Topic: Fred Grandy

Fredrick Lawrence "Fred" Grandy (born June 29, 1948) is a former actor best known for his role as 'Gopher' on the sitcom The Love Boat and who later became a member of the United States House of Representatives from the state of Iowa. Grandy was most recently the host of "The Grandy Group," a morning drive time radio talk show on 630 WMAL-AM in Washington, D.C..

Grandy was born in Sioux City, Iowa. He received his bachelor's degree in English studies from Harvard University in 1970 and is conversant in both French and Arabic.

Grandy was a recurring character on the 1970s sitcom Maude, playing the boyfriend of Maude's daughter Carol. He played the ship's purser Burl "Gopher" Smith for nine seasons (1977–1986) on the American television series The Love Boat. In 1982, while visiting Turkey to film scenes for the show, Grandy suffered severe burns when a balloon filled with hydrogen exploded. He appeared in the 1973 made for TV movie The Girl Most Likely to..., as Ted Gates.