What Was Fred Willard’s Net Worth at the Time of His Death?
Modern Family star Fred Willard passed away on May 15, 2020, at the age of 86. Here’s a look at Willard’s net worth and career.
Fred Willard’s movies and TV shows
Fred Willard made his television acting debut in a 1966 episode of the television show Pistols ‘n’ Petticoats titled “Quit Shootin’ Folks.” That same year, he appeared in an episode of Hey, Landlord. Willard made his film debut in the 1967 movie Teenage Mother, in which he played a coach.
From 1976 to 1977 Willard was a recurring character on Sirota’s Court. He then landed a part as a series regular on Fernwood Tonight. He played the role of Jerry Hubbard for 44 episodes in 1977. Willard’s other acting roles include appearances in Best in Show, Modern Family, Hot in Cleveland, and Everybody Loves Raymond.
Fred Willard on ‘The Bachelor’
Willard was a frequent guest star on different seasons of The Bachelor. He was last seen during Peter Weber’s season, when he was a co-host for the contestants’ pillow fight. Willard was first introduced on Arie Luyendyk Jr.’s season during a group date focused on dogs. The Bachelor Executive Producer Bennett S. Graebner told E! News that Chris Harrison sometimes needed someone on-air to chat with, and Willard was a perfect fit:
So, on Arie’s season, we wanted to do this date with dogs… it was similar to Best in Show, and we knew we needed a little help. We needed a little extra kind of celebrity assistance outside of Chris Harrison. Chris Harrison is great but sometimes he actually needs someone to talk to.
We thought, of course, who better than Fred Willard, who was such a character in Best in Show? We called him up, turns out he lives in LA, available, he was really a laugh riot. Chris loved working with him. We loved working with him. He was full of funny little anecdotes.
Fred Willard’s highest-grossing films
Fred Willard’s highest-grossing film is WALL-E, with more than $532 million in worldwide box office earnings. This includes more than $223 million in domestic earnings and more than $308 million at the international box office.
Willard’s second highest-grossing film is Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, with more than $312 million in worldwide box office earnings; Chicken Little, with more than $310 million in worldwide box office earnings; and Planes: Fire and Rescue, with more than $156 million in worldwide earnings.
What Fred Willard learned from working in Christopher Guest films
Willard was known for displaying dry humor in Christopher Guest films such as Best in Show and A Mighty Wind. During an interview with the Archive of American Television, Willard discussed what he learned from working with Guest:
It’s different from stage improv, where the idea is, you get up, and someone throws you a subject, and you riff on it. It can be very funny, but in a movie, you might be very funny, but you don’t move the script along. In his movies, you’ve gotta know your character, what they’re doing, what their background is, what they’re trying to accomplish.
I hate to sound like one of these serious actors, but when you’re improvising, you can’t just suddenly pull something out of left field. It’s gotta be in character. And also, it’s preparation.
Fred Willard’s net worth
At the time of his death, Fred Willard had a net worth of $5 million according to Celebrity Net Worth estimates.
Read more: What Was Jerry Stiller’s Net Worth at the Time of His Death?
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