Fred Gwynne

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 as Herman Munster in The Munsters, as well as his later roles in The Cotton Club, Pet Sematary and My Cousin Vinny.

Fred Gwynne
Gwynne (left) and Joe E. Ross in Car 54, Where Are You?, 1962
Born
Frederick Hubbard Gwynne

(1926-07-10)July 10, 1926
DiedJuly 2, 1993(1993-07-02) (aged 66)
Resting placeSandy Mount United Methodist Church Cemetery, Finksburg, Maryland, United States
Alma materHarvard University, 1951
OccupationActor
Years active1951–1992
Height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Spouse(s)
  • Jean "Foxy" Reynard
    (m. 1952; div. 1980)
  • Deborah Flater
    (m. 1988)
Children5

Early life

Dorothy Ficken, Gwynne's mother, in 1917

Gwynne was born on July 10, 1926, in New York City, the son of Frederick Walker Gwynne, a partner in the securities firm Gwynne Brothers, and his wife Dorothy Ficken Gwynne.[1] His paternal grandfather, Walker Gwynne, was an Anglican priest, born in Camus, near Strabane, County Tyrone, Ireland, around 1846, who married an American woman, Helen Lea Bowers, and his maternal grandfather, Henry Edwards Ficken, was an emigrant from London, England, who married an American woman, Josephine or Josephina Preston Hubbard.[1][2][3]

He had at least two siblings, Dorothy Gwynne and Bowers Gwynne, who both died young. Although Gwynne grew up in Tuxedo Park, New York,[4] he spent most of his childhood in South Carolina, Florida, and Colorado because his father traveled extensively. He attended the Groton School.

During World War II, Gwynne served in the United States Navy as a radioman on a submarine chaser.[5] 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,[6] was a cartoonist for the Harvard Lampoon (eventually becoming its president), and acted in the Hasty Pudding Theatricals shows.

Career

Gwynne (right) as Herman Munster, sharing a toast with Al Lewis (Grandpa) while Beverley Owen (Marilyn) looks on

Gwynne joined the Brattle Theatre Repertory Company after his 1951 graduation,[7] then moved to New York City. To support himself, Gwynne worked as a copywriter for J. Walter Thompson, resigning in 1952 upon being cast in his first Broadway role, a gangster in a comedy called Mrs. McThing starring Helen Hayes.[7]

Another early role was a New York City Drama Company production at City Center of Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost in 1953, in the role of Dull, a constable.[8]

In 1954, he made his first cinematic appearance playing – in an uncredited role – the laconic character "Slim" in the Oscar-winning film On the Waterfront opposite Marlon Brando and Lee J. Cobb. Shortly afterwards Phil Silvers sought him out for his television show because he had been impressed by Gwynne's comedic work in Mrs. McThing. As a result, in 1955, Gwynne made a memorable appearance on The Phil Silvers Show, in the episode "The Eating Contest" as the character Corporal Ed Honnergar, whose depressive eating binges are exploited by Sgt. Bilko (Phil Silvers), who seeks prize money by entering Honnergar in an eating contest.

Gwynne's second appearance on The Phil Silvers Show (in the episode "Its For The Birds" in 1956 in which Bilko persuades bird expert Honnergar to go on The $64,000 Question) and appearances on many other shows led writer-producer Nat Hiken to cast him in the sitcom Car 54, Where Are You? as New York City 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.

Gwynne was 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) tall, an attribute that contributed to his being cast as Herman Munster, a goofy parody of Frankenstein's monster, in the sitcom The Munsters. For his role he had to wear 40 or 50 lbs of padding, makeup, and 4-inch asphalt-spreader boots. His face was painted a bright violet because it captured the most light on the black-and-white film. Gwynne was known for his sense of humor and retained fond recollections of Herman,[5] saying in later life, "... I might as well tell you the truth. I love old Herman Munster. Much as I try not to, I can't stop liking that fellow."[7]

After his iconic role in The Munsters, he found himself typecast, unable to gain new cinema character roles for over two years. In 1969, he was cast as Jonathan Brewster in a television production of Arsenic and Old Lace. (The Brewster character had originally been played by Boris Karloff in the Broadway theater production of the play; Karloff had also famously played the movies' Frankenstein character that Gwynne's Herman Munster character was based on.) Gwynne then found success as a stage actor in regional state productions across the United States while maintaining a low Hollywood profile, before being rediscovered.

A talented vocalist, Gwynne sang in a Hallmark Hall of Fame made-for-television production, The Littlest Angel (1969), and went on to perform in a variety of roles on stage and screen. In 1974, drawing upon his own Southern roots, he appeared in the role of Big Daddy Pollitt in the Broadway revival of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof with Elizabeth Ashley, Keir Dullea and Kate Reid. In 1975 he played the Stage Manager in Our Town at the American Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford, Connecticut.[9]

He returned to Broadway in 1976 as Colonel J. C. Kinkaid in two parts of A Texas Trilogy. In 1984, Gwynne was auditioning for the part of Henry on the show Punky Brewster. Gwynne withdrew from the audition in frustration when a director identified him as Herman Munster rather than by his real name.[10] The role of Henry subsequently went to George Gaynes. In 1987, Fred Gwynne starred in a short-lived TV series Jake's M.O. where he played an investigative reporter.

Fred Gwynne's performance as Jud Crandall in Pet Sematary was based on author Stephen King himself, who is only an inch shorter than the actor, and uses a similarly thick Maine dialect. The character's likeness and accent, as played by Gwynne, have been used in a number of episodes of the animated show South Park, beginning in 2001 and as recently as 2019.[11] Gwynne also had roles in the movies Simon, On the Waterfront, So Fine, Disorganized Crime, The Cotton Club, Captains Courageous, The Secret of My Success, Water, Ironweed, Fatal Attraction, and The Boy Who Could Fly. Despite his misgiving about having been typecast, he also agreed to reprise the role of Herman Munster for the 1981 TV reunion movie The Munsters' Revenge. Gwynne played Judge Chamberlain Haller[12] in his last film, the 1992 comedy My Cousin Vinny. As a Yale University-educated judge in the film, he used a Southern accent in his verbal sparring with Joe Pesci's character, Vincent "Vinny" Gambini.[13]

As painter and illustrator

In addition to his acting career, Gwynne sang professionally, painted, and wrote and illustrated children's books, including Best In Show (later titled It's Easy to See Why), Daddy Has a Mole on His Nose, A Chocolate Moose for Dinner, The King Who Rained, Pondlarker, The Battle of the Frogs and Mice, and A Little Pigeon Toad. Many of these efforts were based on children's frequent misperceptions of things they hear from adults, such as the "chocolate moose for dinner", which was illustrated as a large brown antlered quadruped seated at the dinner table. The other books on this theme were "The King Who Rained", "A Little Pigeon Toad" (in which a child's mother thus describes her father), and "The Sixteen Hand Horse".[5]

Perhaps one of the reasons the books did not achieve wider popularity initially was the fact that their format was geared to a very young audience, but the concept itself was more appealing to older children and adults, achieving critical success and eventually becoming regular bestsellers for their publisher.[5] He also lent his voice talents to commercials and radio shows such as CBS Radio Mystery Theater ("Kill Now and Pay Later", "Gate 27"), and for some radio fans, he is known foremost for his contribution to CBSRMT's success. Later, he held a number of shows of his artwork, the first in 1989.

Personal life

In 1952, Gwynne married socialite Jean "Foxy" Reynard,[14] a granddaughter of New York City mayor William Jay Gaynor.[15] Before divorcing in 1980, the couple had five children: Kieron (son, b. 1952); Gaynor (daughter, b. 1954); Evan (son, b. 1956); Madyn (daughter, b. 1965) and Dylan (son, b. September 1962 / d. July 12, 1963, drowning).[16][17]

In 1988, Gwynne married Deborah Flater.[16]

Death

Fred Gwynne died of complications from pancreatic cancer,[16] in the cigar room at his home in Taneytown, Maryland, on July 2, 1993, eight days short of his 67th birthday.[18] He is buried at Sandy Mount United Methodist Church Cemetery in Finksburg, Maryland.[19]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1954On the WaterfrontMladen "Slim" SekulovichUncredited
1966Munster, Go Home!Herman Munster
1969The Littlest AngelThe Understanding AngelTV movie
1977Captains CourageousLong JackTV movie
1979La LunaDouglas Winter
1980SimonMaj. Gen. Korey
1981So FineChairman Lincoln
1982The Mysterious StrangerBalthasar HoffmanTV movie
1984The Cotton ClubFrenchy Demange
1985WaterSpender
1986Off BeatPolice commissioner
1986The Boy Who Could FlyUncle Hugo
1986The Christmas StarWaters
1987The Secret of My SuccessDonald Davenport
1987Fatal AttractionArthur
1987IronweedOscar Reo
1987Jake's M.O.Jake Tekulve
1989Disorganized CrimeMax Green
1989Pet SemataryJud Crandall
1991Shadows and FogHacker's Follower
1992My Cousin VinnyJudge Chamberlain Haller

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1952The Repertory TheatrePerformerEpisode: "A Man's Game"
1953You Are ThereDavy Crockett2 episodes
1955–1956The Phil Silvers ShowCpl. Ed Honnegan2 episodes
1956Studio One in HollywoodLittle DudeEpisode: "The Landady's Daughter"
1957The Kaiser Aluminum HourEggheadEpisode: "A Man's Game"
1957SuspicionHughieEpisode: "Hand in Glove"
1957Kraft TheatrePerformer2 episodes
1958The Steve Allen ShowComedianEpisode: #3.23
1958The InvestigatorPerformerEpisode: #1.07
1958DuPont Show of the MonthE.J. Loffgrin2 episodes
1961The Play of the WeekPerformerEpisode: "The Old Foolishness"
1961–1963Car 54, Where Are You?Officer Francis Muldoon60 episodes
1962The DuPont Show of the WeekWilliam MageeEpisode: "Seven Keys to Baldgate"
1963The United States Steel HourWillie BotsfordEpisode: "Don't Shake the Family Tree"
1964BrennerFrancis X. FishEpisode: "Charlie Paradise: The Tragic Flute"
1964My Son, the Witch DoctorPerformerTV film
1964-1966The MunstersHerman MunsterMain role; 70 episodes produced
1965The Red Skelton ShowHerman MunsterEpisode: "Ta-Ra-Ra-Bum-Today"
1966The Danny Kaye ShowHerman MunsterEpisode: "Fred Gwynne"
1966New York Television TheatreThe ProfessorEpisode: "The Lesson"
1967NET PlayhouseOfficer AvonzinoEpisode: "Infancy and Childhood"
1968Mad Mad ScientistWarren SpringerTV film
1969Arsenic and Old LaceJonathan BrewsterTV film
1969Anderson and CompanyMarshall AndersonTV film
1969The Littlest AngelGuardian AngelTV film
1971Dames at SeaHenneseyTV film
1971Great PerformancesPikeEpisode: "Paradise Lost"
1971The PoliceSergeantTV film
1972HarveyCab DriverTV film
1972Norman Corwin PresentsPerformerEpisode: "Aunt Dorothy's Playroom"
1976Bound for FreedomWaldrussTV film
1976Captains and the KingsPerformerMiniseries
1977Captains CourageousLong JackTV film
1979Sanctuary of FearJudge PotterTV film
1980A Day with Conrad GreenConrad GreenTV film
1981The Munsters' RevengeHerman MunsterTV film
1982–1987American PlayhouseCharles Dickens2 episodes
1982The Mysterious StrangerBalthasar HoffmanTV film
1985Kane & AbelDavis LeRoy2 episodes
1986Vanishing ActFather MacklinTV film
1987Murder by the BookVictor GrevilleTV film
1990Murder in Black and WhiteBranniganTV film
1990Earthday BirthdayFred the MooseVoice, TV film
1992LincolnEdwin StantonVoice, TV film

References

  1. "Gwynne family genealogy". Rootsweb.com.
  2. "Census of Population and Housing, 1970 [United States]: Master Enumeration District (MED) Lists". June 28, 1984. doi:10.3886/icpsr08109.v2. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. Elias, Carlos; Kirlys, Rokas; Topyan, Kudret (August 1, 2017). "Return Predictability in Santiago Stock Exchange: an Empirical Analysis using Portfolio Method". Journal of Advances in Economics and Finance. 2 (3). doi:10.22606/jaef.2017.23005. ISSN 2519-5980.
  4. "Cartoonist Fred Gwynne Is Elected Lampoon President - News - The Harvard Crimson". Thecrimson.com. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  5. Wright, Andy (June 16, 2017). "The Man Behind Herman Munster Wrote Some Puntastic Children's Books". Atlas Obscura-Stories. Atlas Obscura. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
  6. "Tribute to Fred Gwynne". Harvard Krokodiloes website.
  7. Lambert, Bruce (July 3, 1993) "Fred Gwynne, Popular Actor, Is Dead at 66". The New York Times, p. 8: Reference for Harvard Lampoon, Hasty Pudding Theatricals, Brattle Theatre, "Mrs. McThing".
  8. Sheaffer, Louis. "Shakespeare Imaginatively Staged at City Center." Brooklyn Eagle, 5 February 1953.
  9. "8 surprising facts about the great Fred Gwynne - 7. He almost starred on 'Punky Brewster.'". MeTV. July 10, 2018. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  10. "8 surprising facts about the great Fred Gwynne - 7. He almost starred on 'Punky Brewster.'". MeTV. July 10, 2018. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  11. https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-complete-guide-to-south-park-movie-parodies-and-references/
  12. Mondello, Bob (March 7, 2017). "How Do Americans Feel About The Courts? Let Hollywood Be The Judge". NPR. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  13. My Cousin Vinny (5/5) Movie CLIP - Automotive Expert (1992) HD. Fandango ~ Movie Clips (Comedy). August 4, 2015. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  14. Fred(erick) (Hubbard) Gwynne. (2003). In Gale Literature: Contemporary Authors. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale.
  15. "Enchanted Lady: The colorful columnist is moving into Ridgefield". January 4, 2010. Ridgefield Holiday magazine '09-'10 archives.
  16. Lambert, Bruce (July 3, 1993). "Fred Gwynne, Popular Actor, Is Dead at 66". The New York Times.
  17. "Fred Gwynne" Archived June 10, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Biography.com.
  18. "Fred Gwynne". Biography. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  19. Magical Destinations of the Northeast
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