When asked which he preferred making, movies or live theater, he remarked, "Pictures are physically tiring; the theater is mentally tiring. Pictures last, the theater is built on sand. But I am grateful for my theater experience".
While pursuing his acting career, March, not wanting to overlook any means of keeping a little cash in his pocket, did some modeling. He proceeded to leave an attractive photo of himself at the various agents with the following stats typed on the back: Bickel, Fred M., Main 9939 Home 12 Sidney Pl., 32 waist, 10 shoe, 23 yrs., 5-11", 158 lbs., will not pose in underwear. March immortalized shoes, shaving cream and cravats and posed for such famous artists as Charles Dana Gibson and Howard Chandler Christy and for Arrow shirt advertisements.
William Holden was quoted as saying that Spencer Tracy and Fredric March were his acting ideals.
Won two Tony Awards as Best Actor (Dramatic), the first in 1947 for his performance in Ruth Gordon's "Years Ago," an award shared with José Ferrer for "Cyrano de Bergerac," and the second, ten years later, in 1957, for his landmark performance in Eugene O'Neill's "Long Day's Journey Into Night." He was also nominated in the same category in 1962 for Paddy Chayefsky's "Gideon."