Fred Gwynne

Fred Gwynne will always be best remembered for his role as Herman Munster on the TV show The Munsters. However, he had numerous other memorable roles as well.

Fred was born July 10, 1926 in New York City to a wealthy family. He attended private schools and got his start in acting there. He served as a Radio Man in the Navy during World War II. He later attended Harvard and graduated there in 1951! After graduation he did some acting, but made a living as a book illustrator and a commercial artist.

He made his Broadway debut in 1952 in Mrs. McThing and his movie debut in 1954 in the classic film On the Waterfront with Marlon Brando. He played one of the thugs.

His lead TV role came in 1961 where he played a New York City police officer named Francis Muldoon in the comedy Car 54, Where Are You? which lasted only two seasons.

Shortly thereafter he was cast in 1964 in The Munsters as the Frankenstein-like character, Herman Munster. Although Gwynne already stood 6′5″, he wore 4″ lifts in his shoes and 40-50 pounds of padding, plus tons of makeup. It was reported that he lost 10 pounds in one day of filming due to the hot lights and extra padding!

After The Munsters, Fred returned to the theater to avoid type-casting. He made numerous TV appearances, but tried to avoid anything remotely related to Herman Munster or Frankenstein.

In the 1980s, with his Herman Munster role far behind him, Fred received various roles in such movies as The Cotton Club, Ironweed, and Pet Sematary.

His last film is probably his most famous and one of my favorites. Gwynne was given the role of Judge Chamberlain Haller in My Cousin Vinny starring Joe Pesci and Marisa Tomei. Who can forget the line “The what? The two utes?”

Fred avoided the Hollywood and Broadway scene and in later years painted, sculpted and wrote and illustrated children’s books including The King Who Rained.

He was married twice and had five children by his first wife. He died on July 2, 1993 just short of turning 67 of cancer in Taneytown, Maryland.

A great talent that is sorely missed!

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