Grandpa

Grandpa’s full name is given as “Vladimir Dracula, Count of Transylvania”. Grandpa declares his age as 378 years in the episode “Grandpa’s Lost Wife”, placing his date of birth in the year 1588. Grandpa describes having been married “167 times”, and although his wives are “all dead”, he still keeps “in touch with them”. Grandpa’s wife, Lily’s Mother, makes an emotional appearance in The Munsters Today series in 1990, in the episode “Once In a Blue Moon”. She also appears in a photograph in the original series which was taken during Herman and Lily’s wedding.

Grandpa keeps a laboratory in the cellar of the house, and often refers to “going down to the lab.” The potions and magic spells he devises there are central to many of the show’s stories. Many of his inventions are less than successful, but he never stops thinking up new ones.

Grandpa can transform himself into a wolf or a bat, as per Bram Stoker’s Dracula. In “Herman’s Sorority Caper” and Munster, Go Home! it is revealed that he takes special pills to turn himself into these creatures. In later episodes, however, and in all episodes of The Munsters Today he changes to and from a bat simply at will. –Wikipedia

Al Lewis (born Abraham Meister; April 30, 1923 – February 3, 2006) was an American character actor best known for his role as Count Dracula look alike “Grandpa”, opposite Fred Gwynne’s and Yvonne De Carlo’s characters on the CBS television series The Munsters from 1964 to 1966 and its subsequent film versions. Later in life, he was also a restaurant owner, political candidate, and radio broadcaster.

Lewis’ first well-known television role was as Officer Leo Schnauser on the NBC sitcom Car 54, Where Are You? from 1961–63, also starring Fred Gwynne. In the series, Lewis first played Al Spencer the Auto Body Man in two early first-season episodes before landing the more familiar role of Officer Schnauser. But he is best remembered as “Grandpa” on The Munsters.

In his final years, he resided on Roosevelt Island in New York City. In 2003, he was hospitalized for an angioplasty, and complications from the surgery led to an emergency bypass and the amputation of his right leg below the knee, as well as all of the toes on his left foot. He died on February 3, 2006, of natural causes in a hospital. Following his body’s cremation, his ashes were reportedly “placed in his favorite cigar box.” –Wikipedia