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Fred MacMurray

Fred MacMurray

Actor · Died November 5, 1991, aged 83 · Kankakee, Illinois, USA

Fredrick Martin 'Fred' MacMurray (August 30, 1908 – November 5, 1991) was an American actor and musician. He was educated at Carroll College, Wisconsin, and played with a Chicago orchestra for more than a year. Then he joined an orchestra in Hollywood where he played, did some recording and played extra roles. He then joined a comedy stage band, California Collegians, and went to New York. There he joined "Three's A Crowd" revue on Broadway and on the road. After this show closed, he returned to California and worked in vaudeville. He played the vaudeville circuits and night clubs until cast for major role in "Roberta". Signed by Paramount in 1935. He was raised in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin from the age of 5, eventually graduating from Beaver Dam High School (currently the site of Beaver Dam Middle School), where he was a 3-sport star in football, baseball, and basketball. He retained a special place in his heart for his small-town Wisconsin upbringing, referring at any opportunity in magazine articles or interviews to the lifelong friends and cherished memories of Beaver Dam, even including mementos of his childhood in several of his films. In 'Pardon my Past' (1945), he and fellow GI William Demarest are moving to Beaver Dam, WI to start a mink farm.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
August 30, 1908
Died
November 5, 1991 (aged 83)
From
Kankakee, Illinois, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
55 on MovieCove · 101 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Down 29% in 30 days

What are Fred MacMurray's films like?

Across their 53 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Comedy26 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 55th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama14 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 59th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Adventure3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 35th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Crime3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 83rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 40th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Documentary2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 85th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
39%
Morality
25%
Self
14%
Society
9%
Power
8%
Survival
4%
Ideas
2%
Romantic love20 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds13 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception8 titles, browse their movies with this themeMarriage6 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice7 titles, browse their movies with this themeBetrayal7 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth6 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity6 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 53 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 33 · Serious 12 · Dark 8

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 32 · Stylized 20 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 19 · Charged 30 · Intense 4

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 29 · Shifting 20 · Whiplash 4

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 22 · Some laughs 12 · Funny 19

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 18 · Even-paced 32 · Relentless 3

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 36 · Engaged 16 · Full focus 1

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 49 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

48 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 26 of 48 analyzed roles.

Hero
26 of 48
Shapeshifter
5 of 48
Ally
4 of 48
Trickster
4 of 48
Threshold guardian
3 of 48
Mentor
3 of 48
Shadow
2 of 48
Herald
1 of 48
Show the 48 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
23
Joyful
23
Warm
21
Romantic
18
Melancholic
17
Other
35

How their films linger

Feel-good31 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun19 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet14 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful15 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy30
  • Bittersweet16
  • Tragic3
  • Ambiguous3
  • Other1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Fred MacMurray's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 11 of their 55 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Fred MacMurray's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

101 credits, 55 with a MovieCove page; 37 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The Age of Believing: The Disney Live Action Classics(2008)

    as Various Roles

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey(1984)

    as (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid(1982)

    as (in "Double Indemnity") (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • The Swarm(1978)

    as Clarence

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

  • A Thanksgiving Reunion with the Partridge Family and My Three Sons (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Actor

  • Beyond the Bermuda Triangle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    as Harry Ballinger

  • The Chadwick Family (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    as Ned Chadwick

  • Charley and the Angel(1973)

    as Charley Appleby

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • The Happiest Millionaire(1967)

    as Anthony Biddle

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Follow Me, Boys!(1966)

    as Lemuel Siddons

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Kisses for My President(1964)

    as Thad McCloud

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Son of Flubber(1962)

    as Ned Brainard

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Bon Voyage!(1962)

    as Harry Willard

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • The Absent Minded Professor(1961)

    as Ned Brainard

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • My Three Sons (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Show 380 episodes · as Steve Douglas

  • The Apartment(1960)

    as Jeff D. Sheldrake

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • The Oregon Trail (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    as Neal Harris

  • Face of a Fugitive(1959)

    as Jim Larsen (aka Ray Kincaid)

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • The Shaggy Dog(1959)

    as Wilson Daniels

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Good Day for a Hanging(1959)

    as Marshal Ben Cutler

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • Day of the Badman(1958)

    as Judge Jim Scott

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Show 1 episode · as Fred MacMurray

  • Quantez(1957)

    as Gentry

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Gun for a Coward(1956)

    as Will Keough

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • There's Always Tomorrow(1956)

    as Clifford Groves

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • At Gunpoint (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    as Jack Wright

  • The Rains of Ranchipur(1955)

    as Thomas "Tom" Ransome

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Screen Director's Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Show 1 episode · as Peter Terrance

  • The 20th Century Fox Hour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Show 1 episode · as Peterson

  • The Far Horizons(1955)

    as Cpt. Meriwether Lewis

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • The Wonderful World of Disney (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Show 2 episodes · as Professor Ned Brainerd (archive footage) · as Self · as Wilson Daniels

  • December Bride (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The George Gobel Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Show 6 episodes · as Fred MacMurray · as Self

  • Woman's World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    as Sid Burns

  • Pushover(1954)

    as Paul Sheridan

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • The Caine Mutiny(1954)

    as Lt. Thomas 'Tom' Keefer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • The Moonlighter(1953)

    as Wes Anderson

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • General Electric Theater (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Show 1 episode · as Harry Wingate · as Richard Elgin

  • Fair Wind to Java(1953)

    as Captain Boll

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Callaway Went Thataway (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    as Mike Frye

  • A Millionaire for Christy(1951)

    as Peter Ulysses Lockwood

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • The Jack Benny Program (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Show 1 episode · as Fred MacMurray

  • Never a Dull Moment (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    as Chris Hayward

  • Borderline(1950)

    as Johnny Macklin

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Father Was a Fullback(1949)

    as George Cooper

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Family Honeymoon(1948)

    as Grant Jordan

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • An Innocent Affair(1948)

    as Vincent Doane

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • The Miracle of the Bells(1948)

    as William 'Bill' Dunnigan

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • On Our Merry Way(1948)

    as Al

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Singapore (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    as Matt Gordon

  • The Egg and I(1947)

    as Bob MacDonald

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Suddenly It's Spring (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    as Peter Morely

  • Smoky (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    as Clint Barkley

  • Pardon My Past (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    Producer · as Eddie York / Francis Pemberton

  • Murder, He Says(1945)

    as Pete Marshall

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Captain Eddie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    as Eddie Rickenbacker

  • Where Do We Go from Here? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    as Bill Morgan

  • Practically Yours(1944)

    as Daniel Bellamy

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Double Indemnity(1944)

    as Walter Neff

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • And the Angels Sing(1944)

    as Happy Morgan

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • Standing Room Only (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    as Lee Stevens

  • The Last Will and Testament of Tom Smith (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    as Narrator Prolog (uncredited)

  • Above Suspicion(1943)

    as Richard Myles

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Flight for Freedom(1943)

    as Randy Britton

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • No Time for Love(1943)

    as Jim Ryan

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • The Forest Rangers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Don Stuart

  • Take a Letter, Darling(1942)

    as Tom Verney

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Star Spangled Rhythm (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Frank

  • The Lady Is Willing(1942)

    as Corey McBain

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • New York Town (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Victor Ballard

  • Dive Bomber(1941)

    as Joe Blake

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • One Night In Lisbon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Dwight Houston

  • Virginia (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Stonewall Elliott

  • Rangers of Fortune (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Gil Farra

  • Too Many Husbands (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Bill Cardew

  • Little Old New York(1940)

    as Charles Brownne

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Remember the Night(1939)

    as Jack Sargent

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Honeymoon in Bali (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Bill Burnett

  • Invitation to Happiness(1939)

    as Albert 'King' Cole

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Cafe Society (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Crick O'Bannon

  • Sing, You Sinners (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as David Beebe

  • Men with Wings (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Pat Falconer

  • Cocoanut Grove (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Johnny Prentice

  • True Confession (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Kenneth Bartlett

  • Exclusive(1937)

    as Ralph Houston

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Swing High, Swing Low(1937)

    as Skid Johnson

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Maid of Salem (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Roger Coverman

  • Champagne Waltz (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Buzzy Bellew

  • The Texas Rangers(1936)

    as Jim Hawkins

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • The Princess Comes Across(1936)

    as King Mantell

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • 13 Hours by Air (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Jack Gordon

  • The Trail of the Lonesome Pine(1936)

    as Jack Hale

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • The Bride Comes Home(1935)

    as Cyrus Anderson

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Hands Across the Table(1935)

    as Theodore Drew III

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Alice Adams(1935)

    as Arthur Russell

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Men Without Names (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Agent Dick Grant, alias Richard Hood

  • Car 99 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Trooper Ross Martin

  • The Gilded Lily(1935)

    as Peter Dawes

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Grand Old Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Sandy

  • Tiger Rose (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    as Rancher

  • Girls Gone Wild (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    as Extra (uncredited)

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 100 titles from 1929 to 1985; peak year 1960.

Biggest box office

The Caine Mutiny (1954)

$22M worldwide

Highest rated

The Apartment (1960)

Midcredits 99th

Film career

MilestoneBreakout
19291985

Peak 1960 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 17 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting100 of 100: 99 only acting, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score56thProducing1 of 100: 0 only producing, 1 with another role

By decade

1920s2 · acting1930s22 · acting1940s33 · 33 acting · 1 crew1950s28 · acting1960s8 · acting1970s5 · acting1980s2 · acting

Billing

usually 1st · top billed in 61% of 23 roles
354555

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Fred MacMurray's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 56th percentile, the median of all 55; across their 53 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 59th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

59thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 53

Approval · how many liked their films

54thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 53

Reach · how many have seen their films

44thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 53

Midcredits score across 55 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up12
  • 50th to 74th26
  • 25th to 49th15
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

29 of their 55 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved5
  • Crowd Pleaser29
  • Broadly Agreed11
  • Mixed10

Most divisive · actor

The Age of Believing: The Disney Live Action Classics (2008)

60th percentile spread · 10% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Apartment (1960)

Midcredits 99th · 90% liked

Reviewers score the acting 71/100 in their films, across 52 reviewed titles; fans 79, detractors 51. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Fred MacMurray's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Violence & Gore3 titlesmedian 28 · mildMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity4 titlesmedian 12 · minimalMedian of all films: 32
Profanity3 titlesmedian 6 · minimalMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs3 titlesmedian 40 · moderateMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense4 titlesmedian 24 · mildMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Fred MacMurray work with?

People who share at least 2 of Fred MacMurray's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Claude Binyon shares the most, 9.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles