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Frederick Hubbard Gwynne (July 10, 1926 – July 2, 1993) was an American actor, artist and author. Gwynne was best known for his roles in the 1960s sitcoms Car 54, Where Are You? and The Munsters, as well as his later roles in The Cotton Club, Pet Sematary and My Cousin Vinny.
During World War II, Fred Gwynne served in the United States Navy, as a radioman on a submarine chaser.[3] He later studied art under the G.I. Bill before attending Harvard, where he was affiliated with Adams House, graduating in 1951. He was a member of the Fly Club, sang with the a cappella group the Harvard Krokodiloes,[4] was a cartoonist for the Harvard Lampoon (eventually becoming its president), and acted in the Hasty Pudding Theatricals shows.
During World War II, Fred Gwynne served in the United States Navy, as a radioman on a submarine chaser.[3] He later studied art under the G.I. Bill before attending Harvard, where he was affiliated with Adams House, graduating in 1951. He was a member of the Fly Club, sang with the a cappella group the Harvard Krokodiloes,[4] was a cartoonist for the Harvard Lampoon (eventually becoming its president), and acted in the Hasty Pudding Theatricals shows.
Fred Gwynne - Wikipedia
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Thank you my friend Maj Marty Hogan for making us aware that July 10 is the anniversary of the birth of WWII Navy veteran Petty-Officer-Third-Class radioman Frederick Hubbard Gwynne who like most in his generation served in the Armed forces or supported the war effort back home.
In addition he was the author and illustrator of several popular children's books, including "A Chocolate Moose for Dinner", "The King Who Rained" and "A Little Pigeon Toad".
Between 1975 and 1982, he appeared in 79 episodes of "The CBS Radio Mystery Theatre".
Image: Fred Gwynne US Navy Radioman
I am not surprised that this gentle giant was able to transform his radio skills into acting.
To be honest I preferred Fred Gwynne in "Car 54, Where Are You?" as Officer Francis Muldoon with his partner Joe E. Ross as Officer Gunther Toody.
I enjoyed watching the Adams Family which was cutting edge humor to "The Munsters"
Rest in peace Frederick Hubbard Gwynne!
Background from imdb.com/name/nm0001304/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm
"Fred Gwynne Biography
Born July 10, 1926 in New York City, New York, USA
Died July 2, 1993 in Taneytown, Maryland, USA (pancreatic cancer)
Birth Name: Frederick Hubbard Gwynne
Height 6' 5" (1.96 m)
Fred Gwynne was an enormously talented character actor most famous for starring in the television situation comedies Car 54, Where Are You? (1961) (as Officer Francis Muldoon) and The Munsters (1964) (as the Frankenstein clone Herman Munster). He was very tall and had a resonant, baritone voice that he put to good use in Broadway musicals.
Born Frederick Hubbard Gwynne in New York City on July 10, 1926, to a wealthy stockbroker father, he attended the exclusive prep school Groton, where he first appeared on stage in a student production of William Shakespeare's "Henry V". After serving in the United States Navy as a radioman during World War II, he went on to Harvard, where he majored in English and was on the staff of the "Harvard Lampoon". At Harvard, he studied drawing with artist R.S. Merryman and was active in dramatics. A member of the Hasty Pudding Club, he performed in the dining club's theatricals, appearing in the drag revues of 1949 and 1950. After graduating from Harvard with the class of 1951, Gwynne acted in Shakespeare with a Cambridge, Massachusetts repertory company before heading to New York City, where he supported himself as a musician and copywriter. His principal source of income for many years came from his work as a book illustrator and as a commercial artist. His first book, "The Best in Show", was published in 1958.
On February 20, 1952, he made his Broadway debut as the character "Stinker", in support of Helen Hayes, in the comic fantasy "Mrs. McThing". The play, written by "Harvey (1950)" author Mary Chase, had a cast featuring Ernest Borgnine, the future "Professor" Irwin Corey and Brandon De Wilde, the young son of the play's stage manager, Frederick DeWilde. The play ran for 320 performances and closed on January 10, 1953. He next appeared on Broadway in Burgess Meredith's staging of Nathaniel Benchley's comedy "The Frogs of Spring", which opened at the Broadhurst Theatre on October 21, 1953. The play flopped, closing on Halloween Day after but 15 performances. He did not appear on Broadway again for almost seven years.
Gwynne made his movie debut, unbilled, as one of Johnny Friendly's gang of thugs who menace Marlon Brando in Elia Kazan's classic On the Waterfront (1954). From 1956 - 1963, he appeared on the television dramatic showcases Studio One in Hollywood (1948), The Kaiser Aluminum Hour (1956), Kraft Theatre (1947), The DuPont Show of the Month (1957), The DuPont Show of the Week (1961) and The United States Steel Hour (1953). But it was in situation comedies that he made his name and his fame.
In 1955, he made a memorable guest appearance as Private Honigan on The Phil Silvers Show (1955). He played a soldier with an enormous appetite that Phil Silvers' Sgt. Bilko entered into a pie-eating contest, only to discover he could only eat like a trencherman when he was depressed. The spot led to him coming back as a guest in more episodes. While appearing on Broadway as the pimp Polyte-Le-Mou in the Peter Brook-directed hit "Irma La Douce" (winner of the 1961 Tony Award for Best Musical), "Bilko" producer-writer Nat Hiken cast him in one of the lead roles in the situation comedy Car 54, Where Are You? (1961). The series, in which he revealed his wonderful flair for comedy, had Gwynne appearing as New York City police officer Francis Muldoon, who served in a patrol car in the Bronx with the dimwitted Officer Gunther Toody, played by co-star Joe E. Ross ("Oooh! Oooh!"). Car 54, Where Are You? (1961) lasted only two seasons, but it was so fondly remembered by Baby Boomers, it inspired a feature film version in 1994. He also served as Lamb Chop's doctor on another Baby Boomer classic, The Shari Lewis Show (1960).
Another one of his "Car 54, Where Are You?" co-stars, Al Lewis, not only became a lifelong friend, he appeared as Gwynne's father-in-law in his next situation comedy. Gwynne was cast as the Frankenstein's monster-like paterfamilias in The Munsters (1964), which also lasted two seasons. In addition to wearing heavy boots with four-inch lifts on them, Gwynne had to wear 40 - 50 lbs of padding and makeup for the role and he reportedly lost ten pounds in one day of filming under the hot lights. He made guest appearances as Herman Munster, most notably on The Red Skelton Hour (1951), appearing on April 27, 1965, along with Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, a pop band from The Beatles' native Liverpool. Gwynne appeared in character as Herman Munster in a "Freddie the Freeloader" comedy sketch.
When "The Munsters" was canceled after the 1965-1966 season, Gwynne returned to the theatre to escape television typecasting, although he did return for a featured appearance in the televised version of Arsenic and Old Lace (1969), playing the psychotic Jonathan Brewster in an all-star cast, including with his "Mrs. McThing" co-star Helen Hayes, Lillian Gish, Bob Crane, Sue Lyon, Jack Gilford and David Wayne. He appeared twice on television in Mary Chase's "Harvey" (1950), the first time in 1958 on the "Dupont Show of the Month" version broadcast by CBS, in which he appeared in support of Art Carney as Elwood P. Dodd. Others in the cast included Elizabeth Montgomery, Jack Weston and Larry Blyden. He appeared as the cab driver in the 1972 version, Harvey (1972), in which James Stewart reprised his role as Elwood P. Dodd, in which he was reunited with his Broadway co-star Helen Hayes.
In 1968, he made a television series pilot for Screen Gems, "Guess What I Did Today?", co-starring Bridget Hanley, who later played Candy Pruit on Here Come the Brides (1968). The pilot, which was made for NBC, was not picked up by the network. Gwynne had trouble making producers forget his character Herman Munster and he started refusing to have anything to do with or even to speak of the show. One of the few visual productions to utilise his beautiful singing voice was The Littlest Angel (1969), a musical produced as part of the Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951).
His movie and television appearances were sporadic throughout the 1970s as he worked on- and off-Broadway. He had used his singing voice again to great effect in Meredith Wilson's musical "Here's Love", which opened at the Shubert Theatre on October 20, 1963 and played for 334 performances, closing on July 25, 1964. Exactly nine years from the "Here's Love" opening, he appeared at the Plymouth as "Abraham Lincoln" in the Broadway play "The Lincoln Mask", a flop that lasted but one week of eight performances.
His most distinguished performance on Broadway (and the favourite of all of his theatrical roles, was as Big Daddy in the 1974 Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof". Though not as cutting as Burl Ives had been in the original production, his Big Daddy was lyrical and powerful, so much so that he overpowered Keir Dullea in the role of "Brick". However, Elizabeth Ashley won a Tony Award for playing Maggie the Cat in the production, which gave Tennessee Williams his first big success in a decade, albeit in a revival.
Gwynne also was memorable as the elderly Klansman in the first two parts of "The Texas Trilogy" in 1977 season. His last appearance on Broadway was in Anthony Shaffer's "Whodunnit", which opened at the Biltmore Theatre on December 30, 1983 and closed May 15, 1983 after 157 total performances. Before saying goodbye to the Broadway stage in a hit, he had appeared on the Great White Way in two flops in 1978: "Angel", the musical version of Thomas Wolfe's "Look Homeward, Angel" (which lasted but five performances) and the Australian professional football club drama "Players" (which lasted 23 performances). For the Joseph Papp Public Theatre/New York Shakespeare Festival, he had appeared in Off-Broadway in "More Than You Deserve" in the 1973-1974 season and, in "Grand Magic", during the 1978-1979 season, for which he won an Obie Award. On the radio, Gwynne appeared in 79 episodes of "The CBS Radio Mystery Theatre" between 1975 and 1982.
With time, his characterisation of Herman Munster began to fade and he began establishing himself as a film character actor of note in the 1980s with well-reviewed appearances in The Cotton Club (1984), Ironweed (1987), Disorganized Crime (1989) and Pet Sematary (1989), in which his character, Jud Crandall, was based on author Stephen King, who himself is quite tall. Gwynne also made a memorable turn as the judge who battles with the eponymous My Cousin Vinny (1992), his last film. Critic and cinema historian Mick LaSalle cited Gwynne's performance as Judge Chamberlain Haller in his August 2003 article "Role call of overlooked performances is long", writing: "Half of what made Joe Pesci funny in this comedy was the stream of reactions of Gwynne, as the Southern Judge, a Great Dane to Joe Pesci's yapping terrier."
Gwynne sang professionally, painted, sculpted, wrote & illustrated children's books, including: "The King Who Rained" (1970); "A Chocolate Moose for Dinner" (1976); "A Little Pigeon Toad" (1988) and "Pondlarker" (1990). He wrote 10 books in all and "The King Who Rained", "A Chocolate Moose for Dinner" and "A Little Pigeon Toad", which all were published by the prestigious house Simon & Schuster, are still in print. In the first part of his professional life, Gwynne lived a quiet life in suburban Bedford, New York and avoided the Hollywood and Broadway social scenes. He married his first wife Foxy in 1952. They had five children and divorced in 1980. He and his second wife Deb, whom he married in 1981, lived in a renovated farmhouse in rural Taneytown, Maryland. His neighbors described him as a good friend and neighbor who kept his personal and professional lives separate.
Fred Gwynne died on July 2, 1993, in Taneytown, Maryland, after a battle with cancer of the pancreas. He was just eight days shy of turning 67 years old. He is sorely missed by Baby Boomers who grew up delighted by his Officer Francis Muldoon and Herman Munster and were gratified by his late-career renaissance on film.
- IMDb Mini Biography By: Jon C. Hopwood
Spouse (2)
Deb Gwynne (9 March 1988 - 2 July 1993) ( his death)
Foxy Gwynne (30 June 1952 - 1980) ( divorced) ( 5 children)
Trade Mark (4)
Deep commanding voice with a slight Southern twang
Best known for his iconic role as Herman Munster on The Munsters (1964)
Characters who often spend much of their time frowning
Towering height
Trivia (18)
1. Harvard University class of 1951.
2. Performed in Harvard's famous drag troupe Hasty Pudding Theatricals from 1949-1951. Harvard University Class of 1951 Performed in Harvard's famous Hasty Pudding drag revue from 1949-1950.
3. In addition to acting, Gwynne was the talented author and illustrator of several popular children's books, including "A Chocolate Moose for Dinner", "The King Who Rained" and "A Little Pigeon Toad".
Between 1975 and 1982, he appeared in 79 episodes of "The CBS Radio Mystery Theatre".
4. By choice, never part of the Hollywood or Broadway social whirl, Gwynne lived a quiet life in suburban Bedford, New York and, after his second marriage, in a renovated farmhouse in rural Taneytown, Maryland. Most who knew him described him as a good friend and neighbour who liked to keep his personal and professional lives separate.
Biography in: "Who's Who in Comedy" by Ronald L. Smith, pg. 199-200. New York: Facts on File, 1992. ISBN [login to see] .
Herman Munster, Gwynne's character on The Munsters (1964), was ranked #19 in TV Guide's list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time" [20 June 2004 issue].
In his most popular post-The Munsters (1964) role, that of Judge Chamberlain Haller in My Cousin Vinny (1992), one of the sight gags is that the good judge looms a full foot taller than his antagonist, Vinny Gambini, as played by Joe Pesci.
Was a member of the Harvard a cappella group, the Krokodiloes.
Worked as a salesman at Seal Lock Burial Vault, Forest Hills, New York in the early 1950s (The McCloskey family later changed this Woodhaven Boulevard business into a florist shop, still operating in 2007.).
Was originally under consideration for the part of Henry Warnimont on Punky Brewster (1984) until a casting director referred to him as Herman Munster, instead of his real name. An offended Gwynne abruptly withdrew from consideration and George Gaynes wound up with the part.
Was featured/parodied in Playboy's Little Annie Fanny (The Unhappy Comic - April 1963) as Freddy (Annie served as a kind of "visual relief" on-stage), and represented by Annie's agent, Solly, a recurring character based upon Phil Silvers.
In 1964, along with Al Lewis and the Munstermobile (with car designer George Barris at the controls), he appeared in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Five children with Jean Reynard (Foxy Gwynne): three sons Evan Gwynne, Dylan Gwynne (died in 1963, drowned in the family pool) and Keiron Gwynne (became mentally handicapped after an illness at a little over a year old). Two daughters - Madyn Gwynne and Gaynor Gwynne.
When NBC approached him to reprise his role of Herman Munster for a 1981 TV movie The Munsters' Revenge (1981), Gwynne was initially not interested. However, his second wife suggested that he ask the network for a large paycheck which they will probably refuse. However, when NBC surprisingly agreed to his demands, he accepted the role.
Second wife was over 20 years his junior.
He was of English (maternal) and Northern Irish (paternal) ancestry.
He was known to be a very private man.
Personal Quotes
[on his most famous role, 1979]: Funny thing, yesterday morning I found my youngest son and daughter watching the rerun of an old (The Munsters (1964)) episode and I said, "My God, THAT'S not still on, is it?" Well, even so, I was very lucky and it was great fun to be as much of a household product as something like Rinso. I almost wish I could do it all over again.
Fred Gwynne.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwyTfHpGEhU
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen C. LTC (Join to see) Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen Lt Col Charlie Brown Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. Maj William W. 'Bill' Price Maj Marty Hogan SCPO Morris Ramsey SSG John Ross SGT Mark Halmrast Sgt Randy Wilber Sgt John H. SGT Gregory Lawritson CPL Dave Hoover SPC Margaret Higgins Cpl Gabriel F.
In addition he was the author and illustrator of several popular children's books, including "A Chocolate Moose for Dinner", "The King Who Rained" and "A Little Pigeon Toad".
Between 1975 and 1982, he appeared in 79 episodes of "The CBS Radio Mystery Theatre".
Image: Fred Gwynne US Navy Radioman
I am not surprised that this gentle giant was able to transform his radio skills into acting.
To be honest I preferred Fred Gwynne in "Car 54, Where Are You?" as Officer Francis Muldoon with his partner Joe E. Ross as Officer Gunther Toody.
I enjoyed watching the Adams Family which was cutting edge humor to "The Munsters"
Rest in peace Frederick Hubbard Gwynne!
Background from imdb.com/name/nm0001304/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm
"Fred Gwynne Biography
Born July 10, 1926 in New York City, New York, USA
Died July 2, 1993 in Taneytown, Maryland, USA (pancreatic cancer)
Birth Name: Frederick Hubbard Gwynne
Height 6' 5" (1.96 m)
Fred Gwynne was an enormously talented character actor most famous for starring in the television situation comedies Car 54, Where Are You? (1961) (as Officer Francis Muldoon) and The Munsters (1964) (as the Frankenstein clone Herman Munster). He was very tall and had a resonant, baritone voice that he put to good use in Broadway musicals.
Born Frederick Hubbard Gwynne in New York City on July 10, 1926, to a wealthy stockbroker father, he attended the exclusive prep school Groton, where he first appeared on stage in a student production of William Shakespeare's "Henry V". After serving in the United States Navy as a radioman during World War II, he went on to Harvard, where he majored in English and was on the staff of the "Harvard Lampoon". At Harvard, he studied drawing with artist R.S. Merryman and was active in dramatics. A member of the Hasty Pudding Club, he performed in the dining club's theatricals, appearing in the drag revues of 1949 and 1950. After graduating from Harvard with the class of 1951, Gwynne acted in Shakespeare with a Cambridge, Massachusetts repertory company before heading to New York City, where he supported himself as a musician and copywriter. His principal source of income for many years came from his work as a book illustrator and as a commercial artist. His first book, "The Best in Show", was published in 1958.
On February 20, 1952, he made his Broadway debut as the character "Stinker", in support of Helen Hayes, in the comic fantasy "Mrs. McThing". The play, written by "Harvey (1950)" author Mary Chase, had a cast featuring Ernest Borgnine, the future "Professor" Irwin Corey and Brandon De Wilde, the young son of the play's stage manager, Frederick DeWilde. The play ran for 320 performances and closed on January 10, 1953. He next appeared on Broadway in Burgess Meredith's staging of Nathaniel Benchley's comedy "The Frogs of Spring", which opened at the Broadhurst Theatre on October 21, 1953. The play flopped, closing on Halloween Day after but 15 performances. He did not appear on Broadway again for almost seven years.
Gwynne made his movie debut, unbilled, as one of Johnny Friendly's gang of thugs who menace Marlon Brando in Elia Kazan's classic On the Waterfront (1954). From 1956 - 1963, he appeared on the television dramatic showcases Studio One in Hollywood (1948), The Kaiser Aluminum Hour (1956), Kraft Theatre (1947), The DuPont Show of the Month (1957), The DuPont Show of the Week (1961) and The United States Steel Hour (1953). But it was in situation comedies that he made his name and his fame.
In 1955, he made a memorable guest appearance as Private Honigan on The Phil Silvers Show (1955). He played a soldier with an enormous appetite that Phil Silvers' Sgt. Bilko entered into a pie-eating contest, only to discover he could only eat like a trencherman when he was depressed. The spot led to him coming back as a guest in more episodes. While appearing on Broadway as the pimp Polyte-Le-Mou in the Peter Brook-directed hit "Irma La Douce" (winner of the 1961 Tony Award for Best Musical), "Bilko" producer-writer Nat Hiken cast him in one of the lead roles in the situation comedy Car 54, Where Are You? (1961). The series, in which he revealed his wonderful flair for comedy, had Gwynne appearing as New York City police officer Francis Muldoon, who served in a patrol car in the Bronx with the dimwitted Officer Gunther Toody, played by co-star Joe E. Ross ("Oooh! Oooh!"). Car 54, Where Are You? (1961) lasted only two seasons, but it was so fondly remembered by Baby Boomers, it inspired a feature film version in 1994. He also served as Lamb Chop's doctor on another Baby Boomer classic, The Shari Lewis Show (1960).
Another one of his "Car 54, Where Are You?" co-stars, Al Lewis, not only became a lifelong friend, he appeared as Gwynne's father-in-law in his next situation comedy. Gwynne was cast as the Frankenstein's monster-like paterfamilias in The Munsters (1964), which also lasted two seasons. In addition to wearing heavy boots with four-inch lifts on them, Gwynne had to wear 40 - 50 lbs of padding and makeup for the role and he reportedly lost ten pounds in one day of filming under the hot lights. He made guest appearances as Herman Munster, most notably on The Red Skelton Hour (1951), appearing on April 27, 1965, along with Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, a pop band from The Beatles' native Liverpool. Gwynne appeared in character as Herman Munster in a "Freddie the Freeloader" comedy sketch.
When "The Munsters" was canceled after the 1965-1966 season, Gwynne returned to the theatre to escape television typecasting, although he did return for a featured appearance in the televised version of Arsenic and Old Lace (1969), playing the psychotic Jonathan Brewster in an all-star cast, including with his "Mrs. McThing" co-star Helen Hayes, Lillian Gish, Bob Crane, Sue Lyon, Jack Gilford and David Wayne. He appeared twice on television in Mary Chase's "Harvey" (1950), the first time in 1958 on the "Dupont Show of the Month" version broadcast by CBS, in which he appeared in support of Art Carney as Elwood P. Dodd. Others in the cast included Elizabeth Montgomery, Jack Weston and Larry Blyden. He appeared as the cab driver in the 1972 version, Harvey (1972), in which James Stewart reprised his role as Elwood P. Dodd, in which he was reunited with his Broadway co-star Helen Hayes.
In 1968, he made a television series pilot for Screen Gems, "Guess What I Did Today?", co-starring Bridget Hanley, who later played Candy Pruit on Here Come the Brides (1968). The pilot, which was made for NBC, was not picked up by the network. Gwynne had trouble making producers forget his character Herman Munster and he started refusing to have anything to do with or even to speak of the show. One of the few visual productions to utilise his beautiful singing voice was The Littlest Angel (1969), a musical produced as part of the Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951).
His movie and television appearances were sporadic throughout the 1970s as he worked on- and off-Broadway. He had used his singing voice again to great effect in Meredith Wilson's musical "Here's Love", which opened at the Shubert Theatre on October 20, 1963 and played for 334 performances, closing on July 25, 1964. Exactly nine years from the "Here's Love" opening, he appeared at the Plymouth as "Abraham Lincoln" in the Broadway play "The Lincoln Mask", a flop that lasted but one week of eight performances.
His most distinguished performance on Broadway (and the favourite of all of his theatrical roles, was as Big Daddy in the 1974 Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof". Though not as cutting as Burl Ives had been in the original production, his Big Daddy was lyrical and powerful, so much so that he overpowered Keir Dullea in the role of "Brick". However, Elizabeth Ashley won a Tony Award for playing Maggie the Cat in the production, which gave Tennessee Williams his first big success in a decade, albeit in a revival.
Gwynne also was memorable as the elderly Klansman in the first two parts of "The Texas Trilogy" in 1977 season. His last appearance on Broadway was in Anthony Shaffer's "Whodunnit", which opened at the Biltmore Theatre on December 30, 1983 and closed May 15, 1983 after 157 total performances. Before saying goodbye to the Broadway stage in a hit, he had appeared on the Great White Way in two flops in 1978: "Angel", the musical version of Thomas Wolfe's "Look Homeward, Angel" (which lasted but five performances) and the Australian professional football club drama "Players" (which lasted 23 performances). For the Joseph Papp Public Theatre/New York Shakespeare Festival, he had appeared in Off-Broadway in "More Than You Deserve" in the 1973-1974 season and, in "Grand Magic", during the 1978-1979 season, for which he won an Obie Award. On the radio, Gwynne appeared in 79 episodes of "The CBS Radio Mystery Theatre" between 1975 and 1982.
With time, his characterisation of Herman Munster began to fade and he began establishing himself as a film character actor of note in the 1980s with well-reviewed appearances in The Cotton Club (1984), Ironweed (1987), Disorganized Crime (1989) and Pet Sematary (1989), in which his character, Jud Crandall, was based on author Stephen King, who himself is quite tall. Gwynne also made a memorable turn as the judge who battles with the eponymous My Cousin Vinny (1992), his last film. Critic and cinema historian Mick LaSalle cited Gwynne's performance as Judge Chamberlain Haller in his August 2003 article "Role call of overlooked performances is long", writing: "Half of what made Joe Pesci funny in this comedy was the stream of reactions of Gwynne, as the Southern Judge, a Great Dane to Joe Pesci's yapping terrier."
Gwynne sang professionally, painted, sculpted, wrote & illustrated children's books, including: "The King Who Rained" (1970); "A Chocolate Moose for Dinner" (1976); "A Little Pigeon Toad" (1988) and "Pondlarker" (1990). He wrote 10 books in all and "The King Who Rained", "A Chocolate Moose for Dinner" and "A Little Pigeon Toad", which all were published by the prestigious house Simon & Schuster, are still in print. In the first part of his professional life, Gwynne lived a quiet life in suburban Bedford, New York and avoided the Hollywood and Broadway social scenes. He married his first wife Foxy in 1952. They had five children and divorced in 1980. He and his second wife Deb, whom he married in 1981, lived in a renovated farmhouse in rural Taneytown, Maryland. His neighbors described him as a good friend and neighbor who kept his personal and professional lives separate.
Fred Gwynne died on July 2, 1993, in Taneytown, Maryland, after a battle with cancer of the pancreas. He was just eight days shy of turning 67 years old. He is sorely missed by Baby Boomers who grew up delighted by his Officer Francis Muldoon and Herman Munster and were gratified by his late-career renaissance on film.
- IMDb Mini Biography By: Jon C. Hopwood
Spouse (2)
Deb Gwynne (9 March 1988 - 2 July 1993) ( his death)
Foxy Gwynne (30 June 1952 - 1980) ( divorced) ( 5 children)
Trade Mark (4)
Deep commanding voice with a slight Southern twang
Best known for his iconic role as Herman Munster on The Munsters (1964)
Characters who often spend much of their time frowning
Towering height
Trivia (18)
1. Harvard University class of 1951.
2. Performed in Harvard's famous drag troupe Hasty Pudding Theatricals from 1949-1951. Harvard University Class of 1951 Performed in Harvard's famous Hasty Pudding drag revue from 1949-1950.
3. In addition to acting, Gwynne was the talented author and illustrator of several popular children's books, including "A Chocolate Moose for Dinner", "The King Who Rained" and "A Little Pigeon Toad".
Between 1975 and 1982, he appeared in 79 episodes of "The CBS Radio Mystery Theatre".
4. By choice, never part of the Hollywood or Broadway social whirl, Gwynne lived a quiet life in suburban Bedford, New York and, after his second marriage, in a renovated farmhouse in rural Taneytown, Maryland. Most who knew him described him as a good friend and neighbour who liked to keep his personal and professional lives separate.
Biography in: "Who's Who in Comedy" by Ronald L. Smith, pg. 199-200. New York: Facts on File, 1992. ISBN [login to see] .
Herman Munster, Gwynne's character on The Munsters (1964), was ranked #19 in TV Guide's list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time" [20 June 2004 issue].
In his most popular post-The Munsters (1964) role, that of Judge Chamberlain Haller in My Cousin Vinny (1992), one of the sight gags is that the good judge looms a full foot taller than his antagonist, Vinny Gambini, as played by Joe Pesci.
Was a member of the Harvard a cappella group, the Krokodiloes.
Worked as a salesman at Seal Lock Burial Vault, Forest Hills, New York in the early 1950s (The McCloskey family later changed this Woodhaven Boulevard business into a florist shop, still operating in 2007.).
Was originally under consideration for the part of Henry Warnimont on Punky Brewster (1984) until a casting director referred to him as Herman Munster, instead of his real name. An offended Gwynne abruptly withdrew from consideration and George Gaynes wound up with the part.
Was featured/parodied in Playboy's Little Annie Fanny (The Unhappy Comic - April 1963) as Freddy (Annie served as a kind of "visual relief" on-stage), and represented by Annie's agent, Solly, a recurring character based upon Phil Silvers.
In 1964, along with Al Lewis and the Munstermobile (with car designer George Barris at the controls), he appeared in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Five children with Jean Reynard (Foxy Gwynne): three sons Evan Gwynne, Dylan Gwynne (died in 1963, drowned in the family pool) and Keiron Gwynne (became mentally handicapped after an illness at a little over a year old). Two daughters - Madyn Gwynne and Gaynor Gwynne.
When NBC approached him to reprise his role of Herman Munster for a 1981 TV movie The Munsters' Revenge (1981), Gwynne was initially not interested. However, his second wife suggested that he ask the network for a large paycheck which they will probably refuse. However, when NBC surprisingly agreed to his demands, he accepted the role.
Second wife was over 20 years his junior.
He was of English (maternal) and Northern Irish (paternal) ancestry.
He was known to be a very private man.
Personal Quotes
[on his most famous role, 1979]: Funny thing, yesterday morning I found my youngest son and daughter watching the rerun of an old (The Munsters (1964)) episode and I said, "My God, THAT'S not still on, is it?" Well, even so, I was very lucky and it was great fun to be as much of a household product as something like Rinso. I almost wish I could do it all over again.
Fred Gwynne.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwyTfHpGEhU
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen C. LTC (Join to see) Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen Lt Col Charlie Brown Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. Maj William W. 'Bill' Price Maj Marty Hogan SCPO Morris Ramsey SSG John Ross SGT Mark Halmrast Sgt Randy Wilber Sgt John H. SGT Gregory Lawritson CPL Dave Hoover SPC Margaret Higgins Cpl Gabriel F.
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LTC Stephen F.
You are very welcome my friend Lt Col Charlie Brown. I always try to find additional information for historically-themed posts.
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Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen
I will never forget my father laughing like crazy at Car 54 Where Are You.
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Maj Marty Hogan, I liked Fred Gwynne best as Judge Chamberlain Haller in My Cousin Vinny!
LTC Stephen F.
LTC Stephen F.
(5)
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