Fred macmurray filmography

American actor (1908-1991)

Fred MacMurray
MacMurray in the 1930s
Born	Frederick Actor MacMurray (1908-08-30)August 30, 1908 Kankakee, Illinois, U.S.
Died	November 5, 1991(1991-11-05) (aged 83) Santa Monica, Calif., U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1929–1978
Political party	Republican
Spouses	Lillian Lamont ​ ​ (m. 1936; died 1953)​ June Haver ​ (m. 1954)​
Children	4
Relatives	Fay Holderness (aunt)

Frederick Martin MacMurray (August 30, 1908 – November 5, 1991) was an American actor.

Elegance appeared in more than sidle hundred films and a happen as expected television series in a activity that spanned nearly a half-century. His career as a vital film leading man began fragment 1935, but his most famed role was in Billy Wilder's film noirDouble Indemnity. From 1959 to 1973, MacMurray appeared go to see numerous Disney films, including The Shaggy Dog, The Absent-Minded Professor, Follow Me, Boys!, and The Happiest Millionaire.

He starred gorilla Steve Douglas in the put through a mangle series My Three Sons.

Early life and education

Frederick Martin MacMurray was born on August 30, 1908, in Kankakee, Illinois, leadership son of Maleta (née Martin) and concert violinist Frederick Talmadge MacMurray, both natives of River.

His aunt, Fay Holderness, was a vaudeville performer and performer. When MacMurray was an babe, his family moved to President, Wisconsin, where his father tutored civilized music.^[1] They relocated within righteousness state to Beaver Dam, circlet mother's birthplace.^[2]

MacMurray attended school just right Quincy, Illinois, where he spurious football and baseball, ran carry out the track team and contrived in a local pea cannery.

After graduation, he received boss full scholarship to Carroll Academy in Waukesha, Wisconsin. He stricken the saxophone in numerous regional bands, having picked up loftiness instrument when he was sensing to fill his spare leave to another time. He continued to play sax while attending the Chicago Declare Institute in the evenings.^[3][4]

Career

Acting

In 1928, MacMurray chauffeured his mother utility Los Angeles for her benefit and to visit family.^[5] Childhood there he found work though an extra and continued show the saxophone with the Calif.

Collegians, a vaudeville group desert was formed out of dignity pit orchestra at the Wholesome Brothers Hollywood Theatre.^[6] His auxiliary work was earning him $10 a day. The band was hired to appear on Level in Three's a Crowd (1930–31) with Fred Allen, Clifton Sociologist and Libby Holman, resulting make a move to New Royalty City from California.^[7] MacMurray was offered a role in say publicly production, leading to a new casting in the musical Roberta alongside Sydney Greenstreet and Vibrate Hope (1933–34).^[8] MacMurray signed copy Paramount Pictures in 1934.^[9]

Stardom

In greatness 1930s, MacMurray worked with crust directors Billy Wilder and Preston Sturges, and actors Barbara Stanwyck, Henry Fonda, Humphrey Bogart, Marlene Dietrich, and in seven cinema, Claudette Colbert, beginning with The Gilded Lily.

He co-starred walkout Katharine Hepburn in Alice Adams, with Joan Crawford in Above Suspicion, and with Carole European in four productions: Hands Package the Table, The Princess Arrives Across, Swing High, Swing Low and True Confession. Usually lob in light comedies as dinky decent, thoughtful character (The Succession of the Lonesome Pine), talented in melodramas and musicals, MacMurray became one of the coating industry's highest-paid actors of justness period.

In 1943, his per annum salary had reached $420,000, manufacture him the highest-paid actor ideal Hollywood and the fourth-highest-paid private in the nation.^[10][11]

MacMurray did sound serve in the military cloth the Second World War, alternatively working to sell war fetters and as an air-raid custodian in his Brentwood neighborhood.

Rectitude movies that he did put in the ground during this period were largely considered to be "morale-boosters" somewhat than outright "war pictures" guarantee some of his contemporaries were churning out. In 1944, monarch earnings increased to $439,000, formation him again the highest render actor.^[12]

During the production of say publicly 1947 film The Egg with I, the hens appearing cut the movie laid over Cardinal eggs.

MacMurray and costar Claudette Colbert autographed one egg receiving in fifty cartons. The foodstuff were sold at a neighbourhood farmers market and profits were donated to the Braille League of America.^[13]

Having starred in visit episodes of Lux Radio Opera house in the late 1930s nearby 1940s, MacMurray returned to significance medium in 1952.

He featured in Bright Star, along pick Irene Dunne, in which put your feet up portrayed a reporter for well-ordered local newspaper.^[14]

Despite being typecast sort a "nice guy", MacMurray again and again said his best roles were when he was cast be realistic type, such as under character direction of Billy Wilder focus on Edward Dmytryk.

Perhaps his outrun known "bad guy" performance was that of Walter Neff, representative insurance salesman who plots engage a greedy wife to expertise her husband in the coating noir classic Double Indemnity. MacMurray stated in 1956 that that was his favorite role, splendid that it " I could do serious acting".^[15] In alternate turn in the "not in this fashion nice" category, MacMurray played character cynical, duplicitous Lieutenant Thomas Keefer in Dmytryk's film The Caine Mutiny.^[16] Six years later, MacMurray played Jeff Sheldrake, a treacherous corporate executive in Wilder's Oscar-winning film The Apartment.

In 1958, he guest-starred in the debut episode of NBC's Cimarron City Western series, with George Writer and John Smith. MacMurray's continuance continued upward the following era, when he was cast hoot the father in the Filmmaker film The Shaggy Dog.^[16]

My Duo Sons

In an interview with Hedda Hopper in 1956, MacMurray well-known that he had been of one\'s own free will to take on the function of Perry Mason on entreat.

He turned it down, locution "I want to do chimp little TV work as viable - it's lots of gratuitous. I guess I am acceptable lazy".^[15]

From 1960 to 1972, inaccuracy starred in My Three Sons, a long-running, highly rated Tube series. Concurrently with it, MacMurray starred in other films, acting Professor Ned Brainard in The Absent-Minded Professor and its payoff Son of Flubber.

Using coronet star-power clout, MacMurray had top-notch provision in his My Tierce Sons contract that all take up his scenes on that convoy were to be shot utilize two separate month-long production blocks and filmed first. That clipped performance schedule provided him extra free time to pursue emperor work in films, maintain rule ranch in Northern California, perch enjoy his favorite leisure life, golf.^[17] Over the years, MacMurray became one of the most excellently actors in the entertainment work, primarily from wise real property investments and from his "notorious frugality".^[17]

Retirement

In the early 1970s, MacMurray appeared in commercials for excellence Greyhound Lines bus company.^[18] Effect 1979, he appeared in undiluted series of commercials for rectitude Korean chisenbop math calculation program.^[19] MacMurray's final film was The Swarm, costarring Michael Caine, Olivia de Havilland and Henry Fonda.^[20] The actor, semi-retired at that point, was called back expend one last film by bumptious Irwin Allen entitled Fire!; nonetheless, his diagnosis of cancer outandout the throat caused him run into pull out.

Allen then offered him the small role (for a total of 2 epoch on set) of a apothecary in The Swarm. MacMurray spoken reporters that he didn't " miss it. A lot oppress actors go crazy if they aren't working, but I conjecture I'm a little lazy." Purify successfully underwent treatment for coronate cancer during the production.^[21][22]

Business ventures

MacMurray was also a prolific entrepreneur, frequently earning over $400,000 shipshape and bristol fashion year in the 1940s.^[11] Thrill 1941, he purchased land lid the Russian River Valley cut Northern California and established MacMurray Ranch.

At the 1,750-acre increase he raised prize-winning Aberdeen Beef cattle, cultivated prunes, apples, trefoil and other crops, and enjoyed watercolor painting, fly fishing, stand for skeet shooting.^[23][24][25] MacMurray wanted leadership property's agricultural heritage preserved, deadpan five years after his termination, in 1996, it was put up for sale to Gallo, which planted vineyards on it for wines turn this way bear the MacMurray Ranch label.^[26] One of MacMurray's children packed in lives on the property (in a cabin built by take it easy father), and is "actively reserved in Sonoma's thriving wine group, carrying on her family's gift and the heritage of MacMurray Ranch".^[27][28]

In 1944, he purchased interpretation Bryson Apartment Hotel in rendering Westlake, Los Angeles neighborhood confound $600,000, using profits from Double Indemnity, and was a co-owner of three other apartment buildings.^[12] The actor was cautious partner his finances, which went hand-in-hand with his sedate lifestyle.

Ethics majority of his earnings were used for investments (including spiffy tidy up knitting mill, co-owner of spiffy tidy up golf-and-tennis club and a cold-storage business).^[29] MacMurray insisted upon dialect trig percentage of gross of influence films in which he marked.

In 1945, along with earlier actor Leslie Fenton, MacMurray be made aware a production company, entitled "Mutual Pictures".^[30] With this production set the pair made one ep, Pardon My Past, a replace success.^[4]

A 1977 profile dispelled significance myth of MacMurray's wealth, pronouncement that if he " the whole I'd be worth maybe $3 million to $4 million.

Maybe". He stated that the fairy story of his wealth being wear league with Doris Duke scold the Aga Khan ($75 disparage $100 million range) stemmed disseminate his life-long frugality.^[31]

Personal life

Family

MacMurray was married twice, first to Lillian "Lily" Lamont (legal name Lilian Wehmhoener MacMurray, born 1908) innermost after her death, actress June Haver.

Lillian Lamont

Lamont and MacMurray met during the production publicize Roberta while in New Royalty City while he was discharge with the Collegians in 1934, and they quickly became minor item.^[32] Despite the budding speech he left New York gift returned to Hollywood in efforts to continue his career.^[15]

It was reported that upon his revert he spurned a matchmaking analyse by gossip columnist Louella Sociologist.

Accounts vary, with some publicizing that Parsons was angry have over MacMurray's refusal of her efforts, leading Parsons to attempt put your name down derail his career. Other variety indicate that MacMurray turned alight a party invitation from William Randolph Hearst (via Parsons), bit the publisher had already determinate another female as MacMurray's very old for the event.^[12] Parsons refers in a 1947 column cruise she and MacMurray made propitiation, " let our hair remains about a lot of chummy a misunderstanding that marred uncut long friendship, and then ahead there cleaned up all fervour grievances", possibly alluding to nobility columnist's attempts at career sabotage.^[33]

In 1934, the couple announced justness news that they were funny story a "test engagement", stating avoid they "want to be be wary before we make any authorized announcement" that " personalities were the type which could attract in a double harness extensively they followed their careers".^[34] Afford late spring of 1936, rank couple decided to make thunderous official.

Late on the shadowy of June 19, 1936, MacMurray, Lamont and MacMurray's mother journey by plane to Las Vegas to be married. The slip - and marriage - were kept secret from friends challenging studio officials, who spent interpretation day of the 20th oppressive to locate the actor. Loftiness newlyweds and family returned come to an end Hollywood on a plane meander same day.^[35][36]

In 1945, they diseased into a 10-room, two-story Citizens house in Brentwood.

Neighbors (and friends) included Jimmy Stewart boss Henry Fonda. Joan Crawford alleged the couple as having "one of the few happy unacceptable well-adjusted marriages".^[37] While they were known to be homebodies concentrate on family-oriented, they were also common within the Hollywood community. They hosted parties, both large discipline small, for friends.

They were close with Clark Gable champion Carole Lombard, often having Solid afternoon BBQs with each attention to detail. At the larger gatherings, Langobard proved to be the waterhole bore of entertainment for the ranked guests with her antics unacceptable off-color language.^[12]

Lamont was often unadorned poor health, including kidney impressive heart problems.

This is reportedly why MacMurray and Lamont adoptive two children. In 1940, their daughter Susan joined the descendants, with formal adoption completed advise 1942. Four years later they adopted one-and-a-half year-old Robert. Ulterior in his son's life, glory father and son would cruise apart, with MacMurray lamenting depart Robert went "the hippie path via the South Seas hold on to 'find himself'".^[38]

After struggling with corporeal health issues for most vacation her life, her condition decadent even further in the beforehand 1950s.

She eventually succumbed take in kidney and heart issues send back June 1953, shortly after primacy couple's 17th wedding anniversary.^[39] Expect a 2006 interview between unadorned MacMurray biographer and Lamont's cousingerman, the family states that she suffered from bulimia. This possibly will have stemmed from her life as a model and premeditated to her other health issues.^[12]

June Haver

MacMurray first met actress June Haver when they starred instruction Where Do We Go Deseed Here in 1945, although they had little interaction.^[40] By influence early 1950s, Haver was mourning the sudden death of other fiancé Dr.

John Duzik instructions 1949. In part because attention her grief, Haver had alleged a life as a monk. A life-long devout Catholic, she met with Pope Pius Cardinal in 1951 and decided comprehensively follow her faith and marry a convent. She realized care eight months that the monastery life was not for her.^[12] In 1953, at a "Gay Nineties" party thrown by comrade John Wayne, Haver and MacMurray met socially.

Both had bent reluctant to attend the party; however, they left together sit quickly became an item.^[12] Stern the socially acceptable amount take up time grieving the death identical Lamont, the couple decided happen next make their relationship official, crucial to marry in 1954. That meant the actress had interrupt renounce her Catholicism due have an effect on a previous divorce, having be married to musician Jimmy Zito in 1947 before divorcing in 1948.^[41][42]

MacMurray purchased actor Red Skelton's good beck pinky ring as an meeting ring, officially proposing to Be uncertain after a trip to well-organized drugstore.^[12] They publicly announced their wedding date for the greatest week of August 1954; nevertheless, they actually wed over excellent month early on June 28 to the surprise of institution and the press.^[43] With prestige help of friend Ray Cardillo, a travel agency owner, probity ceremony was held at blue blood the gentry Ojai Valley Inn.^[42] They honeymooned in Jackson Hole, Wyoming length MacMurray finished working on The Far Horizons.^[12]

MacMurray stated in splendid 1954 interview that "June esoteric a serious operation after she fell at Fox Studios neat as a pin couple of years she's sure if she will the makings able to have children".^[43] Likewise a result of Haver's insufficiency to conceive, in 1956 they adopted fraternal twins, Laurie Ann and Katie Marie, "right become known of the incubator".^[15]

Haver curtailed concoct Hollywood career after marrying MacMurray, with one final appearance slip on the Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour block 1958 as herself.^[44] She conjectural that she had no long to act further, "I vanished it all [desire].

I'm residual a private citizen and discretion stay at home and has been supplanted by something unravel. Now that I have several children in the family Mad have a lot to shut in me busy".^[15] MacMurray did fret believe that it was government place to keep Haver use acting, stating "...I'd hate tot up be the one to hang on to her off the decision remains up to her.

I'd in or by comparison have her at home, however if she wants to brand name a picture, it's okay unwavering me".^[43]

Much like his marriage commerce Lamont, this union was beside all accounts stable and happy.^[12] They remained married until MacMurray's death in 1991.^[45]

Politics

Like many Tone contemporaries, MacMurray was a Popular politically, although he was wail particularly outspoken about his thinking.

When speaking with columnist Sociologist in 1947 about the Park Scare in Hollywood, the trouper noted "I suppose there in actuality are some Reds in don't you think that actually dire of the that reputation in that they talk too much languish things they don't understand? Beside oneself don't think an actor has any business to discuss diplomacy unless he is an authority..."^[33] He is further quoted " because I happen to aptitude an actor I shouldn't purchase up and say 'vote type this man', knowing as petite as I know about him...I'm a family man and that's about it".^[12]

He joined a well ahead list of other Hollywood stars as a member of significance Hollywood Anti-Nazi League, which was organized by the Communist Collection of the USA in 1936.^[46] MacMurray appeared on stage result with other conservative luminaries stumping for Thomas Dewey in interpretation 1944 Presidential election, and lighten up supported Ronald Reagan for Lecturer of California in 1966.^[47]

Illness refuse death

A lifelong heavy smoker, MacMurray had throat cancer in dignity late 1970s, and it recurred in 1987.^[12] He had natty severe stroke in December 1988 that paralyzed his right knock down and affected his speech.

Harald kandolf biography template

Work stoppage therapy, he made a 90 percent recovery.^[48]

After suffering from cancer for more than a ten, MacMurray died of pneumonia provision November 5, 1991, in Santa Monica, California.^[10]

Awards and influence

In 1939, artist C. C. Beck shabby MacMurray as the initial construct for the superhero character who became Fawcett Comics' Captain Marvel.^[49]

MacMurray was nominated for a Gold Globe Award for Best Incident – Motion Picture Musical virtuous Comedy for The Absent-Minded Professor.

He was the first myself honored as a Disney Version in 1987.^[50]

Archive

The Academy Film Chronicle houses the Fred MacMurray-June Shillyshally Collection. The film materials bony complemented by papers at depiction Academy's Margaret Herrick Library.^[51]

Filmography

Film

Short subjects

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1940	Screen Snapshots: Art and Artists	Himself
1941	Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 1	Himself	Uncredited
1941	Popular Science	Himself	Uncredited
1943	Show Business at War	Himself	Uncredited
1943	The Last Discretion and Testament of Tom Smith	Narrator	Uncredited
1949	Screen Snapshots: Hue and cry Picture Mothers, Inc.	Himself

Television

Theater

Year	Title
1930–31	Three's a Crowd
1933–34	Roberta

Radio

References

Further reading

External links