Born on February 27, 1887 to Mary Ellen and Mike Frawley of Burlington, Iowa, William Frawley was the second of four children.

Frawley's movie career lasted over 50 years, during which he made a total of 111 films, the vast majority of them between 1933 and 1951. Although he played mostly supporting roles (often that of an Irishman), he acted in some very important movies, among them Ziegfeld Follies, Miracle on 34th Street and The Lemon Drop Kid. Frawley was often noted for his acting abilities, but he never seemed to land the big role which would catapult him to stardom.

Bill Frawley was nobody's first choice for the role of Fred Mertz. Indeed, when the show was first written, there was no Fred Mertz character. The Mertzes were developed sometime after, as foils for the Ricardo characters. It could be couple against couple or women against men. The Mertzes would be older and less affluent than the Ricardos. Legend has it that Frawley called Lucille and Desi and asked them to consider him for the role. Although they were eager to hire him, CBS and sponsor Philip Morris were less sure because of the actor's reputation as a heavy drinker. Desi Arnaz gave him a deal--if he missed three days of work for any non-legitimate reasons, he would be fired. The almost broke Frawley took the deal, and $350 a week to start, and was never absent for any reason having to do with alcohol.

As Fred Mertz, Bill Frawley was often called upon to display his musical and dancing talents, which he had honed for years in vaudeville and on the Broadway stage. He enjoyed the episodes in which he was called upon to sing or dance, as it brought back fond memories of his days on the vaudeville circuit. His other true love, sports, was often incorporated into the I Love Lucy scripts. Whether it was baseball, football, fishing, golf, horse racing or "the fights," Fred Mertz loved it all.

On March 3, 1966 Bill Frawley was stricken with a heart attack and died at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood. Although Bill Frawley graced the vaudeville, Broadway, television and movie stages, he will always be known and loved for his role as Fred Mertz on I Love Lucy.

© Excerpted from Elisabeth Edwards, Author, I Love Lucy: Celebrating 50 Years of Love and Laughter. Published by Running Press Book Publishers, Philadelphia, PA. Reprinted with permission of the Author and the Publisher.