Even if someone doesn’t recognize his name, they will undoubtedly recognize the face and voice of the beloved Fred Willard, the prolific comedy character actor who died with over 300 movie and TV credits to his name. After a commendable career spanning at least 4 decades, Fred Willard left our mortal coil in May of 2020. His death broke the hearts of his fans who had come to love his seemingly always buttoned-down yet simultaneously always amused, or bemused, characters.
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Among his 300 plus credits are classic cartoons like Dexter’s Laboratory, popular stoner comedies like Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle, the mockumentaries of Christopher Guest, and an almost endless list of sitcom cameos. At the time of his death, Willard was worth $5 million.
10 ‘Fernwood Tonight’
Willard launched his comedy career on Fernwood 2 Night, a spin-off of Norman Lear’s Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman that aired during the summer of 1977. The show was a talk show parody where “guests” would be interviewed by two somewhat insufferable talking heads played by Willard, Martin Mull, Kenneth Mars, and others. A classic bit on the show that has since gone viral is the performance and interview of legendary American songwriter Tom Waits.
9 ‘Modern Family’
One of his last recurring television roles was as Grandpa Dunphy, a.k.a. Frank, on the long-running sitcom Modern Family. Frank was Phil’s father and he was equally as nerdy and ditzy as his son. Ironically, Willard’s death would come shortly after an episode where his character died had aired. He was nominated for an Emmy for his guest appearances on the show.
8 ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’
Willard also earned himself multiple Emmy nominations thanks to Ray Romano's classic sitcom where Willard played Hank MacDougal, the born-again conservative Christian father-in-law to Raymond’s brother Robert. Willard earned four Emmy nominations in his lifetime, and three of them were for his part on Everybody Loves Raymond.
7 ‘How High’
Along with his cameo in Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, Willard had a prominent role in another stoner comedy, How High. Willard amuses the audience as Phil Huntly, the uptight president of Harvard University who by the end of the film loosens up and turns into a chill party animal thanks to the antics of the film's main characters, Method Man and Redman. Although the film was panned by critics, it is a favorite amongst stoners and hip hop fans.
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6 ‘Tim And Eric’ Shows
Willard worked closely with several comedians throughout his career, including Jimmy Kimmel and Johnny Carson, and Adult Swim fans will also recognize Willard thanks to his appearances in the shows made by Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim. The Tim and Eric Duo has starred in four of their own shows together on Adult Swim; Tom Goes to the Mayor, Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job, Tim and Eric’s Bedtime Stories, and Beef Boys. Willard has made appearances in all four shows as a variety of different characters
5 ‘Anchorman’ And ‘Anchorman 2’
One of his most notable roles was as the Channel 4 news showrunner Ed Harken in Will Ferrell’s Anchorman and Anchorman2. While playing the straight man foil to the antics of the Channel 4 news team, Harken also had an ongoing issue with his problem child son, who evidently “fired a bow and arrow in a crowd.”
4 Voice Acting
Among Willard’s immense IMDb credit list is a series of animated shows and movies as well as his comedy films and sitcoms. To list just a few of his voice acting roles, Willard has been in Family Guy, King of the Hill, The Boondocks, Handy Manny, Scooby-Doo, G.I. Joe, Wall-E, and Kim Possible. There are dozens of other shows, both animated and not, with Willard on their credits list.
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3 ‘Best In Show’
A frequent collaborator with Christopher Guest, who gave world films like This Is Spinal Tap (which Willard appears in briefly) Willard has a starring role in Guest's film lampooning the world of purebred dog shows. Willard plays Buck Laughlin and had the good fortune of working with other Christopher Guest favorites like Eugene Levy of Schitt’s Creek and Jennifer Coolidge of American Pie and The White Lotus.
2 ‘Space Force’
Although it premiered as Fred Willard approached the end of his life, one of his last roles was as Fred Naird on Steve Carrell’s Netflix series Space Force. Willard appeared in three episodes before his death.
1 ‘The Simpsons’
While his voice acting career was already mentioned, special creedence must be paid to his appearance in this fan-favorite episode from season 10 of The Simpsons. Willard voiced Wally Cogan, a travel agent who befriends Homer and takes all the Springfield men, and Bart, to the Superbowl. The show is filled with classic bits and celebrity cameos, including Dolly Parton and John Madden. Although only in one episode, Willard is one of the most popular guest stars The Simpsons had. Fun Fact: this episode premiered as the lead-in to the very first episode of Family Guy.
When a person has over 300 acting credits to their name, one 10-entry listicle is not enough to do their career justice. Willard was an institution of comedy for the entirety of his career, and he will always be missed. Comedy just isn’t the same without that man’s smile, voice, and demeanor gracing the screen.
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