Fred MacMurray
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 MacMurray in the 1930s | |
| Background information | |
| Born as: | Frederick Martin MacMurray |
| Born | Aug 30, 1908 Kankakee, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | Nov 05, 1991 Santa Monica, California, U.S. (see "Death" below) |
| Buried: | Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City CA |
| Spouse(s): |
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| Children: | 4 |
| Relatives: | Fay Holderness (aunt) |
| Occupation: | Actor (1929–1978) |
Frederick Martin MacMurray (August 30, 1908 – November 5, 1991) was an American actor who appeared in more than one hundred films and a successful television series throughout a career that spanned nearly half a century. His rise as a leading man in film began in 1935, but he is most renowned for his role in Billy Wilder's film noir, Double Indemnity. From 1959 to 1973, MacMurray featured in numerous Disney films, including The Shaggy Dog The Absent-Minded Professor, Follow Me, Boys!, and The Happiest Millionaire.. He starred as Steve Douglas in the television series My Three Sons.
Early life and education
Frederick Martin MacMurray was born on August 30, 1908, in Kankakee, Illinois, to Maleta (née Martin) and concert violinist Frederick Talmadge MacMurray, both of whom were natives of Wisconsin. His aunt, Fay Holderness, was a vaudeville performer and actress. When MacMurray was an infant, his family moved to Madison, Wisconsin, where his father taught music. They later relocated within the state to Beaver Dam, which is his mother's birthplace.
MacMurray attended school in Quincy, Illinois, where he played football and baseball, ran track, and worked in a local pea cannery. After graduation, he received a full scholarship to Carroll College in Waukesha, Wisconsin. He played the saxophone in numerous local bands after picking up the instrument to fill his spare time. He continued to play saxophone while attending the Chicago Art Institute in the evenings.
Personal life
Family
MacMurray was married twice, first to Lillian "Lily" Lamont (legal name: Lilian Wehmhoener MacMurray, born 1908) and after her death, actress June Haver.
Lillian Lamont
Lamont and MacMurray met during the production of Roberta in New York City in 1934 while he was performing with the Collegians, and they quickly became an item. Despite their budding romance, he left New York and returned to Hollywood to continue his career.
Reports suggest that upon his return, he rejected a matchmaking attempt by gossip columnist Louella Parsons. Accounts differ, with some claiming that Parsons was upset over MacMurray's refusal of her efforts, prompting her to try to undermine his career. Other sources suggest that MacMurray declined a party invitation from William Randolph Hearst (through Parsons), as the publisher had already designated another woman as MacMurray's date for the event. Parsons noted in a 1947 column that she and MacMurray reconciled, stating, "...we let our hair down about a lot of things...principally a misunderstanding that marred a long friendship, and then and there cleaned up all our grievances, " possibly hinting at the columnist's attempts to sabotage his career.
In 1934, the couple announced that they were in a "test engagement, " stating they "want to be sure before we make any official announcement" that their personalities were the type that could pull in a double harness while they followed their careers. By late spring 1936, they decided to make it official. Late on the night of June 19, 1936, MacMurray, Lamont, and MacMurray's mother traveled by plane to Las Vegas to get married. The trip – and the marriage – were kept secret from friends and studio officials, who spent June 20 trying to locate the actor. The newlyweds and family returned to Hollywood on a plane that same day.
In 1945, they moved into a 10-room, two-story Colonial house in Brentwood. Their neighbors and friends included Jimmy Stewart and Henry Fonda. Joan Crawford described the couple as having "one of the few happy and well-adjusted marriages. " While they were known to be homebodies and family-oriented, they also socialized within the Hollywood community. They hosted both large and small parties for friends. They were close with Clark Gable and Carole Lombard, often enjoying Sunday afternoon BBQs together. At the larger gatherings, Lombard entertained the guests with her antics and off-color language.
Lamont often faced poor health, suffering from kidney and heart issues. This is reportedly why MacMurray and Lamont adopted two children. In 1940, their daughter Susan joined the family, with formal adoption completed in 1942. Four years later, they adopted one-and-a-half-year-old Robert. Later in his son's life, father and son drifted apart, with MacMurray lamenting that Robert took "the hippie route via the South Seas to 'find himself. ' "
After struggling with physical health issues for most of her life, her condition worsened even further in the early 1950s. She eventually succumbed to kidney and heart problems in June 1953, shortly after the couple's 17th wedding anniversary. In a 2006 interview between a MacMurray biographer and Lamont's cousin, the family stated that she suffered from bulimia. This may have stemmed from her days as a model and contributed to her other health issues.
June Haver
MacMurray first met actress June Haver when they co-starred in* Where Do We Go From Here* in 1945, although their interaction was minimal. By the early 1950s, Haver was mourning the sudden death of her fiancé, Dr. John Duzik, who passed away in 1949. Due in part to her grief, Haver considered a life as a nun. A lifelong devout Catholic, she met with Pope Pius XII in 1951 and chose to follow her faith by joining a convent. After eight months, she realized that convent life was not for her. In 1953, at a "Gay Nineties" party hosted by her friend John Wayne, Haver and MacMurray met socially. Both had been hesitant to attend the party; however, they left together and quickly became a couple. After an appropriate period of mourning for Lamont, the couple decided to make their relationship official and planned to marry in 1954. This decision required the actress to renounce her Catholicism due to a previous divorce; she had married musician Jimmy Zito in 1947 but divorced him in 1948.
MacMurray bought actor Red Skelton's good-luck pinky ring to use as an engagement ring, proposing to Haver after a trip to a drugstore. They publicly announced their wedding date for the first week of August 1954; however, they actually married over a month earlier, on June 28, to the surprise of friends and the press. With the help of their friend Ray Cardillo, a travel agency owner, the ceremony took place at the Ojai Valley Inn. They honeymooned in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, while MacMurray completed his work on The Far Horizons.
MacMurray stated in a 1954 interview that "June had a serious operation after she fell at Fox Studios a couple of years ago...and she's not sure if she will be able to have children. " As a result of Haver's inability to conceive, they adopted fraternal twins, Laurie Ann and Katie Marie, in 1956, "right out of the incubator. "
Haver curtailed her Hollywood career after marrying MacMurray, with her final appearance on the Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour in 1958 as herself. She stated that she had no desire to act further: "I lost it all [desire]. I'm remaining a private citizen and will stay at home and work...it has been supplanted by something better. Now that I have four children in the family, I have a lot to keep me busy. " MacMurray did not believe it was his place to keep Haver from acting, stating, "...I'd hate to be the one to keep her off the screen...the decision is up to her. I'd rather have her at home, but if she wants to make a picture, it's okay with me. "
Much like his marriage to Lamont, this union was by all accounts stable and happy. They remained married until MacMurray's death in 1991.
Illness and death
A lifelong heavy smoker, MacMurray was diagnosed with throat cancer in the late 1970s, which recurred in 1987. He suffered a severe stroke in December 1988 that paralyzed his right side and affected his speech. With therapy, he achieved a 90 percent recovery.
After battling leukemia for more than a decade, MacMurray died of pneumonia on November 5, 1991, in Santa Monica, California.
Career
- Wikipedia article: Fred MacMurray Career
Filmography
- Wikipedia article: Fred MacMurray Filmography
Television
- Wikipedia article: Fred MacMurray Television
External links
- More information is available at [ Wikipedia:Fred_MacMurray ]
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