Ambush1939
As Inspector J.L. Weber
TMDb 6.0 / 10
Night Work1939
As Bruiser Brown
TMDb 8.5 / 10
The Dirty Look1954
TMDb 7.0 / 10
The Yankee Doodler1942
TMDb 5.0 / 10
Beautiful Dreamer
Beautiful Dreamer1935
Ventriloquist
Ventriloquist1927
As 'Hoak' salesman
Filmography and biography: TMDb