Fred Willard - # 230

Fred Willard, actor from ‘Modern Family,’ ‘Best in Show’ with Second City roots, dead at 86

He was number 230 on the list.

Fred Willard, the comic actor known for his genial but dunderheaded characters, has died. He was 86. The Los Angeles Times reported Willard died Friday evening in Los Angeles of natural causes at 86, quoting his agent Mike Eisenstadt.

Though most sources reported that he was born in 1939, some asserted that he was actually six years older, with a 1933 birthdate.

Willard was an astonishingly ubiquitous presence especially on TV but also in movies for decades, though almost always in small but memorable roles.

The New York Times said in 2008: "He has become the king of the deadpan cameo, the guy who makes a one-shot appearance as an office manager or furniture salesman and ends up stealing the scene."

Willard was nominated four times for Emmy Awards, three of them (in 2003, 2004 and 2005) for playing Hank on "Everybody Loves Raymond" and the fourth in 2010 for his recurring role as Frank Dunphy, the father of Ty Burrell's Phil Dunphy, on "Modern Family."

In 2015 he won a Daytime Emmy for a story arc as John Forrester on "The Bold and the Beautiful"; he had previously been nominated in 1986 for outstanding talk or service show host for "What's Hot, What's Not."

The actor was long associated with improvisational comedy, going back to his days at Chicago's Second City in the 1960s and continuing with his small role in Rob Reiner's documentary-style "This Is Spinal Tap" -- in 2015, Harry Shearer declared of Willard's work on the film: "He's from another galaxy; you just can't fathom where this stuff comes from. His energy is overpowering" -- and the Christopher Guest-directed comedic mockumentaries "Waiting for Guffman" (1996), "Best in Show" (2000), "A Mighty Wind" (2003), "For Your Consideration" (2006) and 2016's "Mascots," in which a great deal of improvisation was utilized.

The Detroit Free Press opined in 2014: " ‘Best in Show,’ with Willard playing a color commentator at a prestigious dog competition, is perhaps the best-loved" in this string of cult hits. The New York Times said that to play the “blissfully ill-informed dog show television announcer in ‘Best in Show,’” Willard “trotted out every inappropriate dog joke and announcing cliché he could muster, drawing rave reviews and reinvigorating his career.” The role “brought a cachet, buoyed by the YouTube and Nick at Night reruns of his old ‘Fernwood Tonight’ appearances, unlike anything Mr. Willard experienced in the first 30 years of his career. He suddenly became cool.”

The actor's notable film roles also included Shelby Forthright, the hugely optimistic CEO of the Buy n Large Corporation, in Pixar's much-beloved "Wall-E" (2008), who is shown only in videos recorded at about the time of the Axiom '​s initial launch; Ed Harken, the news director of KVWN, in 2004's "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy"; Dr. Willoughby, the medical school dean who interviewed Kal Penn's Kumar in "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle" (2004); and the father of Alyson Hannigan's Michelle Flaherty in 2003's "American Wedding" (Roger Ebert said, "Rising to toast the union between his Irish family and the Jewish family of his new in-laws, he brings real warmth and sincerity to his hope that 'we can sit many happy shivas together' ").

Fred Willard, actor, comedian, and voice over artist, best known for his improvisational comedy skills is photographed at his Encino home on June 29, 2012.

Fred Willard, actor, comedian, and voice over artist, best known for his improvisational comedy skills is photographed at his Encino home on June 29, 2012. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

It really all began for Willard when he played Jerry Hubbard, dimwitted sidekick to Martin Mull's talk show host Barth Gimble on the wickedly satirical, Norman Lear-created TV series "Fernwood Tonight" and "America 2-night" in 1977 and 1978. These shows were spinoffs from the seminal "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman."

Willard and Mull re-teamed on the 1985 HBO mockumentary “The History of White People in America,” then were reunited on a 1995 episode of “Roseanne” to play one of the first gay couples on television, and Willard recurred on the show after that.

He was the only human actor -- the bartender -- on Sid and Marty Krofft's "D.C. Follies," a political satire populated with puppets of presidents Reagan, Carter, Ford and Nixon and reporters Dan Rather and Ted Koppel, among others. The series ran on ABC from 1987-89.

Willard recurred on "Everybody Loves Raymond" from 2003-05 as Hank MacDougall, the father of Monica Horan's Amy MacDougall-Barone, who eventually becomes the wife of Brad Garrett's Robert Barone.

He appeared in Christopher Guest's HBO series "Family Tree" -- an attempt to adapt his documentary-style comedy for television -- in 2013.

The comic actor made dozens of appearances in sketches on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno."

In interviews Willard did not appear to be someone with lingering regrets, but he admitted that he wished he hadn't turned down the lead role of Ted Striker (eventually played by Robert Hays) in the hit comedy "Airplane!"

Frederick Charles Willard was born in Shaker Heights, Ohio, and graduated from the Kentucky Military Institute and the Virginia Military Institute. After a brief tour in the Army in 1962, Willard and friend Vic Greco formed a comedy act that earned them a 1964 appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show." Willard auditioned successfully alongside Robert Klein for Chicago's Second City, portraying a nightclub manager and his employee. He was a founding member of the improvisational comedy group Ace Trucking Company; the troupe appeared regularly on ABC variety series "This Is Tom Jones" in 1969.

Willard and Second City colleagues including Robert Klein and David Steinberg appeared Off Broadway in "The Return of the Second City in '20,000 Frozen Grenadiers' " in 1966. Willard also appeared Off Broadway in 1969 in Jules Feiffer's hit comedy "Little Murders" (which was adapted into a film) and "Arf/The Great Airplane Snatch," in which he appeared with Lily Tomlin, among others.

Willard made his film debut in the 1967 exploitation film "Teenage Mother."

The actor guested on "Get Smart" in 1968, "Love, American Style" in 1970 and "The Bob Newhart Show" in 1975, and he appeared in the feature comedies "Silver Streak," starring Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor, in 1976 and "Fun with Dick and Jane (1977), starring Jane Fonda and George Segal, but it was on "Fernwood Tonight" and "America 2-Night" that he created the genial, empty-headed and often inappropriate persona with which he remained associated throughout his professional life.

Willard told the New York Times in 2008: "I like to play the guy that has no self-awareness, kind of the likable buffoon who will stick his foot in his mouth and say the wrong thing."

In 2015 he adapted this persona for use in a series of commercials also starring Jeffrey Tambor for DirecTV in which Willard played the witless head of a cable company that merges with Tambor's.

Willard sold out the run of his nominally one-man show "Fred Willard: Alone at Last!" (which actually sported a number of other cast members) and led sketch comedy workshop the MoHo Group.

In 2006 Willard starred Off Broadway in "Elvis and Juliet," an original comedy written by his wife, Mary Willard, about the first meeting of an engaged couple's families, one of which is a clan of Vegas "tribute artists."

In 2014 Willard appeared as Cap'n Andy in a semi-staged production of "Showboat" at Lincoln Center that also featured Vanessa Williams, Jane Alexander and the New York Philharmonic.

In addition to wife Mary, Willard is survived by a daughter and grandson.

Filmography

Film

Year       Title       Role       Notes

1967      Teenage Mother              Coach   

1969      Model Shop        Gas Station Attendant    Uncredited

1970      Jenny    Unnamed character       

1973      The Harrad Experiment The Ace Trucking Company employee     Uncredited

1974      Harrad Summer                The Ace Trucking Company employee     Uncredited

1975      Hustle   Interrogator      

1976      Chesty Anderson, USN   Peter Linden      

Silver Streak       Jerry Jarvis         

1977      Cracking Up        Various                

Fun with Dick and Jane Bob       

1979      Americathon      Vincent Vanderhoff       

1980      How to Beat the High Co$t of Living         Robert

First Family         Presidential Assistant Feebleman             

1982      National Lampoon's Movie Madness       President Robert Fogerty             

1984      This Is Spinal Tap              Lt. Bob Hookstratten     

1985      Moving Violations            Terrence 'Doc' Williams

1987      Roxanne              Mayor Deebs    

Ray's Male Heterosexual Dance Hall         Tom Osborne     Short film

1988      Portrait of a White Marriage       Hal Harrison      

1991      High Strung         Insurance Salesman       

1995      Prehysteria! 3    Thomas MacGregor        

1996      Waiting for Guffman       Ron Albertson  

1998      Permanent Midnight      Craig Ziffer         

1999      Can't Stop Dancing          Chester               

Elvis is Alive!       Interviewee      

Idle Hands           Dad Tobias         

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me             Mission Commander     

2000      Chump Change Steve's Manager              

Best in Show      Buck Laughlin     Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor

American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture

Nominated—National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor (2nd place)

Nominated—New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor (3rd place)

Nominated—Las Vegas Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor

Dropping Out     Paul Blanchard

2001      The Wedding Planner     Basil St. Mosely                

How High             Philip Huntley   

2002      Teddy Bears' Picnic          Senator Roger Dickey    

The Year That Trembled                Frank Woods     

2003      A Mighty Wind Mike LaFontaine              

American Wedding          Harold Flaherty

Nobody Knows Anything!             Mr. McClintock

2004      Killer Diller          Ned       

50 Ways to Leave Your Lover       Bucky Brandt     

Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle         Dr. Willoughby

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy             Ed Harken          

Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie              Ed Harken           Direct-to-video

2005      Chicken Little     Melvin (voice)   

2006      Date Movie         Bernie Funkyerdoder    

Church Ball         Bishop Linderman           

Monster House Dad (voice)        

Ira & Abby           Michael Willoughby       

For Your Consideration Chuck   

2007      I'll Believe You   Mr. Fratus          

Epic Movie          Aslo      

Fighting Words Longfellow         

I Could Never Be Your Woman    Marty   

2008      Harold   Dr. Pratt              

WALL-E                 Shelby Forthright, BnL CEO         

2010      Holyman Undercover     Richard                

Youth in Revolt Mr. Ferguson    

Expecting Mary Jerry Zee             

2011      Scooby-Doo! Legend of the Phantosaur Mr. Hubley (voice)          

2012      The Magic of Belle Isle   Al Kaiser              

2013      Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues      Edward "Ed" Harken      

Dealin' with Idiots            Marty   

The Bird Men     Park President  

2014      The Yank              Peter Murphy   

All Stars                John Carson       

Planes: Fire & Rescue     Secretary of the Interior (voice)

2015      Russell Madness               TJ           

2016      Max Rose             Jim Clark             

Fifty Shades of Black       Gary      

Here Comes Rusty            Mak      

Mascots               Greg Gammons                

2018      The Bobby Roberts Project           Ben Brinstein     Final film role

Television

Year       Title       Role       Notes

1966      Pistols 'n' Petticoats        Ben        Episode: "Quit Shootin' Folks"

Hey, Landlord    Danny Subanski                Episode: "The Big Fumble"

1968      Get Smart            Lundy, Agent 198             Episode: "A Tale of Two Tails"

1968      Premiere             Bower   Episode: "Operation Greasepaint"

1970      Love, American Style      Douglas Wiley / Shelley Noodleman         Segment: "Love and the Nuisance"

1973      The Burns and Schreiber Comedy Hour   Various                

1975      The Bob Newhart Show John Emil Tobin                 Episode: "Tobin's Back in Town"

Karen    Ritter     Episode: "Whistle Blowing"

1976      Laverne & Shirley             Charles Episode: "Dog Day Blind Dates"

How to Break Up a Happy Divorce             Lance Colson      Television film

Good Heavens   P.J.         Episode: "The Big Break"

1976–77               Sirota's Court     H.R. 'Bud' Nugent             13 episodes

1977      Forever Fernwood           Jerry Hubbard   

Fernwood 2 Night            Jerry Hubbard    65 episodes

Escape from Bogen County          Pearson                Television film

We've Got Each Other    Shop Owner       Episode: "The Collector"

Tabitha                 Mr. Macho          Episode: "The Arrival of Nancy"

1978      America 2-Night                Jerry Hubbard    65 episodes

Saturday Night Live         Himself (host)    Episode: "Fred Willard/Devo"

Space Force        Captain Thomas Woods                

1979      Flatbed Annie and Sweetiepie: Lady Truckers       Jack LaRosa         Television film

Salem's Lot         Larry Crockett    2 episodes

Sweepstakes      Don        Episode: "Episode 8"

1979–84               Real People        Himself (host)   

1980      The Wild Wacky Wonderful World of Winter        Various roles      Television special

1981      Pen 'n' Inc.          Ralph     Television film

1981–86               The Love Boat    Various roles      3 episodes

1982      SCTV Network   Himself                 Episode: "Indecent Exposure"

1984      Mama's Family Willie Potts         Episode: "Mama Buys a Car"

Trapper John, M.D.          K.K. Laird             Episode: "Moonlighting Becomes You"

1985      The History of White People in America Hal Harrison       Television film

Getting the Last Laugh   ABC Special         Television film

George Burns Comedy Week      Fred       Episode: "Home for Dinner"

Lots of Luck        A.J. Foley             Television film

Faerie Tale Theatre          Paul Link              Episode: "The Three Little Pigs"

1985–86               What's Hot, What's Not                 Himself (host)    Nominated—Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host

1986      Fast Times           Gus Pantelis       Episode: "Secret Romance"

The History of White People in America: Volume II            Hal Harrison       Television film

1987      Fame     Casper Wintergreen        Episode: "Ian's Girl"

1987–89               D.C. Follies          The Bartender   19 episodes

1988      Out of This World             Milton Wiler       Episode: "The Box Is Missing"

My Secret Identity           Ray Bennett       Episode: "For Old Time's Sake"

1989      I, Martin Short, Goes Hollywood                Psychiatrist         Television special

1991      The Golden Girls               Bob        Episode: "Dateline:Miami"

Nurses Crazy Jim "Dr. Robinson"               Episode: "Friends and Lovers"

1992      Married... with Children                Stan       Episode: "My Dinner with Anthrax"

Dream On            Fenton Harley    Episode: "Up All Night"

1993      The Ben Stiller Show       Dad        Episode: "At the Beach"

The Jackie Thomas Show               Hatfield Walker                 2 episodes

1994      Sodbusters         Clarence Gentry                Television film

Dave's World     Bud        Episode: "Just Kidding"

Hart to Hart: Old Friends Never Die          Reginald Cobbles              Television film

1994–96               Family Matters Vice Principal Mallet       3 episodes

1995      The Mommies   John       Episode: "The Dating Pool"

Murphy Brown Dick       Episode: "Dick and Dottie"

1995–97               Roseanne            Scott      8 episodes

1996      Back to Back       Loan Officer        Television film

Friends Mr. Lipson           Episode: "The One After the Super Bowl: Part 1"

Clueless                Joe Pasadine      Episode: "City Beautification"

Sister, Sister       Mr. Mitushka     3 episodes

The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper       Wally Winkle (voice)       1 episode

1996–97               Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman President Garner              3 episodes

1996      Saved by the Bell: The New Class               Mr. Huffington Episode: "Stealing Screech"

1997      Diagnosis: Murder           Harry Fellows     Episode: "Must Kill TV"

Step by Step       Bert Lambert      Episode: "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun"

The Weird Al Show          Award Show Host             Episode: "The Competition"

Breast Men         Talk Show Host Television film; uncredited

1998      The Wayans Bros.            Dick Ferndale     Episode: "All in the Family Feud"

Sabrina the Teenage Witch          Bobby Calzone   Episode: "Rumor Mill"

Oh Baby               Dr. Foster            Episode: "The Vacation"

Two Guys and a Girl        Frank Farber       Episode: "Two Guys, a Girl and a Vacation"

City Guys             Mr. Brown           Episode: "A Noble Profession"

1998–99               Mad About You                 Henry Vincent    5 episodes

Hercules               Vic (voice)           4 episodes

1999      The Pooch and the Pauper           President             Television film

The Simpsons    Wally Kogan (voice)         Episode: "Sunday, Cruddy Sunday"

Just Shoot Me! Larry      Episode: "Hostess to Murder"

G vs E    Sam Kleinhauser               Episode: "Airplane"

Love & Money   Dr. Fielding         Episode: "Make Room for Daddy"

1999–2000          Ladies Man         Larry Little           2 episodes

2000      Buzz Lightyear of Star Command               Pa (voice)            3 episodes

The Hughleys     Richard Jacobson / Applegate     2 episodes

Bette     Jasper Perkins    Episode: "Big Business"

2001      Ally McBeal         Dr. Harold Madison         2 episodes

When Billie Beat Bobby Howard Cosell   Television film

Undeclared         Professor Duggan             2 episodes

Girlfriends           Dr. Percy Bales 2 episodes

Inside Schwartz                 Dick Newton      Episode: "The Pinch Hitter"

The Downer Channel      Mr. McVoid (voice)          Episode: "Pilot"

2001–02               Maybe It's Me   Jerry Stage          22 episodes

2001–08               King of the Hill   Office Brown / Various voices     7 episodes

2002      Hey Arnold!        Sammy Redmond (voice)              Episode: "Harold vs. Patty/Rich Guy"

Dexter's Laboratory         F.R.E.D. (voice) Episode: "Lab on the Run"

Family Guy          Dave Campbell (voice)   2 episodes

2002–04               Teamo Supremo               Mr. Paulson (voice)         4 episodes

2003      National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure           Professor Doornitz                 Television film

That '70s Show Charlie Miller     Episode: "The Battle of Evermore"

2003–04               A Minute with Stan Hooper         Fred Hawkins     13 episodes

2003–05               Everybody Loves Raymond          Hank MacDougall             13 episodes

Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series

2003, 2005          Mad TV                 Duke Flickman / Gene St. John    2 episodes

2003–07               Kim Possible       Jack Hench (voice)           3 episodes

2004      The Drew Carey Show    Fred Tuttle          Episode: "Arrivederci, Italy"

2004–05               Saturday Night Live         'Bear City' Narrator (voice)           Uncredited

2004, 2005          The Batman        Speedway Announcer / Ross Darren (voice)          2 episodes

2004, 2007          The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy   Boogie Man (voice)         2 episodes

2005      Tom Goes to the Mayor                 Garry Friendly (voice)     Episode: "Vice Mayor"

Brandy & Mr. Whiskers Dad Howler (voice)          Episode: "The Howler Bunny"

2006      Campus Ladies Doctor Episode: "Spring Break"

Re-Animated     Milt Appleday (voice)     Television film

Handy Manny    Mr. Dwayne Bouffant (voice)      Episode: "Valentine's Day/Mr. Lopart Moves In"

Come on Over   Dr. Fred Silliness               Episode: "Brain Freeze"

My Gym Partner's a Monkey       Burt (voice)         2 episodes

2007      Billy & Mandy's Big Boogey Adventure   The Boogey Man (voice)                Television film

Stargate SG-1     Jacek     Episode: "Family Ties"

Odd Job Jack      Norm     Episode: "Norm and the Magic Pencil"

2007, 2009          Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!               Tragg / Mancierge            2 episodes

2007–08               Back to You         Marsh McGinley               17 episodes

2007–10               Betsy's Kindergarten Adventures              Bus Driver Bob (voice)    17 episodes

2008      Pushing Daisies The Great Hermann        Episode: "Oh Oh Oh It's Magic"

Larry the Cable Guy's Star-Studded Christmas Extravaganza          Various roles      Television film

Transformers Animated                Swindle (voice) 2 episodes

Worst Week       Paul       2 episodes

The Boondocks Mr. Joe Petto (voice)      Episode: "The S Word"

2008, 2009          Free Radio           Dale Knutson     2 episodes

2009      Everybody Hates Chris   Cop        Episode: "Everybody Hates the Car"

Wizards of Waverly Place              Mr. Stuffleby     2 episodes

2009–20               Modern Family Frank Dunphy    13 episodes

Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series (2010)

2010      Castle    Hank McPhee    Episode: "The Late Shaft"

Important Things with Demetri Martin    Scientist               Episode: "Money"

Chuck    Craig Turner       Episode: "Chuck Versus the Role Models"

2010, 2011          Glory Daze          Dr. Reynolds       2 episodes

2010–11               Funny or Die Presents    Professor / Jeff Baker     3 episodes

2010–14               Waves Sea           Donal Wilkins    

2011      G.I. Joe: Renegades         Mayor (voice)    Episode: "Fire Fight"

My Future Boyfriend      Bob        Television film

The Closer           Santa Jack           Episode: "You Have The Right To Remain Jolly"

Franklin & Bash                 Wallace Clayton                Episode: "She Came Upstairs to Kill Me"

Accidentally in Love         Dick Brocton       Television film

Retired at 35      Peter Dixon         2 episodes

2011–12               Easy to Assemble             Sigvard Thorsten              3 episodes

2012      Raising Hope      Mr. Swift              Episode: "Mrs. Smartypants"

Trust Us With Your Life Host       Season 1, 8 episodes

The Life & Times of Tim Judd (voice)        Episode: "Action Packed Heist/Fall Foliage"

Market Warriors               Host       Season 1

Rob        George Episode: "Dad Comes to Visit"

Hot in Cleveland               Dr. Hill Episode: "A Box Full of Puppies"

I, Martin Short, Goes Home         Mason Macgillivray         Television special

Breaking In          Marty Mann       Episode: "The Legend of Hurley's Gold"

The Cleveland Show        Gary (voice)        Episode: "Menace II Secret Society"

2013      Community         Alternate Pierce Hawthorne        Episode: "History 101"

Family Tree         Mike Morton      3 episodes

Drunk History    Deep Throat       Episode: "Washington D.C."

Good Luck Charlie            Herb Pickler        Episode: "All Fall Down"

2014      Black Jesus          Mr. Jimmy Maxwell (voice)          Episode: "Love Thy Enemy Part 2"

The Birthday Boys            Archbishop         Episode: "Getting Preachy"

2014–15               Review Jack Walthall      4 episodes

The Bold and the Beautiful           John Forrester   7 episodes

Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Guest Performer in a Drama Series

(Tied with Donna Mills and Ray Wise)

2014, 2016          Comedy Bang! Bang!      Various roles      2 episodes

2014–16               TripTank               Various roles (voice)       5 episodes

2015      Hell's Kitchen     Himself (Blue Kitchen VIP guest)                Episode: "11 Chefs Compete"

Kevin from Work              Roger Trousdale               Episode: "Roommates from Work"

2016      Harvey Beaks     Melvin Voice

2016–19               The Loud House                Pop-Pop (voice)                7 episodes

2016      The $100,000 Pyramid   Himself (Celebrity Guest)             Episode: "Fred Willard vs. Yvette Nicole Brown"

The Odd Couple                Fred Langford    2 episodes

2017      SuperMansion   Champston employee (voice)     Episode: "School Me Once"

New Girl               Beezus Episode: "Five Stars for Beezus"

2017–19               Mickey and the Roadster Racers                Mr. Doozy (voice)             5 episodes

2017      Tim & Eric's Bedtime Stories        Dan        Episode: "The Demotion"

9JKL       Dick       Episode: "It Happened One Night"

2017–19               Milo Murphy's Law          Grandpa Murphy (voice)               Episodes: "A Christmas Peril", "Now I Am Murphy"

2018      The 5th Quarter                Jerry Hymowitz Episode: "Farewell"

Corporate            Bill Hathaway     Episode: "The Long Meeting"

2018–19               Jimmy Kimmel Live!        Various roles      9 episodes

2019      I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson        New Joe               Episode: "It's the Cigars You Smoke That Are Gonna Give You Cancer"

Historical Roasts               God        Episode: "Anne Frank"

The Bachelorette             Himself; Guest Announcer           Episode: "Week 2"

What Just Happened??! with Fred Savage             Himself                 Episode: "Assistant"

2020      The Bachelor      Himself; Guest Announcer           Episode: "Week 3"

Space Force        Fred Naird           Recurring role; posthumous release