Hollywood Stars Are Paying Tribute to Fred Willard

Gabrielle Bruney
·6 min read
Photo credit: Michael Buckner - Getty Images
Photo credit: Michael Buckner - Getty Images

From Esquire

Photo credit: Michael Buckner - Getty Images
Photo credit: Michael Buckner - Getty Images

Beloved comic actor Fred Willard died Friday at the age of 86. Though he was perhaps best known for roles on Everybody Loves Raymond, Modern Family, and in Christopher Guest films like Waiting for Guffman and Best in Show, his career was remarkably long and wide-ranging. If you've watched TV since the 1970s, it's almost inevitable that Fred Willard has made you laugh. From Fernwood 2 Night to Mad About You to King of the Hill, Willard left a mark on the entertainment world that's impossible to miss. And he's not done yet—his final TV role is in Netflix's upcoming Space Force comedy series from Greg Daniels and Steve Carrell, which debuts on May 29.

In 2011, Willard told Esquire his vision of the ideal type of fame. "You think you want to be famous. Then you see twenty or thirty people with cameras running after somebody coming out of a restaurant," he said. "And you say, 'That might be fun for a night.' The idea is to be just famous enough that when you walk into a restaurant, the maître d' says, 'Oh, I have a nice table.'"

He more than achieved that brand of respected celebrity—well-known, widely loved, and always working. Over the years, Willard worked with scores of actors and inspired countless more. And since his family announced his death Saturday, they've taken to social media to memorialize the late actor.

Steve Carell

Steve Martin

Jamie Lee Curtis

Adam McKay

Jackée Harry

Tim Heidecker

Ben Stiller

Nick Kroll

Rob Reiner

Harry Shearer

Chelsea Peretti

Jimmy Kimmel

Judd Apatow

Edgar Wright

Bob Saget

Bryan Cranston

Jesse Tyler Ferguson

Henry Winkler

Billy Crystal

Brad Garrett

Jason Alexander

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