Fred Willard (full name Frederick Charles Willard) is an American comedian film, television, voice acting, and writer. Four times Emmy nominee for his roles in the television projects Everybody Loves Raymond and The American Family.
The artist began his career in the late 1950s, when he moved from the small town of Shaker Heights to New York. He co-founded the comedy troupe Ace Trucking Company. For a long time he performed on stage in Chicago with his friend Vic Greco.
Fred came to the cinema in 1967. He has more than 350 roles in television and film projects.
He has also appeared on several popular American entertainment shows, including: City Toast, Johnny Carson Tonight Show, An Evening with David Letterman, Biography, Jay Leno's Night Show, The Muppets Tonight, Hollywood Squares, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Ellen: The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Aristocrats, Hell's Kitchen, The Neighbor, Made in Hollywood, Queen Latifa Talk Show, Events of the past week with John Oliver."
Biography facts
Frederick was born in the United States in the fall of 1939. Childhood and adolescence, he spent in the small town of Shaker Heights, located in Ohio. His father was a bank clerk, his mother was a housekeeper.
In 1951, the boy's father died suddenly, Fred was sent to study at the Kentucky Military Institute (KMI) military preparatory school. This is one of the oldest educational institutions in the United States for the training of military (cadets), founded in 1845 by Robert Thomas Pritchard Allen. In 1971, the school was closed due to the small number of students. But it reopened a year later, but already as a regular school called Kentucky Country Day School.
Fred was going to become a military man, but during his studies he got carried away with creativity and later decided to connect his life with art.
In the late 1950s, Willard traveled to New York to pursue a stage career. There he began performing on stage and appeared in several youth productions at a local volunteer theater.
In New York, he met Vic Greco, with whom he later created a comedy duo called Willard & Grecco. They quickly gained popularity and appeared on several famous television shows and series.
The duo disbanded in 1968, and Fred formed the comedy troupe Ace Trucking Company. His team included M. Mislav and B. Saluga. They have appeared on multiple screens in the entertainment programs The Johnny Carson Show and The Tom Jones Show.
Film career
Willard entered the cinema in 1967. He played his first role in the drama "Teenage Mother" directed by Jerry Gross. In his interviews, the actor has repeatedly said that this film, at one of the first screenings, caused a violent reaction from the audience when a scene of sexual violence was shown on the screen. The picture was booed and soon removed from the rental.
In the following years, the actor appeared in many television series, including: "Get Your Grips", "Hey Master!", "American Love", "The Bob Newhart Show", "Saturday Night Live", "Laverne & Shirley”,“Live at Lincoln Center”,“Kind Heaven”.
Willard became widely known only in the mid-1970s. In 1975 he starred in the crime thriller "Dirty Business" directed by Robert Aldrich. Famous actors Burt Reynolds and Catherine Deneuve played the main roles in the film.
The film is set in Los Angeles. Police Lieutenant Phil Gaines investigates the mysterious murder of a nightclub stripper. The investigation of the case is hindered by the father of the murdered woman, who decided to find and punish the criminal without the help of the police. Phil himself falls in love with a call girl, whose client is a very famous politician and the main murder suspect.
In Arthur Hillier's 1976 film Silver Arrow, Willard played a small role as Jerry Jarves.
The film is set on a train from Los Angeles to Chicago. The main character, George Caldwell, meets a charming girl named Hilly Burns on the road. It soon turns out that she was involved in a murder that happened at night in one of the compartments.
Leading actor Gene Wyler was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor. The film also received an Oscar nomination for Best Sound.
In the further career of the actor, there were many roles in famous television series and films, including: "Salem Vampires", "How to Defeat the High Cost of Life", "Theater of Magic Stories", "Murder She Wrote", "Golden Girls", "Married and with Children”,“Roxanne”,“Fantastic Girl”,“My Second Self”,“Family Matters”,“Like in the Movies”,“Nerves on the Limit”,“Crazy About You”,“Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman "," Diagnosis: Murder "," The Wayans Brothers "," Friends "," Dexter's Laboratory "," Everybody Loves Raymond "," Hey Arnold! "," King of the Hill "," Fashion Magazine "," Stargate ZV -1 "," Ellie McBeal "," Show of the 70s "," Hercules "," Killer Hand "," Betty "," Wedding Planner "," The Legend of Tarzan "," Uncertain "," American Pie 3 ", "Batman", "Snoop", "House Cats", "Transformers", "WALL-E", "Castle", "Community", "American Family", "Pretty Women in Cleveland", "Glitter of Glory", "Companions "," Review "," Strange couple ".
Willard also took part in voicing the characters of famous animated films on several occasions. On account of his work in projects: "Family Guy", "Sesame Street", "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King", "Chicken Chicken", "Ghetto", "Monster House".
Personal life
All his life, Fred lived with his beloved wife Mary Lovell. They met in the mid-1960s and got married in 1968.
In this union, the only daughter of Fred and Mary, Nadezhda, was born. The couple lived together for 50 years. Mary Lovell passed away in July 2018.
In 1997, Willard became a grandfather. His daughter got married and gave birth to a son, Freddy.
