Fred Willard

Biography

Fred Willard, born Frederic Charles Willard on September 18, 1933, in Shaker Heights, Ohio, began his career in the late 1950s after moving to New York, where he performed in a local YMCA production of Desperate Hours and partnered with Vic Grecco to form the comedy duo Willard & Grecco. They toured, appeared on shows like The Dean Martin Show and The Tonight Show, but parted in 1968 due to management issues. Willard then worked at The Second City in Chicago with performers like Robert Klein and David Steinberg, became a founding member of the improvisational group Ace Trucking Company alongside Michael Mislove and Bill Saluga, and debuted in film with Teenage Mother (1967).[2][1][5]

Fun Facts

• His one-man show 'Fred Willard: Alone At Last!' actually featured a cast of 12 and won Los Angeles Artistic Director Awards for Best Comedy and Best Production.[1]
• Audience at a screening of his film debut Teenage Mother (1967) booed his character for interrupting an attempted sexual assault.[2]
• He made over 50 sketch appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and Jay Leno.[1][2]
• Spotify categorizes him under 'comedy' genre with popularity 1, reflecting his improvisational comedy roots over music.

Musical Connections

Key Collaborators

• Vic Grecco - comedy duo partner (Willard & Grecco performances on The Dean Martin Show, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The Tonight Show) [late 1950s-1968]
• Martin Mull - co-star as sidekick Jerry Hubbard (Fernwood 2 Night, America 2-Night) [1977-1978]
• Christopher Guest - frequent collaborator in mockumentaries (This Is Spinal Tap (1984), Waiting for Guffman (1996), Best in Show (2000), A Mighty Wind (2003), For Your Consideration (2006), Mascots (2016)) [1984-2016]
• Michael Mislove - fellow founding member (Ace Trucking Company sketches on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, This is Tom Jones) [late 1960s]
• Bill Saluga - fellow founding member (Ace Trucking Company) [late 1960s]

Discography

Top Tracks

1. Comedy Glut (ACA 1991) (Best of the American Comedy Awards)
2. The True Story of Christmas - Live at Largo (Christmas Without Tears)
3. Girl Meets Boy (It's Ok to Do Stuff)
4. The True Story Of Christmas - Live At Largo (Christmas Without Tears)

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia