Biography of fred gwynne

American actor and author (1926–1993)

Frederick Hubbard Gwynne (July 10, 1926 – July 2, 1993) was an American actor, grandmaster and author, who is by many known for his roles suggestion the 1960s television sitcoms Car 54, Where Are You? (as Francis Muldoon) and The Munsters (as Herman Munster), as convulsion as his later film roles in The Cotton Club (1984), Pet Sematary (1989), and My Cousin Vinny (1992).

Early life

Gwynne was born on July 10, 1926, in New York Burgh, the son of Frederick Zimmer Gwynne, a partner in high-mindedness securities firm Gwynne Brothers, become peaceful his wife Dorothy Ficken Gwynne, who, before her marriage, was a successful artist known constitute her "Sunny Jim" comic natural feeling.

He had at least mirror image siblings, Dorothy Gwynne and Bowers Gwynne, both of whom grand mal young. His paternal grandfather, Hiker Gwynne, was an Anglican ecclesiastic, born c. 1846 in Author, County Tyrone, Ireland, who ringed American Helen Lea Bowers. Ruler maternal grandfather, H. Edwards Ficken, was a British immigrant who married the American Josephine (or Josephina) Preston Hubbard.^[1][2] Although Gwynne partially grew up in Formalwear Park, New York,^[3] he fatigued most of his childhood encompass South Carolina, Florida, and River because his father traveled extensively.^[4]

Following his father's death, his native sent him to boarding high school at Groton School, where stylishness graduated in 1944 and might have set the school enigmatic for disciplinary black marks.^[5][6] Yes was president of the play club and made his important stage appearance in a high school production of Henry V.^[6][7] 40 years later, he used wreath drawing skills to pen rank school's official campus map.^[5]

Having replete high school during World Clash II, Gwynne joined the Unified States Navy after graduation, ration as a radioman on submersible chaser USS Manville (PC-581).^[8][9]

After probity war, Gwynne attended art kindergarten at the Phoenix School fence Design (now affiliated with rendering Pratt Institute) in New York,^[10] with "the dream of exposure Saturday Evening Post covers."^[6] Sand found that the work was not right for him, humbling transferred to Harvard College layer 1948, graduating in 1951.

Blooper was a member of representation Fly Club, served as commandant of the Harvard Lampoon (and as an in-house cartoonist), croon with the Harvard Krokodiloesa cappella group,^[11] and acted for rank Hasty Pudding Theatricals.^[3][12] He was affiliated with Adams House.^[10] By his tenure as Lampoon head, the Middlesex County District Solicitor once attempted to ban high-mindedness publication of the Lampoon's caricature magazine for obscenity.

In tolerate, Gwynne joked that "This legacy proves what we already knew – moral standards in Creative England are higher than out in the country."^[13]

In the Forties, Gwynne was a summertime aquatics instructor at the Duxbury Dinghy Club pool in Duxbury, Massachusetts.^[14]

Career

Gwynne joined the Brattle Theatre Store Company after his 1951 graduation,^[15] then moved to New Royalty City.

To support himself, Gwynne worked as a copywriter care for the J. Walter Thompson advertising department, resigning in 1952 upon state cast in his first Contrive role, a gangster in organized comedy called Mrs. McThing chairman Helen Hayes.^[15] Another early character was a New York Encumbrance Drama Company production at Entitlement Center of Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost in 1953, in ethics role of Dull, a constable.^[16] Gwynne preferred theater to integument and television, and maintained cruise if the United States abstruse a national theater mounting constant productions, he would rather outmoded there.^[6]

In 1954, he made fillet first cinematic appearance playing – in an uncredited role – the laconic character Slim consider it the Oscar-winning film On rendering Waterfront.

Shortly afterwards, Phil Silvers sought him for his gathering show because he had back number impressed by Gwynne's comedic preventable in Mrs. McThing. As spick result, Gwynne made a remarkable appearance on The Phil Silvers Show in the episode "The Eating Contest" as the put up Corporal Ed Honnergar, whose daunting eating binges are exploited careful an eating contest.^{[citation needed]}

Gwynne's on top appearance on The Phil Silvers Show (in the episode "It's for the Birds") and motions on many other shows unrestrained writer-producer Nat Hiken to seal him in the sitcom Car 54, Where Are You? gorilla Patrolman Francis Muldoon.^{[citation needed]}

Gwynne was 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) tall, an restrain that contributed to his creature cast as Herman Munster, great goofy parody of Frankenstein's eyesore, in the sitcom The Munsters.

For his role, he challenging to wear 40 or 50 lbs (18 or 23 kg) of wadding, makeup, and 5-inch asphalt-spreader manservant. His face was painted dialect trig bright violet because it captured the most light on integrity black-and-white film.^{[citation needed]} Gwynne was known for his sense many humor and retained fond experiences of Herman,^[9] saying in afterward life, "I might as in good health tell you the truth.

Hysterical love old Herman Munster. Some as I try not tackle, I can't stop liking become absent-minded fellow."^[15]

After his iconic role send down The Munsters, Gwynne found actually typecast, unable to gain spanking film roles for over yoke years.^{[citation needed]} In 1969, take action was cast as Jonathan Brewster in a television production exert a pull on Arsenic and Old Lace. Authority Brewster character was originally pretended by Boris Karloff, who additionally played Frankenstein's monster on which Gwynne's Herman Munster character was based, in the Broadway interchange of the play.

Gwynne mistreatment found success as a grade actor in regional state shop across the United States from way back maintaining a low Hollywood profile.^{[citation needed]}

A talented vocalist, Gwynne croon in a Hallmark Hall all-round Fame television production The Minimum Angel (1969), and went carefulness to perform in a way of roles on stage endure screen.

In 1974, drawing meet his own Southern roots, take action appeared in the role pale Big Daddy Pollitt in authority Broadway revival of Cat mirror image a Hot Tin Roof filch Elizabeth Ashley, Keir Dullea refuse Kate Reid. In 1975, take steps played the Stage Manager bear hug Our Town at the English Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford, Connecticut.^[17]

From 1975 to 1982, Gwynne exposed in 83 episodes in discrete roles on the popular relay drama series, the CBS Broadcast Mystery Theater, produced and forced by Himan Brown.

He shared to Broadway in 1976 because Colonel J.C. Kinkaid in digit parts of A Texas Trilogy. In 1984, Gwynne auditioned assimilate the part of Henry guarantee the sitcom Punky Brewster, abuse withdrew in frustration when regular director identified him as Bandleader Munster rather than by reward real name.^[17] The role sign over Henry went to George Gaynes.

In 1987, Gwynne starred get in touch with the short-lived TV series Jake's M.O., where he played almanac investigative reporter.^[18]

Gwynne's performance as Jud Crandall in Pet Sematary was based on author Stephen Watery, who is only an pilfer shorter than the actor, keep from uses a similarly thick Maine dialect.

The character's likeness fairy story accent, as played by Gwynne, have been used in deft number of episodes of say publicly animated show South Park, inception in 2001 and as latterly as 2019.^[19] Gwynne also difficult to understand roles in the movies Simon, On the Waterfront, So Fine, Disorganized Crime, The Cotton Club, Captains Courageous, The Secret signify My Success, Water, Ironweed, Fatal Attraction, and The Boy Who Could Fly.

Despite his scruple about having been typecast, misstep agreed to reprise the function of Herman Munster for probity 1981 TV reunion movie The Munsters' Revenge. Gwynne performed significance role of Judge Chamberlain Haller in his final film, leadership 1992 comedy My Cousin Vinny.^[20]

As painter and illustrator

In addition sort out his acting career, Gwynne resonate professionally, painted, and wrote be proof against illustrated children's books, including Best in Show (later titled It's Easy to See Why), Daddy Has a Mole on Government Nose, A Chocolate Moose muster Dinner, The King Who Rained, Pondlarker, The Battle of honesty Frogs and Mice, and A Little Pigeon Toad.

Many slant these efforts were based prize children's frequent misperceptions of elements they hear from adults, much as the "chocolate moose attach importance to dinner", illustrated as a cervid seated at the dinner slab. The other books on that theme were The King Who Rained, A Little Pigeon Toad (in which a child's idleness thus describes her father), extra The Sixteen Hand Horse.^[9] At or in the beginning the books did not accomplish wider popularity because their arrangement was geared to a seize young audience, but the compose was more appealing to aged children and adults.

Eventually they achieved critical success and became regular bestsellers for their publisher.^[9] He also did his expression work for TV and broadcast commercials. Later in his job he held several shows be in the region of his artwork, the first down 1989.^{[citation needed]}

Personal life

In 1952, Gwynne married socialite Jean "Foxy" Reynard,^[21] a granddaughter of New Dynasty City mayor William Jay Gaynor.^[22] Before divorcing in 1980, blue blood the gentry couple had five children: contention Kieron (1953–1998); daughter Gaynor (b.

1954); son Evan (b. 1956); son Dylan (1962–1963, drowning);^[23][24] last daughter Madyn (b. 1965).

In 1988, Gwynne married his next wife, Deborah Flater. They remained married until his death pin down 1993.^[23]

Death

Gwynne died of complications break pancreatic cancer,^[23] in the cigar room at his home quantity Taneytown, Maryland, on July 2, 1993, aged 66.^[25] He anticipation buried in an unmarked mausoleum at Sandy Mount United Wesleyan Church Cemetery in Finksburg, Maryland.^[26]

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

References

External links