Alum, TV Star, Dead at Age 66

Frederick H. Gwynne '51, star of "Car 54, Where Are You?" and "The Munsters," died last Friday from complications resulting from pancreatic cancer. He was 66.

Gwynne, best known for his role as the towering, green-faced Herman Munster, died at his home near Baltimore.

Reruns of the series made his face, if not his name, recognizable to a second generation of viewers.

Following his service in the Navy during World War II, Gwynne matriculated at Harvard, where he lived in Adams House.

Once at Harvard, Gwynne concentrated in education and educational administration.

He had a long and varied stage career, which included appearances in the Broadway runs of "Mrs. McThing," "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," "Love's Labors Lost," "Texas Trilogy," "Hamlet" and "Our Town."

Gwynne acted in such movies as "The Cotton Club," "Pet Sematary," "Fatal Attraction" and "My Cousin Vinny."

Gwynne was also the author of several children's books, including "A Chocolate Moose for Dinner," "A Little Pigeon Toad" and "The Story of Ick."

But his most visible role was that of the Frankenstein-ish Herman Munster, which he played from 1964 to 1966 on CBS.

As the patriarch of a clan that included a dragon named Spot and a vampire grandfather, Gwynne was the star of a series widely regarded to be a lighter version of "The Addams Family," which ran at the same time on ABC.

Reruns of "Car 54, Where Are You?" aired on the cable network Nick at Night over the past few years have added to his fame in a new generation of viewers.

He was born July 10, 1926 in New York City. Gwynne is survived by his wife Deborah and his four children.

Funeral services will be private.

This story was compiled with wire dispatches.

He was born July 10, 1926 in New York City. Gwynne is survived by his wife Deborah and his four children.

Funeral services will be private.

This story was compiled with wire dispatches.