Fred Grandy
Grandy received his bachelor's degree in English from Harvard University in 1970, and is fluent in both French and Arabic. He played the dimwitted Burl Gopher Smith for nine years on The Love Boat, but his political interests preceded his acting career. Prior to college, he was the roommate of David Eisenhower (grandson of President Eisenhower) at Phillips Exeter Academy and later was best man at Eisenhower's wedding to Julie Nixon. He also served as a speechwriter for Congressman Wiley Mayne (R-Iowa).
Grandy, who campaigned as a Republican, won the election in 1986 by 3,000 votes. Although he tried to distance himself from his acting career, he told People magazine, "If there were no Gopher, there would be no Fred Grandy for Congress."
During his four terms in Congress, he served on a variety of committees, including the House Ways and Means, Agriculture, Standards of Official Conduct, and Education and the Workforce. In 1994, he entered the race for Governor of Iowa against incumbent Terry Branstad; he lost the election by 4%. Grandy later served as president and CEO of Goodwill Industries from 1995-2000, became a political commentator on National Public Radio, and served as a Visiting Professor teaching a course on non-profit organizations at the University of Maryland School of Public Affairs. In 2003, Grandy was named co-host of the WMAL Morning News, a light current-events chat show on WMAL-AM in Washington, D.C. He has also stated that he is a vegan.
Fred Grandy Facts
Birth Name | Frederick Lawrence Grandy |
Occupation | Actor |
Birthday | June 29, 1948 (75) |
Sign | Cancer |
Birthplace | Sioux City, Iowa, USA |
Height | 5' 8" (1m73) How tall is Fred Grandy compared to you? |
Selected Filmography
Love Boat: Season Three Volume One | ||
Love Boat: Season Three Volume Two | ||
The Love Boat: Two Season Pack | ||
The Love Boat: Season 1, Vol. 2 | ||
The Love Boat: Season 1, Vol. 1 | ||
The Love Boat: Season 2 | ||
The Love Boat: Season 2, Vol. 2 | ||
Monster Squad | ||
The Lincoln Conspiracy | ||
The Monster Squad: The Complete Collection by Fred Grandy | ||
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