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General Actor Information | ||||
Born: | September 18, 1933 | |||
Birthplace: | Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. | |||
Died: | May 15, 2020 (age 86) | |||
Deathplace: | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |||
Vitals | ||||
Gender: | Male | |||
Height: | 6' 4" | |||
Occupation: | Actor, Comedian, Voice Actor, Writer | |||
Years active: | 1967 to 2020 | |||
Website/URL: | http://fredwillard.com/ | |||
Personal/Family Information | ||||
Spouse(s): | Mary Lovell (1968 - 2018) | |||
Series Involvement | ||||
Character on MWC: | Stan Mendelson in "My Dinner with Anthrax" |
Fred Willard (September 18, 1933 - May 15, 2020) was an American actor, comedian, voice actor and writer, known for his roles in various films and TV sitcoms, such as Best in Show, Everybody Loves Raymond, Modern Family, This Is Spinal Tap and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.
He appeared on MWC as timeshare salesman Stan Mendelson in the Season 5 episode, "My Dinner with Anthrax"
Early Life[]
He was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He attended the Kentucky Military Institute, graduating in 1951 and then attended the Virgina Military Institute, earning a bachelor's degree in English and then served 2 years in the U.S. Army. After finishing his service, he decided to make a change in his life and pursue acting in New York.
Acting Career[]
He began his career in 1967, having a role in the exploitation film, Teenage Mother. Throughout the 1970s, he had many appearances on shows, such as The Bob Newhart show, Laverne and Shirley, Sirota's Court and Fernwood 2 Night, along with its sequels.
During the 1980's, one of his most well known roles from the time was in This Is Spinal Tap, where he played a Colonel. Some other shows and movies he's appeared in include The Love Boat, Fame, Roxanne, My Secret Identity, Out of this World, and D.C. Follies.
In the 1990's, he appeared on various shows such as Nurses, Golden Girls, The Ben Stiller Show, Sabrina The Teenage Witch, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me and Step By Step. He also had recurring roles on various shows, such as Scott on Roseanne (reuniting him with Fernwood 2 Night co-star, Martin Mull), the vice principal on Family Matters and Henry Vincent on Mad About You.
In the 2000's he became well known for his role in movies such as Butch in Best In Show, as Shelby Forthright in WALL-E and as Ed Harken in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy which also starred Christina Applegate. He also had a recurring role on television shows such as Everybody Loves Raymond, A Minute With Stan Hooper, Back To You and The Tonight Show With Jay Leno.
In recent years, he has appeared in various shows and films, such as Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, Family Tree, Raising Hope, Chuck, Community and Hot In Cleveland. Until recently, he had been hosting Market Warriors on PBS. He had a recurring role as Frank Dunphy on the show Modern Family and appeared in various sketches on Jimmy Kimmel Live .
Voice Acting[]
He has also lent his voice to various animated series and films, such as The Boondocks, Family Guy, The Cleveland Show, Kim Possible and King of the Hill.
Personal Life[]
He was married to Mary Lovell from 1968 until her death in 2018. Together, they have a daughter and grandson.
He and his wife were involved in various charities, such as Big Brothers/Big Sisters, PETA and John Wayne Cancer Society, which earned him a commendation from the city of Los Angeles.
In 2012, he was arrested and charged with performing lewd acts in an adult theater in Los Angeles, California. He went on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon to defend himself, denying any wrongdoing and admitting the whole incident was very embarrassing for him. The charges were eventually dropped, though he was forced to attend a sex education diversion class. Although he wasn't charged, the allegations immediately cost him his job on PBS's Market Warriors.
Appearance on Married...With Children[]

Stan, interrupting Peg and Al
He appeared in the season 5 episode, My Dinner with Anthrax as Stan Mendelson (a.k.a. Captain Scooter), a salesman working for the timeshare, Hurricane Hole, in Sweatbucket, Florida, that Al and Peg are sent to by the kids for their anniversary. As they try to enjoy their time together, Stan tries any means necessary to close the deal, from showing them artist conceptions of what it will look like once its complete (in the year 3000) to showing them their new neighbor, former teen idol Edd 'Kookie' Byrnes and even offering a down payment of only $6. When Peg reveals that they can't afford the timeshare since Al is a shoe salesman, Stan's tone changes and he tells them to get out by dawn.
Death[]
Willard died on May 15, 2020 at the age of 86 in Los Angeles, California. The cause of death was natural causes.
Trivia[]
- He had a recurring guest role on the TV sitcom, Modern Family, which also stared Ed O'Neill. On the show he played the father-in-law to Ed O'Neill's daughter.
- He started his comedy career at The Second City, where fellow MWC guest stars, Brian Doyle-Murray and Dan Castellaneta are also alumni.