FRED GWYNNE
Name: Frederick Hubbard Gwynne
Born: 10 July 1926 New York City, New York, USA
Died: 2 July 1993 Taneytown, Maryland, USA
Frederick Hubbard Gwynne (July 10, 1926 – July 2, 1993) was an American
television and film actor. Gwynne is best known for his roles as Francis Muldoon
and Herman Munster in the 1960s sitcoms Car 54, Where Are You? and The Munsters,
respectively.
Gwynne was born in New York City, the son of Dorothy (née Ficken) and Frederick
Walker Gwynne, a partner in the securities firm, Gwynne Brothers. His
paternal grandfather was an Episcopal minister who was born in Camus, County
Tyrone, Northern Ireland, UK and his maternal grandfather was an immigrant from
London, England, UK. Gwynne attended the prestigious Groton School and went
on to graduate from Harvard University in 1951, where he became a member of the
Fly Club, and the Harvard Krokodiloes. During World War II, he served in the U.S.
Navy and studied art on the G.I. Bill.
His first forays into acting in 1951 did not pay well so he worked for a while
as a copywriter for J. Walter Thompson. His Broadway career began to take off in
1952 so he quit the agency. He was a cartoonist for the Harvard Lampoon and
became its president; he acted in the Hasty Pudding Club, sang in the Harvard
Krokodiloes, and joined the Brattle Theatre Repertory Company after graduation.
His first Broadway role was as a gangster in a 1952 comedy, "Mrs. McThing,"
which starred Helen Hayes.
In 1955, Gwynne made a memorable appearance on The Phil Silvers Show as Private
Honigan in "The Eating Contest." Honigan goes on eating binges when depressed.
Sgt. Bilko then realizes he can make a quick buck off of Honigan by entering him
in an eating contest. Gwynne's second appearance on The Phil Silvers Show (in
the episode "For The Birds" in 1956) and many other shows led Nat Hiken to cast
him in the sitcom Car 54, Where Are You? as Patrolman Francis Muldoon, opposite
Joe E. Ross. During the two-season run of the program he met longtime friend and
later co-star, Al Lewis. After his experience in The Munsters, he was
unfortunate to be typecast as Herman Munster, the tall, goofy parody of
Frankenstein's monster, and experienced difficulty with being cast in other
projects. Gwynne was 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) tall. For his role as Herman Munster he
had to wear 40 or 50 lb (20 kg) of padding, makeup and 4-inch elevator shoes.
While filming The Munsters, his face was painted a bright violet because it
captured the most light on the black-and-white film. Of the face-paint, he said,
"I didn't mind it all that much, although it kind of made me look like a purple
Indian." Gwynne was known for his good spirits and sense of humor, and retained
fond recollections of Herman. He was later cast as Jonathan Brewster, a
Frankenstein monster-like character, in a 1969 television production of "Arsenic
and Old Lace".
In addition to his acting career, Gwynne sang professionally, painted, and wrote
and illustrated children's books, including A Chocolate Moose for Dinner, The
King Who Rained, Best In Show, Pondlarker, and A Little Pigeon Toad. He also
lent his voice talents to commercials and radio shows such as CBS Radio Mystery
Theater. Later, he held a number of shows of his art work, the first in 1989.
He was able to display his musical talents in a Hallmark Hall of Fame made for
television production, "The Littlest Angel" (1969). Gwynne eventually proved
himself as a fine dramatic actor on stage. In 1974, he played the role of "Big
Daddy" in the Broadway revival of Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. Another memorable role
was as the Stage Manager in Our Town. He also appeared as "Colonel J. C. Kinkaid"
in two parts of A Texas Trilogy. In 1984, he tried out for the part of Henry on
the show Punky Brewster. He withdrew when the auditioner identified him as "Herman
Munster" rather than by his real name. The role of Henry subsequently went to
George Gaynes.
His performance as Jud Crandall in Pet Sematary was based on author Stephen King
himself, who is also quite tall — only an inch shorter than the actor — and uses
a similarly thick Maine dialect. Gwynne's Pet Sematary character has had
recurring parody appearances in the South Park episodes "Butters' Very Own
Episode", "Asspen", and "Marjorine". Gwynne also had roles in the movies On the
Waterfront, Disorganized Crime, The Cotton Club, Captains Courageous, The Secret
of My Success, Water, Ironweed, Fatal Attraction and The Boy Who Could Fly. In
his last film, the tall imposing actor played Judge Chamberlain Haller in the
1992 film comedy, My Cousin Vinny, in which he used a Southern accent.
Gwynne died of pancreatic cancer in Taneytown, Maryland on July 2, 1993. He was
eight days shy of his 67th birthday. Gwynne left a wife Deborah and four
children.
Name: Frederick Hubbard Gwynne
Born: 10 July 1926 New York City, New York, USA
Died: 2 July 1993 Taneytown, Maryland, USA
Frederick Hubbard Gwynne (July 10, 1926 – July 2, 1993) was an American
television and film actor. Gwynne is best known for his roles as Francis Muldoon
and Herman Munster in the 1960s sitcoms Car 54, Where Are You? and The Munsters,
respectively.
Gwynne was born in New York City, the son of Dorothy (née Ficken) and Frederick
Walker Gwynne, a partner in the securities firm, Gwynne Brothers. His
paternal grandfather was an Episcopal minister who was born in Camus, County
Tyrone, Northern Ireland, UK and his maternal grandfather was an immigrant from
London, England, UK. Gwynne attended the prestigious Groton School and went
on to graduate from Harvard University in 1951, where he became a member of the
Fly Club, and the Harvard Krokodiloes. During World War II, he served in the U.S.
Navy and studied art on the G.I. Bill.
His first forays into acting in 1951 did not pay well so he worked for a while
as a copywriter for J. Walter Thompson. His Broadway career began to take off in
1952 so he quit the agency. He was a cartoonist for the Harvard Lampoon and
became its president; he acted in the Hasty Pudding Club, sang in the Harvard
Krokodiloes, and joined the Brattle Theatre Repertory Company after graduation.
His first Broadway role was as a gangster in a 1952 comedy, "Mrs. McThing,"
which starred Helen Hayes.
In 1955, Gwynne made a memorable appearance on The Phil Silvers Show as Private
Honigan in "The Eating Contest." Honigan goes on eating binges when depressed.
Sgt. Bilko then realizes he can make a quick buck off of Honigan by entering him
in an eating contest. Gwynne's second appearance on The Phil Silvers Show (in
the episode "For The Birds" in 1956) and many other shows led Nat Hiken to cast
him in the sitcom Car 54, Where Are You? as Patrolman Francis Muldoon, opposite
Joe E. Ross. During the two-season run of the program he met longtime friend and
later co-star, Al Lewis. After his experience in The Munsters, he was
unfortunate to be typecast as Herman Munster, the tall, goofy parody of
Frankenstein's monster, and experienced difficulty with being cast in other
projects. Gwynne was 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) tall. For his role as Herman Munster he
had to wear 40 or 50 lb (20 kg) of padding, makeup and 4-inch elevator shoes.
While filming The Munsters, his face was painted a bright violet because it
captured the most light on the black-and-white film. Of the face-paint, he said,
"I didn't mind it all that much, although it kind of made me look like a purple
Indian." Gwynne was known for his good spirits and sense of humor, and retained
fond recollections of Herman. He was later cast as Jonathan Brewster, a
Frankenstein monster-like character, in a 1969 television production of "Arsenic
and Old Lace".
In addition to his acting career, Gwynne sang professionally, painted, and wrote
and illustrated children's books, including A Chocolate Moose for Dinner, The
King Who Rained, Best In Show, Pondlarker, and A Little Pigeon Toad. He also
lent his voice talents to commercials and radio shows such as CBS Radio Mystery
Theater. Later, he held a number of shows of his art work, the first in 1989.
He was able to display his musical talents in a Hallmark Hall of Fame made for
television production, "The Littlest Angel" (1969). Gwynne eventually proved
himself as a fine dramatic actor on stage. In 1974, he played the role of "Big
Daddy" in the Broadway revival of Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. Another memorable role
was as the Stage Manager in Our Town. He also appeared as "Colonel J. C. Kinkaid"
in two parts of A Texas Trilogy. In 1984, he tried out for the part of Henry on
the show Punky Brewster. He withdrew when the auditioner identified him as "Herman
Munster" rather than by his real name. The role of Henry subsequently went to
George Gaynes.
His performance as Jud Crandall in Pet Sematary was based on author Stephen King
himself, who is also quite tall — only an inch shorter than the actor — and uses
a similarly thick Maine dialect. Gwynne's Pet Sematary character has had
recurring parody appearances in the South Park episodes "Butters' Very Own
Episode", "Asspen", and "Marjorine". Gwynne also had roles in the movies On the
Waterfront, Disorganized Crime, The Cotton Club, Captains Courageous, The Secret
of My Success, Water, Ironweed, Fatal Attraction and The Boy Who Could Fly. In
his last film, the tall imposing actor played Judge Chamberlain Haller in the
1992 film comedy, My Cousin Vinny, in which he used a Southern accent.
Gwynne died of pancreatic cancer in Taneytown, Maryland on July 2, 1993. He was
eight days shy of his 67th birthday. Gwynne left a wife Deborah and four
children.