Over the years he was a favorite among real-life talk-show hosts, making at least 50 guest appearances on “The Tonight Show.” He made an art of playing characters who are “gloriously out of their depth.” He appeared in more than 700 films and television movies and episodes over a half-century. He was nominated for Emmys for his roles on “Modern Family” and “Everybody Loves Raymond.” He was a frequent collaborator with the director Christopher Guest with iconic performances in ‘Waiting for Guffman,’ ‘Best in Show,’ and ‘A Mighty Wind.’ Today’s dead celebrity is Fred Willard.

Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Jacob Weiss and features a guest appearance from Saul Austerlitz. Sign up for our newsletter at famousandgravy.com and also enjoy our mobile quiz game at deadoraliveapp.com

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 39 “Super Funkhouser” (Bob Einstein) and Episode 46 “Love and OJ Jokes” (Norm Macdonald) .

Transcript of this episode
New York Times Obituary for Fred Willard
Famous & Gravy official website
Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter
“Kind of a Big Deal” book about Anchorman by Saul Austerlitz
12 Unforgettable Fred Willard Film and TV Appearances
Fred Willard scene from ‘Best in Show’
“Wha’ Happened?” clip from ‘A Mighty Wind’
Fred Willard ‘Bold and the Beautiful’ appearance
Dead or Alive Quiz Game
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