Fred Gwynne

Fred Gwynne Headshot

Actor • Artist • Writer

Birth Date: July 10, 1926

Death Date: July 2, 1993

Birth Place: New York City, New York

A gentle and dapper giant, this 6'5" distinctive character player of stage, film and TV was best known for his portrayal of comic bumblers on two 1960s sitcoms, "Car 54, Where Are You?" (NBC, 1961-63) and "The Munsters" (CBS, 1964-66). In the former, a broad slapstick police comedy, Gwynne portrayed the quietly hapless Officer Muldoon. "The Munsters," a freaky family comedy, exploited his resemblance to Boris Karloff by casting him as Herman Munster--a Frankenstein's Monster look-alike who was a devoted family man. Tall, greenish, and gruesome, Herman invariably frightened the neighbors but his sunny disposition made him quick to bellow with laughter. Gwynne reprised his signature character for a feature film "Munster, Go Home" (1966) and has haunted syndicated reruns ever since. He returned 15 years later for a TV-movie "reunion," "The Munsters' Revenge" (NBC, 1981). Gwynne was especially convincing as quirky or somewhat melancholy authority figures, and he was well utilized in a number of films, including "On the Waterfront" as longshoreman Slim (1954); Bernardo Bertolucci's "Luna" (1979) in a cameo as Jill Clayburgh's ill-fated husband; "The Cotton Club" (1984) as a sympathetic underworld figure; "The Boy Who Could Fly" (1986), as the alcoholic uncle of the title character; "Pet Sematary" (1989) as a country gentleman; a bit part in Woody Allen's "Shadows and Fog" (1992); and a delicious final supporting role as a no-nonsense Southern judge in "My Cousin Vinny" (1992). Gwynne also had a significant career on the New York stage, appearing in various plays including "Irma La Douce," "Texas Trilogy," "Arsenic and Old Lace," "Twelfth Night" and "The Winter's Tale." Gwynne worked as an advertising copywriter in the late 50s while pursuing acting. In the 1980s, he made a good deal of his income doing voice-overs for TV commercials. A children's book author and illustrator, Gwynne succumbed to pancreatic cancer at age 66.

Credits

Shadows and Fog

Actor
Hacker's Follower
Movie
1992

My Cousin VinnyStream

Actor
Judge Chamberlain Haller
Movie
1992
87%

Murder in Black and White

Actor
Brannigan
Movie
1990

Disorganized Crime

Actor
Max Green
Movie
1989

Pet SemataryStream

Actor
Jud Crandall
Movie
1989
54%

Fatal AttractionStream

Actor
Arthur
Movie
1987
73%

IronweedStream

Actor
Oscar Reo
Movie
1987
58%

The Secret of My SuccessStream

Actor
Donald Davenport
Movie
1987
48%

Murder by the Book

Actor
Victor Greville
Movie
1987

The Christmas Star

Actor
Waters
Movie
1986

La Caja Magica

Actor
Movie
1986

Vanishing Act

Actor
Father Macklin
Movie
1986

Off Beat

Actor
The Commissioner
Movie
1986

The Boy Who Could Fly

Actor
Uncle Hugo
Movie
1986

Water

Actor
Franklin Spender
Movie
1985

The Cotton ClubStream

Actor
Frenchy Demange
Movie
1984
74%

The Mysterious Stranger

Actor
Balthasar Hoffman
Movie
1982

So Fine

Actor
Chairman Lincoln
Movie
1981

The Munsters' Revenge

Actor
Herman Munster
Movie
1981

Simon

Actor
Maj. Gen. Korey
Movie
1980

Luna

Actor
Douglas Winter
Movie
1979
46%

Sanctuary of Fear

Actor
Judge Potter
Movie
1979

Captains Courageous

Actor
Long Jack
Movie
1977

Harvey

Actor
Cab Driver
Movie
1972

The Littlest Angel

Actor
Patience the Guardian Angel
Movie
1969

Guess What I Did Today

Actor
Warren Springer; widower
Show
1968

The Dick Cavett ShowStream

Guest
Talk
1968

Munster, Go Home

Actor
Herman Munster
Movie
1966

A Salute to Stan Laurel

Actor
Guest
Show
1965

Marineland Carnival With The Munsters TV Cast Members

Actor
Herman Munster
Show
1965

The MunstersStream

Actor
Herman Munster
Series
1964
83%

The Danny Kaye ShowStream

Guest
Variety Show
1963

Car 54, Where Are You?Stream

Actor
Officer Francis Muldoon
Series
1961

The DuPont Show of the Month

Actor
E J Lofgren
Show
1957

On the WaterfrontStream

Actor
Slim
Movie
1954
99%

I've Got a SecretStream

Guest
Game Show
1952

What's My Line?Stream

Guest
Game Show
1950

Studio OneStream

Actor
Little Dude
Series
1948

News aboutFred Gwynne