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No one will ever come close to replacing your genius.

Were you sad to see Modern Family kill off Frank? Willard, 80, played Frank for 14 episodes across all 11 seasons.

He is with his missed Mary now. Basic but vital acting tip. Always. By

In season 10, the show killed off Claire and Mitchell’s mom, DeDe (Shelley Long). Modern Family airs Wednesdays (9 p.m. After a stint in the army, he became a stage actor in the late '50s, including as part of the comedy team Willard & Greco with Vic Greco (who died in 2016).

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I was still in The Groundlings in those days. His character’s death is the second to come from the series in the last two seasons. Though Phil’s hunch was incorrect, Frank would eventually die off screen.

Ryan Schwartz / Thanks for the deep belly laughs Mr. When Phil gave Frank a haircut and questioned him about the grocery store incident, he also asked if Frank ever wanted to have another child. Reliably hilarious. The first time I worked with him ironically it was a table reading for a Drama/comedy play. Willard.". Terms of Use |

You were funny in your bones. Fred Willard was part of the cast of Modern Family since its pilot season. Fred Willard Modern Family. “I always feel bad that I didn’t.”, RELATED: ABC Announces Series Finale Dates for Modern Family and How to Get Away with Murder, “The answer is no, Phil, never,” Frank replied. Privacy Policy | Rest In Peace Fred.

In his final tweets, Willard had mourned the passing of old friend Jerry Stiller and rock legend Little Richard.

Willard stole hearts and rustled laughs as Ty Burrell's character Phil Dunphy's dad Frank Dunphy on 14 episodes of "Modern Family" from 2009-2020, which earned him another Emmy nomination. BFF: best friends forever, TMI: too much Information, BJ: blue jeans. He knew all the dances from Grease [and] he knew all the expressions — BFF: Best Friends Forever, TMI: Too Much Information, BJ: Blue Jeans…” (Hmm… sound familiar? Goodbye, Fred.

Ironically, "Space Force" was the name of a pilot for a series he shot in the '70s that went nowhere, and is, of course, in real life the name of a newly created branch of the U.S. Armed Forces.

'Modern Family': Fred Willard as Frank Dunphy in Season 11, Episode 11: 'Legacy' — watch video of final scene. Emma Watson Moves On from Chord Overstreet with Tech CEO, Why Halle Berry Has Been an Open Book on Social Media, Kelly Clarkson’s Unfiltered Response on How Often She Has Sex, How Stars Are Social Distancing During the Coronavirus Pandemic, How Stars Are Self-Isolating During the Coronavirus Pandemic. “Well, you did take over the family business, didn’t you? pic.twitter.com/PlFTCHFZCK, RIP to the legendary #FredWillard. Willard stole hearts and rustled laughs as Ty Burrell's character Phil Dunphy's dad Frank Dunphy on 14 episodes of "Modern Family" from 2009-2020, which earned him another Emmy nomination.

I have hilarious footage of him no one has ever seen.

His performance saw him nominated for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series at the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards. Get push notifications with news, features and more. From 1995-1997, he played the husband of his old "Fernwood 2 Night" scene partner Martin Mull's character Leon on "Roseanne" (1995-1997), a groundbreaking portrayal of a married gay couple, presented humorously. Over the course of his 60-plus years in entertainment, he hosted "SNL" (1978), was a voice actor countless times, performed off-Broadway, and made many appearances on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

He knew all the dances from Grease and he knew all the expressions. ", Betty Buckley on Twitter: "Oh no…Love Fred Willard!! January 16 2020, 7:12 AM PST.

He looked right in my eyes when we had dialogue. ET) on ABC. We were so lucky to know Fred Willard and will miss his many visits.".

Sending a big virtual hug to his family, friends and fans pic.twitter.com/XAIsVzuwEs. The characters' nuptials in 1995 was an early gay wedding on TV. In partnership with Warner Bros. Entertainment. He was also fondly remembered for appearances in both "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" (2004) and "Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues" (2013), and was a three-time Emmy nominee for his performance as Hank MacDougall on 14 episodes of "Everybody Loves Raymond" (2003-2005). Just learned of Fred Willard's passing. Fred played Frank Dunphy on ABC’s television mockumentary family sitcom Modern Family which was created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan. VERY sorry to hear about Fred Willard.

Appearing as as comedian on TV as early as the dawn of the '60s, he was a founding member of the Ace Trucking Company improv troupe and became a frequent "Tonight Show" performer. He was seriously the funniest goddam person.