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Frederick Karl Prinze (born Frederick Karl Pruetzel; June 22, 1954 – January 29, 1977) was an American stand-up comedian and actor, and the star of the NBC-TV sitcom '' Chico and the Man'' from 1974 until his death in 1977. He was described in a '' Vulture'' magazine article as "having blown up like no other comedian in history." Prinze is the father of actor Freddie Prinze Jr.


Early life

Prinze was born Frederick Karl Pruetzel (German spelling: Prützel) at Saint Clare's Hospital in
Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
, New York City, the son of Maria de Gracia Pruetzel (née Graniela y Ramirez) and Edward Karl Pruetzel. His mother was a Puerto Rican
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and his father was a German
Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
immigrant who had arrived in the U.S. as a youth in 1934. Prinze was raised in a mixed neighborhood in Washington Heights, New York City. When Prinze was a small child, his mother enrolled him in
ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...
classes to deal with a weight problem. Without telling his parents, Prinze successfully auditioned for the High School of Performing Arts, where he was introduced to drama and continued ballet—and where he discovered his gift for comedy while entertaining crowds in the boys' restroom. He dropped out of school in his senior year to become a stand-up comedian.


Career

Prinze worked at several
comedy club A comedy club is a venue where a variety of comedic acts perform to a live audience. Although the term usually refers to establishments that feature stand-up comedy, stand-up comedians, it can also feature other forms of comedy such as improvisati ...
s in New York City, including The Improv and Catch a Rising Star, where he introduced himself to audiences as a "Hunga-rican" (part Hungarian, part Puerto Rican). Although his mother was in fact Puerto Rican, his father was a German immigrant with Hungarian ancestry. Prinze's son, Freddie Prinze Jr., has stated many times that his father was half German/half Puerto Rican. This is also verified by census records as well as Prützel/Pruetzel family accounts. For the sake of his budding comedic career, he legally changed his surname to "Prinze". According to his friend David Brenner, Prinze originally wanted to be known as the king of comedy, but since Alan King already had that last name and
sobriquet A sobriquet ( ) is a descriptive nickname, sometimes assumed, but often given by another. A sobriquet is distinct from a pseudonym in that it is typically a familiar name used in place of a real name without the need for explanation; it may beco ...
, he would be the prince of comedy instead. During 1973, Prinze made his first television appearance on one of the last episodes of ''
Jack Paar Jack Harold Paar (May 1, 1918 – January 27, 2004) was an American talk show host, writer, radio and television comedian, and film actor. He was the second host of ''The Tonight Show'' from 1957 to 1962. ''Time (magazine), Time'' magazine's ob ...
Tonite''. In December 1973, his biggest break came with an appearance on ''
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show was the third installment of ''The Tonight Show''. Hosted by Johnny Carson, it aired from October 1, 1962 to May 22, 1992, replacing ''T ...
''. Prinze was the first young comedian to be asked to have a sit-down chat with Carson on his first appearance. Prinze appeared on and guest-hosted ''The Tonight Show'' on several other occasions. He also appeared on'' The Midnight Special'' to perform his comic routine. From September 1974 until his death in January 1977, Prinze starred as Francisco "Chico" Rodriguez in the NBC TV series '' Chico and the Man'' with
Jack Albertson Harold "Jack" Albertson (June 16, 1907 – November 25, 1981) was an American actor, comedian, dancer and singer who also performed in vaudeville. Albertson was a Tony, Oscar, and Emmy winning actor, which ranks him among a rare stature of 24 ...
. The show was an instant hit. Prinze made several appearances on '' The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts'', most notably the roasts for Sammy Davis Jr. and
Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and social activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "The Greatest", he is often regarded as the gr ...
. In 1975, he released a comedy album that was taped live at Mister Kelly's in Chicago entitled ''Looking Good''—his catch phrase from ''Chico and the Man''. In 1976, he starred in a made-for-TV movie, '' The Million Dollar Rip-Off''. Prinze had a little-known talent for singing, examples of which could be heard in the background of the title song of the Tony Orlando and Dawn album ''To Be With You'', in his appearances on their variety show, and on rare occasions on his own
sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...
. About four months before his death, Prinze signed a five-year deal with NBC worth $6 million.


Personal life

On October 13, 1975, Prinze married Katherine "Kathy" Elaine (Barber) Cochran, with whom he had one child, son Freddie Prinze Jr., who was born March 8, 1976. Prinze was arrested for
driving under the influence Driving under the influence (DUI) is the crime of driving, operating, or being in control of a vehicle while one is impaired from doing so safely by the effect of either alcohol (drug), alcohol (see drunk driving) or some other drug, whether re ...
of Quaalude on November 16, 1976. A few weeks later his wife filed for divorce. Prinze had been romantically linked to actresses Raquel Welch and Pam Grier, whom he met in 1973. Grier recalls their relationship in chapter nineteen of her memoir, ''My Life in Three Acts''. After his break-up with Grier, Prinze dated actress Lonette McKee for a time during 1976. Prinze also dated Joanna Kerns a short time before he died. The two had worked together on the 1976 TV movie '' The Million Dollar Rip-Off''. Prinze was very close friends with singer
Tony Orlando Michael Anthony Orlando Cassavitis (born April 3, 1944), known professionally as Tony Orlando, is an American Pop music, pop/Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and music executive whose career spans nearly seven decades. He is best known for h ...
; Orlando appeared on ''Chico and the Man'', and Prinze appeared on Orlando's variety show. As he started to make more money, Prinze took
martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...
lessons from Robert Wall, a student of
Bruce Lee Bruce Lee (born Lee Jun-fan; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was an American-born Hong Kong martial artist, actor, filmmaker, and philosopher. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy which was formed from ...
, who appeared in '' Enter the Dragon'' and ''
The Way of the Dragon ''The Way of the Dragon'' (, originally released in the United States as ''Return of the Dragon'') is a 1972 Hong Kong action cinema, Hong Kong martial arts comedy film co-produced and directed by Bruce Lee, who also stars in the lead role. Th ...
''. Soon after, Wall became godfather to Prinze's newborn son.


Death

Prinze suffered from depression. On the night of January 28, 1977, after talking on the telephone with his estranged wife, Prinze received a visit from his business manager, Marvin "Dusty" Snyder. During the visit, Prinze put a gun to his head and shot himself. He had purchased this gun in the presence of fellow actors Jimmie "JJ" Walker and Alan Bursky, although it was long rumored that Bursky gave him the gun. Prinze was rushed to the UCLA Medical Center and placed on
life support Life support comprises the treatments and techniques performed in an emergency in order to support life after the failure of one or more vital organs. Healthcare providers and emergency medical technicians are generally certified to perform bas ...
following emergency surgery. His family removed him from life support, and he died at 1 p.m. on January 29. Prinze made farewell phone calls to numerous family members and friends prior to shooting himself and left a note stating that he had decided to kill himself. In 1977, the death was ruled a suicide. However, in a 1983 civil case brought by his mother, wife, and son against Crown Life Insurance Company, the jury found that his death was medication-induced and accidental, which enabled the family to collect $200,000 in life insurance. This followed a $1 million out-of-court settlement with his psychiatrist and doctor to end a malpractice suit for allowing him access to a gun and overprescribing him Quaalude (as a tranquilizer). When ''Chico & the Man'' went into hiatus due to Prinze's death, a new mid-season series, which would go on to become highly successful, '' Three's Company'', gave its star, John Ritter, Prinze's dressing room for its pilot episode. Prinze is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles, near his father, Edward Karl Pruetzel. His son, Freddie Prinze Jr., who was under one year old when his father died, did not speak publicly about his father's death until he discussed it in the documentary '' Misery Loves Comedy'' (2015), directed by Kevin Pollak.


Filmography


Legacy

* Prinze's mother wrote a book about her son, ''The Freddie Prinze Story'' (1978). * '' Can You Hear the Laughter? The Story of Freddie Prinze'' (September 1979) is a TV biopic. * Prinze's life and death were a focal point of one of the storylines in the movie '' Fame'' (1980), set in Prinze's alma mater, the LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts. * Prinze received a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...
on December 14, 2004, honoring his contribution to the television industry. Actor and comedian George Lopez has acknowledged that he paid for Prinze's star.


References


Further reading

* *


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Prinze, Freddie 1954 births 1977 deaths 1977 suicides American actors of Puerto Rican descent American stand-up comedians American male television actors Hispanic and Latino American male actors American people of German descent American people of Hungarian descent People from Washington Heights, Manhattan Male actors from Manhattan Male suicides Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) 20th-century American male actors Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School alumni 20th-century American comedians American male comedians Comedians from Manhattan Suicides by firearm in California Hispanic and Latino American male comedians Hispanic and Latino American stand-up comedians