William Frawley
William Frawley ( born February 26, 1887 in Burlington, Iowa, as William Clement Frawley, † March 3, 1966 in Hollywood, California ) was an American actor.
Life
Born and raised in Burlington, Iowa was William Frawley in childhood on the stage. He sang in the choir of St. Paul 's Catholic Church and was on stage at the Burlington Opera House. However, he had his first steady job outside of show business as a typist at the Union Pacific Railroad. Together with his brother he went on casually with Vaudeville numbers and with pianist Franz Rath, the brothers developed a stage program that took her to San Francisco in 1910.
There met William Frawley Edna Louise Broedt and married her in 1914. Together, the couple went to the comedy show Frawley and Louise on tour. After the divorce of Edna Broedt 1927, the actor spent some time in New York and played on Broadway before he moved to Hollywood in 1932. There he was put under contract by Paramount and played in the following years in over 100 films supporting roles.
In the early 1950s he was hired as a replacement for Gale Gordon of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz for their new television series. In the role of Fred Mertz he played the owner of Ball and Arnaz, and the husband of Vivian Vance. Although the actor and his series wife did not like behind the camera, the series was a great success, so the two had to come to terms.
William Frawley died shortly after his 79th birthday of a heart attack. He was buried at the San Fernando Mission Cemetery.
Awards
William was dedicated a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his achievements in film. The star is located at address 6322 Hollywood Boulevard.