Fred Willard #2
Fred Willard #2
Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind
A four time Emmy nominee, Fred is most heralded for his quick wit and improvisation exemplified in over 100 appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. An alum of The Second City, Fred was a founding member the classic improvisation group, the Ace Trucking Company. He currently heads a sketch comedy group The MoHos.
Fred has appeared in over seventy films. From Silver Streak with Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor to Youth in Revolt starring Michael Cera , Ray Liotta, Steve Buscemi, and Jean Smart, he has worked with Hollywood's best. He danced with Jane Fonda in Fun With Dick and Jane, played a Presidential advisor in First Family starring Bob Newhart, Gilda Radner and Madeline Kahn, and he has worked with James Mason in Salem's Lot, Jennifer Lopez in The Wedding Planner, Steve Martin and Daryl Hannah in Roxanne.
Fred's work in Waiting For Guffman earned him an American Comedy Award nod for Funniest Supporting Actor. In addition, he won the Boston Film Critics Award, the American Comedy Award, The Sierra Award and a tribute from AFI for his performance in Best in Show. Some of his other film work includes This Is Spinal Tap, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, A Mighty Wind, For Your Consideration, the Academy Award nominated Monster House, and the Academy Award winning short film, Ray's Male Heterosexual Dance Hall. Fred starred as the only human in the Academy Award winning film, WALL-E and was honored by AFI for contributing to America's Cultural legacy. The New York Times named WALL-E the best film of the decade.
On stage, Fred has starred off-Broadway in Jules Feiffer's Little Murders, Dan Greenburg's Arf/The Great Airplane Snatch and Mary Willard's Elvis and Juliet. He has also performed in Mame at the Hollywood Bowl, and in the Los Angeles Reprise Theatre productions of Promises, Promises, Anything Goes, and L'il Abner. Fred won an Inland Empire Music Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical for his role in Mary Willard and Marty Stuart's Moon Shine! His 'one-man show' (with a cast of ten) - Fred Willard, Alone At Last! - earned the comic actor two Los Angeles Artistic Director Awards.
A favorite on TV talk shows, games shows, and series, Fred has appeared in over one thousand television episodes, from the variety Tom Jones Show to his recent appearances on Modern Family (as Phil Dunfy's Dad) which won him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series. He and Martin Mull co-starred in Norman Lear’s innovative TV cult classic Fernwood 2 Night. He was a regular on Sirota's Court, D.C. Follies (again the only human), Maybe It's Me, A Minute with Stan Hooper, and Back to You. Fred garnered three Emmy nominations for his performance as Amy's Dad on Everybody Loves Raymond. His work on What's Hot, What's Not earned him a daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Talk Show Host.
On September 16, 2011, Willard was honored as Pioneer in Comedy at the Burbank International Film Festival.
Fred donates a great deal of his time to charitable endeavors. For his work with Big Brothers/Big Sisters, City of Hope, and Actors and Others for Animals, he received a commendation from the City of Los Angeles, and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa praised him for 'outstanding humanitarian and philanthropic work."
Fred and his playwright wife, Mary Willard, make their home in Los Angeles.
Fred Willard Official Site
Fred Willard at the Internet Movie Database