William Frawley was an American actor who was best known for his role as Fred Mertz on the beloved American sitcom I Love Lucy. His storied career in show business spanned over four decades, and he appeared in over 100 films, as well as numerous stage productions and TV shows.
William was born on February 26, 1887, in Burlington, Iowa. He was the second of four children born to Michael Frawley and Mary Brady Frawley. His parents were both Irish immigrants. His father was a steamboat captain, and young William spent much of his childhood traveling along the Mississippi River with his family.
William attended Catholic schools growing up and sang in the St. Paul’s Catholic Church choir as a boy. As he got to be a bit older, William played small roles in his local community theater, which was the Burlington Opera House, as well as amateur shows wherever he could find them. He loved performing. That was clear from an early age for him. His mother, though, was highly religious and did not approve of her son participating in acting activities.
William grew up and got his first job. It was as a stenographer in the local office of the Union Pacific Railroad in Omaha, Nebraska. After working at this job for a couple of years, he moved to Chicago and got a job as a court reporter. He also got a job in a singing role in a local production of a musical comedy called The Flirting Process. His mother did not approve of this, and William auditioned for and took the role against her express wishes. William’s mother was so aghast at him being in this musical that he moved to St. Louis, Missouri, and took a job with another railroad company to appease her.
William wanted to be an entertainer, though, so it wasn’t surprising that the railroad job did not fulfill him. Eventually, he gave in to his desire, despite his natural desire to please his mom, and put together a vaudeville act with his younger brother, Paul Frawley. William and Paul performed together for a while, but six months after forming the act, their mom made Paul go home to Iowa. William, on the other hand, used his time alone to write a script called Fun in a Vaudeville Agency, which he sold for more than $500.
Buoyed by his success as a scriptwriter, William moved to Denver, Colorado, where he got a job as a singer in a café. He teamed with a pianist named Franz Rath, and the two of them eventually moved to San Francisco, California. They called their act “A Man, a Piano, and a Nut.” This began a very successful vaudeville career for William.
In addition to being a vaudeville staple, William also began to get film roles. Over the next two decades, William appeared in dozens of films, usually playing supporting characters or comedic roles. Some of his notable early roles include a small part in the 1927 film The Jazz Singer, as well as appearances in the films My Man Godfrey and The Virginian.
Despite his success in films, William continued to perform in vaudeville and on stage throughout the 1920s and 1930s. He was known for his quick wit and his ability to improvise on stage, and he often stole the show with his comedic timing and larger-than-life personality.
In 1951, William was cast in what would become his most famous role – that of landlord Fred Mertz on I Love Lucy. The show, which starred Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, was a huge success, and William quickly became a fan favorite for his portrayal of the gruff but loveable Fred.
William’s performance on I Love Lucy earned him five Emmy nominations, although he never won the coveted award. He certainly deserved a win. William continued to appear on I Love Lucy for six seasons until the show ended.
He would have played Fred Mertz for longer, as he and co-star Vivian Vance, who played Fred’s wife, Ethel, were offered their own Fred and Ethel spin-off show. William wanted to do it, but Vivian did not, mostly because she would have to keep working with William. The two actors famously did not like each other, though anyone watching the show would never have known it. Their on-screen chemistry with each other was legendary.
After I Love Lucy ended, William continued to work in television, appearing in a number of TV shows throughout the 1960s. He also continued to perform on stage, appearing in productions of Arsenic and Old Lace and The Odd Couple.
In 1965, William was cast in what would become his last role, that of Grandpa Bub, on the TV series, My Three Sons. The show was a hit, and William’s performance as the lovable grandfather, which was a stark contrast from that of Fred Mertz, was praised by fans and critics alike.
William made a couple of isolated TV appearances after My Three Sons, though he was essentially retired after leaving that show. His health had not been exceptional for several years at that point, no doubt exacerbated by his adult lifetime of heavy drinking. In 1965, William appeared on a game show called I’ve Got a Secret. Contestants had to guess what William’s secret was, and the answer was that he was the first performer to ever sing the popular song “My Melancholy Baby” in 1912.
His final on-camera performance was later in 1965 when he made a brief cameo appearance on The Lucy Show, which was Lucille Ball’s next program after I Love Lucy and Here’s Lucy. He played a horse trainer, and Lucy’s character wryly comments that he looks like someone she used to know.
William was married once to a fellow vaudevillian actress, though they separated after seven years of marriage and divorced six years after that. He did not have any children.
William crossed to the other side in 1966 after collapsing of a heart issue while walking down Hollywood Boulevard, five days after his seventy-ninth birthday. Desi Arnaz, Fred MacMurray (his co-star on My Three Sons), and Don Fedderson (the executive producer of My Three Sons) were pallbearers at his funeral. Upon hearing of William’s crossing, Desi Arnaz took out a full-page ad in all of the trade papers that said, “Buenas noches, amigo.”
Lucile Ball said of William after his crossing, “I’ve lost one of my dearest friends and show business has lost one of the greatest character actors of all time. Those of us who knew him and loved him will miss him.”
William is buried at the San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Mission Hills, Los Angeles. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which was awarded to him in 1960. A frog costume he wore on an episode of I Love Lucy is displayed at the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center in Jamestown, New York. He was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 2012.
