Results: Fred Willard, Another Comedic Genius, Has Died At Age 86
Published on 05/20/2020
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Widely regarded by his peers in the industry as "nobody funnier", Fred Willard died Friday, May 16, "at the fantastic age of 86 years old," his daughter, Hope Mulbarger, confirmed. His improvisation skills, as well as his work ethic and generosity endeared him to all he worked with, and all he made laugh. Are you familiar with the talented Fred Willard?
Yes
68%
1657 votes
No
32%
783 votes
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One of his last appearances was as Frank Dunphy, the father of Phil Dunphy on "Modern Family", and in the last season of the comedy series, the show even had his character die, in a touching and sweet tribute titled "Legacy" -- tragically only four months before his real death. His list of TV and movie roles were extensive and impressive. He was known to steal the spotlight no matter what scene he was in, and was a favourite casting choice for Christopher Guest, Norman Lear, Rob Reiner and others. To try and compile a list of his work would probably take all day, but here are only some of his best roles. Which of these are your favourites?
Jerry Hubbard in 'Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman'
15%
357 votes
TV station manager Ed Harken in 'Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy'
12%
301 votes
Frank Dunphy in 'Modern Family'
19%
469 votes
Buck Laughlin in 'Best In Show'
9%
223 votes
Hank MacDougall in 'Everybody Loves Raymond'
24%
576 votes
Lt Bob Hookstratten in 'This Is Spinal Tap'
7%
163 votes
Travel agent Ron Albertson in 'Waiting For Guffman'
4%
87 votes
Shelby Forthright, the CEO of the Buy 'n' Large Corporation, in the animated 'WALL-E'
5%
126 votes
Mike LaFontaine in "A Mighty Wind'
4%
90 votes
Talk show host Barth Gimble in 'Fernwood 2 Night'
7%
161 votes
Dr. Willoughby in 'Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle'
7%
161 votes
John Forrester in 'The Bold and the Beautiful'
6%
145 votes
All of them!
8%
190 votes
None
39%
948 votes
Other (please specify)
1%
25 votes
Scott, husband of Leon Carp in 'Roseanne'
17%
412 votes
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How many of these trivia facts about Willard did you know?
He is from the same area in Ohio as Paul Newman.
4%
99 votes
His film debut was in the 1967 exploitation film 'Teenage Mother'
3%
78 votes
One of his earliest jobs was at The Second City, Chicago, where he shared the stage with Robert Klein and David Steinberg
7%
171 votes
He was a founding member of the improvisational comedy group Ace Trucking Company, which performed on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and This Is Tom Jones
7%
179 votes
From 1987 to 1989, he starred as a bartender/straightman in Sid and Marty Krofft's D.C. Follies and was host to the Krofft puppets portraying political figures of the time
5%
117 votes
Back in the '80s, Willard was offered a starring role in Airplane! He was to play the role eventually immortalized by Robert Hays, but turned it down because it had too many puns in it.
5%
116 votes
Knew all
4%
93 votes
None
78%
1911 votes
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Willard's appearances numbered in the hundreds, and he was known for being a "team player", which was appropriate since many of his best roles were in ensemble "mockumentaries" such as 'This Is Spinal Tap', 'Waiting For Guffman', 'Best In Show' and 'A Mighty Wind'. A mockumentary is a motion picture or television program that takes the form of a serious documentary in order to satirize its subject. Do you like this style of movie or TV show?
Yes
22%
542 votes
Some of them
45%
1097 votes
No
33%
801 votes
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