22 Facts About Freddie Prinze

1.

Freddie Prinze was born Frederick Karl Pruetzel at Saint Clare's Hospital in Manhattan, New York City, the son of Edward Karl Pruetzel and Maria de Gracia Pruetzel.

2.

Freddie Prinze's mother was a Puerto Rican Catholic and his father was a German Lutheran immigrant who had arrived in the US as a youth in 1934.

3.

Freddie Prinze was raised in a mixed neighborhood in Washington Heights, New York City.

4.

When Freddie Prinze was a small child, his mother enrolled him in ballet classes to deal with a weight problem.

5.

Freddie Prinze dropped out of school in his senior year to become a stand-up comedian.

6.

Freddie Prinze worked at several comedy clubs in New York City, including The Improv and Catch a Rising Star, where he introduced himself to audiences as a "Hunga-rican".

7.

Freddie Prinze chose this name because, 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, he would be the prince of comedy instead.

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8.

Freddie Prinze was the first young comedian to be asked to have a sit-down chat with Carson on his first appearance.

9.

Freddie Prinze appeared on and guest-hosted The Tonight Show on several other occasions.

10.

Freddie Prinze appeared on The Midnight Special to perform his comic routine.

11.

From September 1974 until his death in January 1977, Freddie Prinze starred as Francisco "Chico" Rodriguez in the NBC TV series Chico and the Man with Jack Albertson.

12.

Freddie Prinze made several appearances on The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts, most notably the roasts for Sammy Davis Jr.

13.

Freddie 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.

14.

About four months before his death, Freddie Prinze had signed a five-year deal with NBC worth $6 million.

15.

Freddie Prinze was arrested for driving under the influence of Quaalude on November 16,1976.

16.

Freddie Prinze had been romantically linked to actresses Raquel Welch and Pam Grier, whom he met in 1973.

17.

Freddie Prinze was very close friends with singer Tony Orlando; Orlando appeared on Chico and the Man, and Freddie Prinze appeared on Orlando's variety show.

18.

Freddie Prinze suffered from depression, which deepened in the weeks after his wife filed for divorce.

19.

Freddie Prinze had purchased this gun in the presence of Jimmie "JJ" Walker and Alan Bursky, although it was long rumored that Bursky gave him the gun.

20.

Freddie Prinze was rushed to the UCLA Medical Center and placed on life support following emergency surgery.

21.

Freddie Prinze had a history of playing Russian roulette to frighten his friends for his amusement, though he made farewell phone calls to numerous family members and friends on the night of his death and left a note stating that he had decided to take his life.

22.

Freddie Prinze is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles, near his father, Edward Karl Pruetzel.