Fred R. Jolly

Fred R. Jolly is an actor, known for The Funeral Photographer (2022). His other credits include...actually, there are no other credits of note, as this was his first film role. Back in the 1990's he did have a minor cameo in an office holiday video called "The Chia Partner," and was featured in an infomercial for a Chicago bank, in which he discussed investment asset allocation. As he noted when he finished shooting his last scene in The Funeral Photographer, "This was both my film debut, and likely, my swansong." The Godfather (1972), The Right Stuff (1983), Moulin Rouge! (2001), Shakespeare in Love (1998), Breaking Away (1979), and Casablanca (1942), are films that he did not actually appear in, but are some of his favorites. Born in Bloomington, Illinois, on March 25, 1956, to Gwendolyn (Jacobs) and Russell Jolly, he grew up on a small farm near Chenoa, Illinois, with three brothers. In high school he was at best an average student whose primary focus was on sports. He exhibited little interest in theater, something that he has always regretted. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the United States Navy and spent the next six years stationed on both coasts of the United States, and in Gaeta, Italy. It was out of his military experience that his interest in travel, different cultures, and the arts, emerged. After his discharge from the military, he attended college and graduated with a BS in Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and much later, graduated with a Master of Liberal Arts degree from The University of Chicago. His professional career was spent in the financial industry in Chicago, Illinois. He is married to Laura (Madsen) Jolly and resides in southwest Michigan. One daughter, Claire, is married to Kyle Volenik, and they live in Chicago with their daughter, Sienna. Current project: Playing the role of Papa to first grandchild, Sienna.