Fred MacMurray

Frederick Martin MacMurray was a prominent American actor.

His career lasted nearly fifty years. He appeared in over one hundred films. He also starred in a successful television series. MacMurray became a major leading man in 1935. He was one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood. In 1943, his annual salary reached $420,000. This made him the fourth-highest-paid person in the United States. By 1944, his earnings increased to $439,000.

MacMurray's journey began in music. He was born on August 30, 1908, in Kankakee, Illinois. His father was a concert violinist. His mother was named Maleta. The family moved to Madison, Wisconsin, when he was an infant. MacMurray later attended school in Quincy, Illinois. There, he played football, baseball, and ran track. He also worked in a local pea cannery. After graduation, he earned a full scholarship to Carroll College. He played the saxophone in many local bands. He even studied at the Chicago Art Institute in the evenings.

His professional career started with dance bands. He played saxophone with the George Olsen orchestra in 1928. In 1930, he joined the Gus Arnheim orchestra. While in Los Angeles, he worked as a movie extra. This work paid him $10 a day. He later joined the California Collegians, a vaudeville group. This group moved to New York City to perform on Broadway. MacMurray eventually signed with Paramount Pictures in 1934. He performed in the musical Roberta alongside Bob Hope. These early roles helped him transition from music to acting.

MacMurray was often cast in light comedies. He frequently played decent and thoughtful characters.

However, he preferred roles that challenged his image. He loved playing "bad guys" to prove his serious acting skills. His most famous role was in the 1944 film noir, Double Indemnity. He played Walter Neff, an insurance salesman who plots a crime.

He also played the cynical Lieutenant Thomas Keefer in The Caine Mutiny. Another notable role was the two-timing executive in The Apartment. These performances showed his great range as an actor.

From 1959 to 1973, MacMurray worked with Disney. He starred in films like The Shaggy Dog and The Absent-Minded Professor.

He also became a television star. He played Steve Douglas in the series My Three Sons from 1960 to 1972. He was very careful with his filming schedule. His contract allowed him to shoot all his scenes in two month-long blocks. This gave him more time for films and his ranch. He even turned down the role of Perry Mason to avoid excessive TV work.

MacMurray was a very successful businessman. He was known for his "notorious frugality," or being very careful with money. In 1941, he bought land in the Russian River Valley. He established the MacMurray Ranch there. He raised Aberdeen Angus cattle and grew crops like apples and prunes. He also owned the Bryson Apartment Hotel for $600,000. He invested in a knitting mill and a cold-storage business. While some thought he was worth millions, he was actually quite modest. A 1977 profile suggested his total worth was between $3 million and $4 million.

MacMurray enjoyed many hobbies. He loved golf, fly fishing, and watercolor painting. He was a neighbor to actors Jimmy Stewart and Henry Fonda. He married Lillian Lamont in 1936 in a secret ceremony in Las Vegas. After her death, he married actress June Haver.

MacMurray faced health challenges later in life. He was diagnosed with throat cancer during the production of The Swarm. He successfully underwent treatment for the illness. He passed away on November 5, 1991.