Fred MacMurray was likely the most underrated actor of his generation. True, his earliest work is mostly dismissed as pedestrian, but no other actor working in the 1940s and 50s was able to score so supremely whenever cast against type. Frederick Martin MacMurray was born in Kankakee, Illinois, to Maleta Martin and Frederick MacMurray. His father had Scottish ancestry and his mother's family was German. His father's sister was vaudeville performer and actress 'Fay Holderness' in campaigning for Richard Nixon in 1968. He was also widely known one of the most -- to be polite -- frugal actors in the business. Stories floated around the industry in the 60s regarding famous hard-boiled egg brown bag lunches and stingy tips. After the cancellation of My Three Sons in 1972, MacMurray made only a few more film appearances before retiring to his ranch in 1978. As a result of a long battle with leukemia, MacMurray died of pneumonia at the age of eighty-three in Santa Monica on November 5, 1991. He was buried in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City.
Personal friends with Walt Disney.
Interred at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California, USA, in the Mausoleum, D1, Room 7.
Adopted twin daughters, Kathryn and Laurie (b. 1956), with Haver.
"The Untouchables" . He was also the first choice to play the title role on TVs "Perry Mason" .
At his insistence, all episodes of "My Three Sons" were filmed out of sequence during the shows entire run. He would do all of his scenes first, then leave until the next season. All kitchen scenes would be done together, then all scenes in the upstairs hallway would be filmed together, etc. This fact was well concealed until Dawn Lyn joined the cast as Dodie. Her upper front teeth grew in irregularly during the entire 1969-70 season, from being barely visible in scenes with MacMurray to being plainly visible in scenes without him.
Portrayed George Harvey, star reporter for the Hillsdale Morning Star, on NBC Radios "Bright Star" (1952-1953).
Steve Douglas, MacMurrays character on "My Three Sons" , was ranked #7 in TV Guides list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time" [20 June 2004 issue].
1987: First person to be named a Disney Legend.
1970s: He was most often seen doing commercials for a video teaching "Chisenbop," a Korean method of doing math on your fingers.
His daughter Susan was born in 1942. His son Robert was born in 1945.
He was a staunch supporter of the Republican Party who joined Bob Hope and James Stewart in campaigning for Richard Nixon in 1968.
Best remembered by the public for starring as father figures in Walt Disney movies.
When offered the job as the dad on "My Three Sons" , he was given a dream contract in which he only had to work 65 days a year on the series. The supporting cast, as a result, often had to shoot their scenes opposite a prop person off camera instead of Fred. The popular series ran 12 seasons.
He and wife June Haver were once offered a husband-and-wife sitcom but Fred refused, afraid of putting his marriage in jeopardy by the pressures.
Met first wife Lillian ("Lily") Lamonte while performing on Broadway in "Roberta" in 1933. She was a dancer.
Played vaudeville with a stage band called "The California Collegians". The group was cast in a Broadway revue called "Threes a Crowd" in 1930 that showcased such star talent as Fred Allen , Clifton Webb and chanteuse Libby Holman. Holman sang the torch song "Something to Remember You By" to Fred in the show. The Collegians were also featured in the Broadway musical "Roberta", in which Fred also understudied the lead.
One of his first jobs in Los Angeles was playing in a pit orchestra for an L.A. theater.
Once studied art at the Chicago Art Institute.
Quite the high school athlete. He won ten letters for athletics and a scholarship to Carroll College in Wisconsin to play football. He played the saxophone for extra money while there.
Made his debut on stage playing the violin alongside his father, but the experience left him with a terrible case of stage fright. Later he overcame it and learned the piano, guitar and saxophone, which he played in his high school band.
Was in consideration for the role of Joe Gillis in Sunset Blvd. but William Holden , who received a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his performance, was cast instead.
Initially turned down his most famous movie role in Double Indemnity because he didnt think his fans would want to see him playing a darker character.
He never took an acting lesson.
Profiled in "American Classic Screen Interviews" (Scarecrow Press).
Cartoonist C.C. Beck claimed that he modeled the 1940s superhero, Captain Marvel after Fred MacMurray.
His mother, Maleta Martin, died in 1965 aged 85.
Near the end of his acting career, he was a spokesperson for Greyhound Bus Lines in the 1970s.
Was the only actor to appear in all 380 episodes of "My Three Sons" on both (ABC) and (CBS) networks.
Best remembered by the public for his starring role as Steve Douglas on "My Three Sons" .
After his role on The Swarm , he retired from acting at age 70.
Friends with: Shirley Jones , Jane Wyman , Lucille Ball , Michael Landon , Buddy Ebsen , Brian Keith , Ernest Borgnine , Barbara Stanwyck , Beverly Garland , William Demarest , Anthony Quinn , Carol Channing , Bob Hope , Don Rickles , Jerry Lewis , Dean Martin , Bing Crosby , Dorothy Lamour , James Stewart , Billy Wilder , William Frawley , Carole Lombard , Ronald Reagan , Ray Milland , Porter Hall , Tommy Kirk and June Haver.
His future "My Three Sons" co-star, Tim Considine , worked with him in the movie The Shaggy Dog .
Best friends with William Demarest , from 1935 to his death in 1983.
Suffered a number of health problems for 13 years before his death, from throat cancer to leukemia. He also suffered a stroke at Christmas 1988.
Was not the producers first choice for the role of Steve Douglas on "My Three Sons" . He got the role only because Eddie Albert turned it down to focus on his movie career.
Began his career as a contract player for Paramount in 1934.
Was raised in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, where his mother had been born in 1880.
Before he was a successful actor, he was a member of the Gus Arnheim Orchestra from 1930-31 and sang the vocal refrain on the record "All I Want Is Just One", recorded on March 30, 1930 and issued on Victor 22384.
Was a lifelong heavy smoker that led to throat cancer and emphysema, which contributed to his death.
Remained good friends with Stanley Livingston , during and after "My Three Sons" .
He had 8 hobbies - camping, spending time with family, boxing, golfing, fishing, singing, traveling and dancing.
Taught his future "My Three Sons" co-star, Beverly Garland , how to play golf.
He tried to get into the military service during World War II, but a fluctuated ear prevented him from attending, therefore, he stayed in Hollywood, continued making movies and did everything he could to help the war effort and afterwards, helped the Hollywood community did his part in the process of rebuilding.
His musical career eventually led him to Broadway.
Was a conservative Republican.
Had played both the violin and saxophone, just before he entered high school.
Graduated from Beaver Dam High School in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, in 1926.
During Maletas pregnancy, she and Frederick Sr. both traveled to Kankakee, Illinois, where Frederick Jr. was born.
At Carroll College (now Carroll University), he played a variety of local bands and nightclubs.
Second-only to Lucille Ball and John Ritter , MacMurray performed a lot of physical comedy on "My Three Sons" .
His father, Frederick MacMurray, died when he was only 5.
Before he was a successful actor, he once worked in a department store, selling appliances, among everything that he did.
According to daughter Kate, Fred and wife June Haver were introduced to each other by John Wayne.
His physical likeness inspired the appearance of DC Comics character Captain Marvel.
In 1951, RKO Radio Pictures tried to compose a film noir entitled "The Sins of Sarah Ferry". The story was about a courthouse clerk in Binghamton, New York who finds herself falling in love with a beautiful liar whose accused of armed robbery as well as a hit run charge involving a death. The cast would have starred Laraine Day , Fred MacMurray, Yvonne De Carlo , Hugh Beaumont , Glenn Ford , Howard Duff , and Evelyn Keyes , with the studio wanting to shoot on location in Binghamton and neighboring Johnson City. This project never materialized because the plot was considered to close of a generic step-up of Double Indemnity and the studio never received a reply via phone call or standard mail from the Binghamton Courthouse or then Mayor Donald Kramer granting them permission to film on location in the area and negotiate a fair range of payment. Based on that neglect, the studio immediately canceled this project and moved on.
In the early 1930s, he was the vocalist for Gus Arnheims Coconut Grove Orchestra.
MacMurray played the baritone saxophone in high school with the American Legion Band. After buying a saxophone with his own money he earned in a pea-canning factory, he created his own three piece orchestra called "Macs Melody Boys." He performed in nightclubs, dance halls and vaudeville.
The character design of the Fawcett Comics (later DC Comics) superhero Captain Marvel (now Shazam) was said to have been based on him.
Was a Boy Scout.
Acting mentor of Stanley Livingston.
The appearance of the famous DC Comics character Captain Marvel is based on him.
His feature film leading ladies: Claudette Colbert (7 films): The Gilded Lily (1935) , The Bride Comes Home (1935), Maid of Salem , No Time for Love , Practically Yours , The Egg and I , Family Honeymoon . Madeleine Carroll (5 films): Honeymoon in Bali , Cafe Society , Virginia , One Night in Lisbon , An Innocent Affair . Barbara Stanwyck (4 films): Remember the Night , Double Indemnity , The Moonlighter , Theres Always Tomorrow . Carole Lombard (4 films): Hands Across the Table (1935) , The Princess Comes Across , True Confession , Swing High, Swing Low . Paulette Goddard (4 films): The Forest Rangers , Standing Room Only , Suddenly Its Spring , On Our Merry Way . Irene Dunne (2 films): Invitation to Happiness , Never a Dull Moment . Rosalind Russell (2 films): Take a Letter, Darling , Flight for Freedom . June Haver (married 1954): Where Do We Go from Here? .
Was an expert leather craftsman. A 1936 entry in the Columbia Pictures "Screen Snapshots" series showed him assembling an ornate gun holster, which he had also decoratively engraved. The narrator stated that he also knew how to make saddles.
In 1961 when he took his family to Disneyland, a woman came up to him and asked "Are you Fred MacMurray?", and when he answered he was, she hit him with her purse and told him she had taken her children to see him in "The Apartment" and was furious because "That was not a Disney movie", he responded, "No maam, it wasnt." He then turned to his wife and announced he was done playing bad guys in movies.
