Gwynne, Fred Hubbard

▪ 1994

      U.S actor and writer (b. July 10, 1926, New York, N.Y.—d. July 2, 1993, Taneytown, Md.), possessed a lanky and towering physique, which, coupled with his distinctive high forehead and long-jawed, dour face, made him a natural to portray the Frankensteinian Herman Munster, a lugubrious funeral director and patriarch of the ghoulish yet kindly family on the hit television series "The Munsters" (1964-66). The Harvard-educated Gwynne, who once aspired to become a portrait painter, was for several years an advertising copywriter for the J. Walter Thomson agency and, from 1958 to 1988, wrote and illustrated a number of children's books. He made his Broadway debut as a gangster named Stinker in Mrs. McThing (1952), with Helen Hayes (q.v.), following that role with another onstage as a police officer in Irma La Douce. That portrayal led to Gwynne's being cast as Francis Muldoon, a bumbling New York City policeman who partnered officer Gunther Toody on the television comedy series "Car 54, Where Are You?" (1961-63). Though Gwynn was best remembered as lovable Herman Munster, he enjoyed a diverse career that encompassed serious roles, notably Big Daddy in the 1974 Broadway revival of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. He also won an Obie award for best actor for his work in the off-Broadway play Grand Magic (1979). Gwynn's film credits include On the Waterfront (1954), Munster Go Home (1966), The Cotton Club (1984), Fatal Attraction (1987), Pet Sematary (1989), and My Cousin Vinny (1992).

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