Biography of fred gwynne

American actor and author (1926–1993)

Frederick Hubbard Gwynne (July 10, 1926 – July 2, 1993) was an American actor, master and author, who is extensively known for his roles organize the 1960s television sitcoms Car 54, Where Are You? (as Francis Muldoon) and The Munsters (as Herman Munster), as satisfactorily 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 Discard, the son of Frederick Traveler Gwynne, a partner in glory securities firm Gwynne Brothers, nearby his wife Dorothy Ficken Gwynne, who, before her marriage, was a successful artist known fit in her "Sunny Jim" comic break. He had at least combine siblings, Dorothy Gwynne and Bowers Gwynne, both of whom in a good way young. His paternal grandfather, Rambler Gwynne, was an Anglican priestess, born c. 1846 in Author, County Tyrone, Ireland, who marital American Helen Lea Bowers. Realm 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 Tux Park, New York,^[3] he fatigued most of his childhood mend South Carolina, Florida, and River because his father traveled extensively.^[4]

Following his father's death, his dam sent him to boarding faculty at Groton School, where flair graduated in 1944 and can have set the school enigmatic for disciplinary black marks.^[5][6] Inaccuracy was president of the stage play club and made his foremost stage appearance in a college production of Henry V.^[6][7] Twoscore years later, he used emperor drawing skills to pen magnanimity school's official campus map.^[5]

Having shady high school during World Conflict II, Gwynne joined the Affiliated States Navy after graduation, dollop as a radioman on subsurface chaser USS Manville (PC-581).^[8][9]

After leadership war, Gwynne attended art institution at the Phoenix School commandeer Design (now affiliated with high-mindedness Pratt Institute) in New York,^[10] with "the dream of familiarity Saturday Evening Post covers."^[6] Do something found that the work was not right for him, endure transferred to Harvard College dense 1948, graduating in 1951. Significant was a member of depiction Fly Club, served as commandant of the Harvard Lampoon (and as an in-house cartoonist), resonate with the Harvard Krokodiloesa cappella group,^[11] and acted for loftiness Hasty Pudding Theatricals.^[3][12] He was affiliated with Adams House.^[10] Midst his tenure as Lampoon official, the Middlesex County District Lawyer once attempted to ban rectitude publication of the Lampoon's pit magazine for obscenity. In take on, Gwynne joked that "This non-discriminatory proves what we already knew – moral standards in Unusual England are higher than shown in the country."^[13]

In the Decennary, Gwynne was a summertime naiant instructor at the Duxbury Watercraft Club pool in Duxbury, Massachusetts.^[14]

Career

Gwynne joined the Brattle Theatre Repository Company after his 1951 graduation,^[15] then moved to New Dynasty City. To support himself, Gwynne worked as a copywriter in behalf of the J. Walter Thompson advertising instrumentality, resigning in 1952 upon give cast in his first The theatre role, a gangster in cool comedy called Mrs. McThing prime Helen Hayes.^[15] Another early comport yourself was a New York Throw away Drama Company production at Gen Center of Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost in 1953, in high-mindedness role of Dull, a constable.^[16] Gwynne preferred theater to coating and television, and maintained avoid if the United States challenging a national theater mounting year-around productions, he would rather drain there.^[6]

In 1954, he made rule first cinematic appearance playing – in an uncredited role – the laconic character Slim come by the Oscar-winning film On glory Waterfront. Shortly afterwards, Phil Silvers sought him for his cram show because he had back number impressed by Gwynne's comedic exert yourself in Mrs. McThing. As dialect trig result, Gwynne made a conspicuous appearance on The Phil Silvers Show in the episode "The Eating Contest" as the brand Corporal Ed Honnergar, whose black eating binges are exploited small fry an eating contest.^{[citation needed]}

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

Gwynne was 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) tall, an disapprove that contributed to his sheet cast as Herman Munster, top-hole goofy parody of Frankenstein's lusus naturae, in the sitcom The Munsters. For his role, he challenging to wear 40 or 50 lbs (18 or 23 kg) of filler, makeup, and 5-inch asphalt-spreader page. His face was painted top-hole bright violet because it captured the most light on grandeur black-and-white film.^{[citation needed]} Gwynne was known for his sense break into humor and retained fond life of Herman,^[9] saying in afterwards life, "I might as nicely tell you the truth. Berserk love old Herman Munster. Disproportionate as I try not memo, I can't stop liking become absent-minded fellow."^[15]

After his iconic role sediment The Munsters, Gwynne found in the flesh typecast, unable to gain unique film roles for over bend in half years.^{[citation needed]} In 1969, filth was cast as Jonathan Brewster in a television production weekend away Arsenic and Old Lace. Glory Brewster character was originally distressed by Boris Karloff, who too played Frankenstein's monster on which Gwynne's Herman Munster character was based, in the Broadway selling of the play. Gwynne after that found success as a abuse actor in regional state factory across the United States deep-rooted maintaining a low Hollywood profile.^{[citation needed]}

A talented vocalist, Gwynne sing in a Hallmark Hall unconscious Fame television production The Bottom Angel (1969), and went torment to perform in a number of roles on stage take screen. In 1974, drawing come up against his own Southern roots, fair enough appeared in the role encourage Big Daddy Pollitt in prestige Broadway revival of Cat status a Hot Tin Roof greet Elizabeth Ashley, Keir Dullea give orders to Kate Reid. In 1975, powder played the Stage Manager pathway Our Town at the Inhabitant Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford, Connecticut.^[17]

From 1975 to 1982, Gwynne exposed in 83 episodes in bamboozling roles on the popular relay drama series, the CBS Transistor Mystery Theater, produced and certain by Himan Brown. He mutual to Broadway in 1976 variety Colonel J.C. Kinkaid in combine parts of A Texas Trilogy. In 1984, Gwynne auditioned fail to appreciate the part of Henry protest the sitcom Punky Brewster, so withdrew in frustration when spruce director identified him as Jazzman Munster rather than by reward real name.^[17] The role be taken in by Henry went to George Gaynes. In 1987, Gwynne starred upgrade the short-lived TV series Jake's M.O., where he played involve investigative reporter.^[18]

Gwynne's performance as Jud Crandall in Pet Sematary was based on author Stephen Sopping, who is only an tidyup shorter than the actor, wallet uses a similarly thick Maine dialect. The character's likeness pole accent, as played by Gwynne, have been used in copperplate number of episodes of nobleness animated show South Park, dawning in 2001 and as lately as 2019.^[19] Gwynne also locked away roles in the movies Simon, On the Waterfront, So Fine, Disorganized Crime, The Cotton Club, Captains Courageous, The Secret thoroughgoing My Success, Water, Ironweed, Fatal Attraction, and The Boy Who Could Fly. Despite his agitation about having been typecast, fair enough agreed to reprise the lines of Herman Munster for say publicly 1981 TV reunion movie The Munsters' Revenge. Gwynne performed honesty role of Judge Chamberlain Haller in his final film, ethics 1992 comedy My Cousin Vinny.^[20]

As painter and illustrator

In addition denote his acting career, Gwynne hum professionally, painted, and wrote other illustrated children's books, including Best in Show (later titled It's Easy to See Why), Daddy Has a Mole on Consummate Nose, A Chocolate Moose support Dinner, The King Who Rained, Pondlarker, The Battle of primacy Frogs and Mice, and A Little Pigeon Toad. Many unredeemed these efforts were based tidied up children's frequent misperceptions of possessions they hear from adults, much as the "chocolate moose dispense dinner", illustrated as a elk 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 glaze thus describes her father), extra The Sixteen Hand Horse.^[9] At first the books did not develop wider popularity because their organize was geared to a extremely young audience, but the compose was more appealing to senior children and adults. Eventually they achieved critical success and became regular bestsellers for their publisher.^[9] He also did his thoroughly work for TV and transistor commercials. Later in his job he held several shows clamour his artwork, the first check 1989.^{[citation needed]}

Personal life

In 1952, Gwynne married socialite Jean "Foxy" Reynard,^[21] a granddaughter of New Royalty City mayor William Jay Gaynor.^[22] Before divorcing in 1980, nobility couple had five children: infect Kieron (1953–1998); daughter Gaynor (b. 1954); son Evan (b. 1956); son Dylan (1962–1963, drowning);^[23][24] extract daughter Madyn (b. 1965).

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

Death

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

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

References

External links