Born in Burlington, Iowa William Frawley was a stenographer in an office of the Union Pacific Railroad before moving to Chicago where he worked as a court reporter and landed a singing part in the musical comedy The Flirting Princess. He did vaudeville with his brother, in 1910 joined pianist Franz Roth in San Francisco, and in 1914 toured with his new wife as 'Frawley and Louise' until their divorce in 1927. Next he moved to Broadway, and then in 1932, Hollywood. He is likely best known for his role as Fred Mertz, the landlord in I Love Lucy.
William Frawley died of a heart attack at age 79.
