Fred Gwynne

Fred Gwynne

BALTIMORE (AP) - Actor Fred Gwynne, whose Lincolnesque physique and dour face delighted audiences of television's "Car 54, Where Are You?" and "The Munsters," died Friday. He was 66.
Gwynne, who most recently appeared as the Southern judge in the movie "My Cousin Vinny," died at his home of complications of pancreatic cancer, said Roger Haber, an attorney representing the family. His home is near Taneytown, 40 miles northwest of here.
Gwynne began his career with the Broadway production of "Mrs. McThing" with Helen Hayes in 1952 and he went on to alternate between stage, screen, and television for the next 40 years.
Among other plays he appeared in were "Love's Labours Lost," a revival of "Cat On a Hot Tin Roof," "Our Town" and "Hamlet." He won an Obie award, the off-Broadway equivalent of a Tony award, in 1979 for "Grand Magic."
He last appeared on Broadway in "Whodunnit" in 1983.
Gwynne's film career included roles as a mobster in "The Cotton Club," a thief in "Disorganized Crime," a co-worker of Michael Douglas in "Fatal Attraction" and a curmudgeon in "Pet Sematary."
In his long and varied career, he also wrote and illustrated children's books and did voice work for commercials.
His two 1960s television series each lasted just two seasons but have had a long life in reruns and in viewers' memories.
He played Officer Francis Muldoon in "Car 54, Where Are You," as one of a pair of New York City cops. Joe E. Ross was his short, chubby partner Officer Gunther Toody. The show ran on NBC from 1961 to 1963.
The following year, he began a run as Herman Munster in "The Munsters, playing a comic Frankenstein in the popular CBS series.
In a 1982 interview, he was asked about his favorite roles over the years, and he cited such things as Big Daddy in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" and other serious plays. Then he paused.
"And I might as well tell you the truth. I love old Herman Munster," he said. "Much as I try not to, I can't stop liking that fellow."
"Fred was not just an actor," said Jean Thomas, his New York-based agent. "In the last four or five years, it was very evident he transcended being an actor. People adored him and loved him."
Frederick Hubbard Gwynne was born July 10, 1926, in New York City, the son of a stockbroker. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and attended Harvard University.
He is survived by his wife, Deborah Gwynne, and four children. Funeral services will be private.