James Frawley

James Joseph Frawley (September 29, 1936 – January 22, 2019) was an American director and actor. He was a member of the Actors Studio since around 1961.[1][2] He was best known for directing The Muppet Movie (1979)[3] and The Monkees television series.

James Frawley
James Frawley c. 1966
Born	James Joseph Frawley September 29, 1936 Houston, Texas, U.S.
Died	January 22, 2019 (aged 82) Indian Wells, California, U.S.
Occupation	Film director, actor
Years active	1960–2019

Career

Born in Houston, Texas, Frawley had a short-lived acting career, appearing in supporting roles in film and television from 1963 to 1966. A memorable appearance was the role of Hawaii District Attorney Alvarez in the 1965 Perry Mason episode "The Case of the Feather Cloak". In 1966, he was hired as a director for the new series The Monkees; he ended up directing half of the series' 58 episodes.[4]

He began a career of over four decades as a director. TV series he directed included Cagney & Lacey, Smallville, Ghost Whisperer and Judging Amy, along with many others. He directed occasional feature films and television films, most notably The Muppet Movie in 1979, in which he also had a cameo. His last acting role was a bartender in TV's American Gothic in 1996.

He won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series in 1967 for the episode "Royal Flush" of The Monkees, and was nominated for the same award the following year for another Monkees episode, "The Devil and Peter Tork".[5]

Frawley died from a heart attack while at home in Indian Wells, California on January 22, 2019 at the age of 82.[5][6]

Filmography

Director The Monkees (1966–1968) That Girl (1967–1968) The Christian Licorice Store (1971) Kid Blue (1973) The Big Bus (1976) Columbo (1977–1978, 1989) The Eddie Capra Mysteries (1978–1979) The Muppet Movie (1979) Magnum, P.I. (1982–1984) Scarecrow and Mrs. King (1983–1985) Cagney & Lacey (1984–1988) Fraternity Vacation (1985) Father Dowling Mysteries (1990–1991) Law & Order (1992–1993) Picket Fences (1994–1995) Chicago Hope (1994–1996) Ally McBeal (1997) - Pilot On the 2nd Day of Christmas (1997) Vengeance Unlimited (1998–1999) The Three Stooges (2000) Ghost Whisperer (2005–2006) Smallville (2001) Judging Amy (1999–2005) Notes from the Underbelly (2007) Dirty Sexy Money (2007) Grey's Anatomy (2007–2009) Private Practice (2008–2009)

Actor Greenwich Village Story (1963) - Norman Ladybug Ladybug (1963) - Truck Driver The Troublemaker (1964) - Sal Kelly / Sol Kelly / Judge Kelly The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964-1966, 2 episodes) - Max / Lieutenant Manuera The Outer Limits (1964, Episode: "The Inheritors") - Pvt. Robert Renaldo The Dick Van Dyke Show (1965, Episode: Fifty-Two, Forty-Five or Work") - Joe Galardi McHale's Navy (1966, 2 Episodes) - The German Sergeant / The German Noncom The Monkees (1966-1968, 12 episodes) - Voice on telephone / Mr. Schneider / Rudy Bayshore (voice) Wild Wild Winter (1966) - Stone Hogan's Heroes (1966, Episode: "The Great Impersonation") - Gestapo Captain My Favorite Martian (1966, Episode: "Doggone Martin") - Mr. Frisby Blue Light (1966, Episode: "Field of Dishonor") - Ehrlich I Spy (1966, Episode: "It's All Done with Mirrors") - Greenburg Tracks (1976) - Train Passenger The Muppet Movie (1979) - Waiter

References

1. Garfield, David (1980). "Appendix: Life Members of The Actors Studio as of January 1980". A Player's Place: The Story of The Actors Studio. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc. p. 278. ISBN 0-02-542650-8.
2. James Frawley at the University of Wisconsin's Actors Studio audio collection Archived 2013-10-04 at the Wayback Machine
3. Celebrate 40 Years of The Muppet Movie with These “Muppetational” Facts - D23
4. "TV Episodes". themonkees.com.
5. 'Monkees' TV director and Indian Wells resident James Frawley dies in desert he loved -Desert Sun
6. https://variety.com/2019/film/news/james-frawley-dead-dies-monkees-muppet-movie-1203117008/

External links

• James Frawley at IMDb
• James Frawley at the Internet Broadway Database
• James Frawley at the TCM Movie Database