Cast of The Munsters

In 1964, the witty comedy featuring a family of "monsters" aired on television.  With a cast of lovable characters that were very funny and not the least bit scary.  The characters included Herman (Fred Gwynne), the father who was a Frankenstein-like monster, Lily (Yvonne De Carlo) who was a vampire, Grandpa Munster (Al Lewis) who was a vampire, and Eddie (Butch Patrick) was also a vampire and he had a pet dragon named Spot that lived under the stairs. 

The cast of The Munsters: Yvonne De Carlo (Lily), Al Lewis (Grandpa), Butch Patrick (Eddie), Fred Gwynne (Herman), and Pat Priest (Marilyn)

Another one of the family members, the older daughter Marilyn, was a normal person.  Of which the on-going joke of show was that the family thought she was ugly looking and that became the topic of many laughs through the two years that the show ran until it ended in 1966.  Marylin was first played by actress Beverley Owen.  She played the role for the first 13 episodes, then left the show to marry.  She was replaced by Pat Priest who played the role of Marilyn until the show ended.  You may have a hard time telling which one is which in pictures of the show.  However, a usual give away is that Beverly almost always wore a head band because she wore a wig and it kept it in place.

Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster and Beverley Owen who played the original Marilyn Munster

Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster

Some of the memorable things about The Munsters is the creepy looking Gothic mansion they lived in and the "Munster Koach" which they drove around in which looked sort of like a hot rod hearse.  The show which was hosted by CBS competed directly with The Adams Family on ABC.  Both shows were in black and white.  When the Batman series which was shot in color aired in 1966, it spelled the end for both shows as it dominated the ratings.

The Munster Mansion

The Munsters in their "Munster Koach" which in reality was a customized stretch Model-T Ford

Eddie Munster's pet dragon, Spot, lived under the stairway

Cast members of the original show 1964-1966.  Visit the links to learn more about individual actors:

Fred Gwynne                Herman Munster
Al Lewis                      Grandpa Munster
Yvonne De Carlo                 Lily Munster

 Butch Patrick                    Eddie Munster
Beverly Owen    Marilyn Munster (1964) 

Pat Priest   Marilyn Munster, (1964-1966)

The Munsters in color

That would not be the last we saw of The Munster cast however.  The same year the show ended would come the release of the movie Munster, Go Home!  When Herman (Fred Gwynne), inherited an estate in England, the family moved there and then the antics began.

Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster in Munster, Go Home! 1966

The Munster, Go Home! movie cast:

Fred Gwynne       Herman Munster
Al Lewis             Grandpa Munster 
Yvonne De Carlo        Lily Munster 
Butch Patrick          Eddie Munster
Debbie Watson     Marilyn Munster


Most of the cast revived their roles one last time in the 1981 TV movie The Munsters' Revenge. This time however, the roles of Eddie and Marilyn were both played by different actors:  

Fred Gwynne      Herman Munster
Al Lewis            Grandpa Munster
Yvonne De Carlo       Lily Munster
K.C. Martel            Eddie Munster
Jo McDonnell      Marilyn Munster

The Cast of The Munster's Revenge Front: K. C. Martel (Eddie), Jo McDonnell (Marilyn) Back: Yvonne De Carlo (Lily), Fred Gwynne (Herman), and Al Lewis (Grandpa)

The Munster Mansion looks a little different today