Chill Wills actor
- All known tv series 18
- Total known movies 109
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.Chill Theodore Wills (July 18, 1902 – December 15, 1978) was an American film actor, and a singer in the Avalon Boys Quartet.He was a performer from early childhood, forming and leading the Avalon Boys singing group in the 1930s. After appearing in a few westerns he disbanded the group in 1938, and struck out on a solo acting career.One of his more memorable roles was that of the distinctive voice of Francis the Mule in a series of popular films. Wills deep, rough voice, with its Western twang, was matched to the personality of the cynical, sardonic mule. As was customary at the time, Wills was given no billing for his vocal work, though he was featured prominently on-screen as blustery General Ben Kaye in the fourth entry, Francis Joins the WACS. He provided the deep voice for Stan Laurels performance of The Trail of the Lonesome Pine in Way Out West (1937), in which the Avalon Boys Quartet appeared.Wills was cast in numerous serious film roles, including as the city of Chicago as personified by a phantom police sergeant in the film noir City That Never Sleeps (1953), and that of Uncle Bawley in Giant (1956), which also features Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean. Wills was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, for his role as Davy Crocketts companion Beekeeper in the film The Alamo (1960). However, his aggressive campaign for the award was considered tasteless by many, including the films star/director/producer John Wayne, who publicly apologized for Wills. Wills publicity agent, W.S. Bow-Wow Wojciechowicz, accepted blame for the ill-advised effort, claiming that Wills had known nothing about it. The Oscar was instead won by Peter Ustinov for his role as Lentulus Batiatus in Spartacus.In Rory Calhouns CBS western series The Texan, Wills appeared in the lead role in the 1960 episode entitled The Eyes of Captain Wylie.Wills starred in the short-run series Frontier Circus which aired for only one season (1961–62) on CBS. In 1966, he was cast in the role of a shady Texas rancher, Jim Ed Love, in the short-lived ABC comedy/western series The Rounders (reprising his role in the 1965 film The Rounders, starring Henry Fonda), with co-stars Ron Hayes, Patrick Wayne and Walker Edmiston.in 1963-64, Wills joined William Lundigan, Walter Brennan and Efrem Zimbalist Jr. in making appearances on behalf of U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater, the Republican nominee in the campaign against U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson.In 1968, Wills refused to support Richard Nixon for the presidency and served as master of ceremonies for George C. Wallace, former governor of Alabama, for the California campaign stops in Wallaces presidential campaign.[5] Wills was among the few Hollywood celebrities to endorse Wallaces bid against Nixon and Hubert H. Humphrey; another was Walter Brennan.Also in 1968, he starred in the Gunsmoke episode A Noose for Dobie Price, where he played Elihu Gorman, a former outlaw who joins forces with Marshal Matt Dillon, played by James Arness, to track down a member of his former gang who has escaped jail. His last role was in 1978, as a janitor in Stubby Pringles Christmas. CLRDescription above from the Wikipedia article Chill Wills, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Swanson
Movie 1944
Sgt. Joe, the 'Voice of Chicago'
Movie 1953
Southeast
Movie 1940
Sam Beers
Movie 1950
Francis (voice) (uncredited)
Movie 1955
Sheriff Beckwith
Movie 1940
Leick Thome
Movie 1945
Buck Forrester
Movie 1946
Blue Duck
Movie 1941
Big Jaw
Movie 1966
Boatwhistle
Movie 1950
Fred
Movie 1948
Sgt. Larry Dillon
Movie 1942
Judge
Movie 1942
Major Buford
Movie 1961
Preacher
Movie 1957
Movie 2001
Shiftless
Movie 1940
Capt. Connors
Movie 1959
Francis The Talking Mule (as Francis the Talking Mule)
Movie 1951
Windy
Movie 1950
Will Twitchell
Movie 1948
Preacher Sam Shelby
Movie 1962
Mr. York
Movie 1944
Whopper Hatch
Movie 1939
Chief Petty Officer
Movie 1946
Sheriff Murchoree
Movie 1953
Sheriff Hightower
Movie 1944
Mileaway
Movie 1948
Leader of The Avalon Four (uncredited)
Movie 1936
Homer Beggs
Movie 1948
'Pike' Skelton
Movie 1942
Mr. Johnson
Movie 1939
Lead Singer of the Avalon Boys / Stan's Bass Singing (uncredited)
Movie 1937
Tom Williams
Movie 1954
Chester Short
Movie 1943
Man on Bus (uncredited)
Movie 1939
Singing Cowhand
Movie 1936
Henry Hawkins
Movie 1942
Deputy Speedy McGow
Movie 1938
Whopper
Movie 1939
Lafe
Movie 1940
Mate Jenks, Chef-Bootsmann
Movie 1942
Big Burt
Movie 1977
Francis (as Francis the Talking Mule)
Movie 1952
The Janitor
Movie 1978
Swede
Movie 1951
Sheriff Cramer
Movie 1948
Tom Duncan
Movie 1973
Host
Movie 1956
First Sgt. Cramp
Movie 1944
Hotel Employee
Movie 1942
Tall Guy McCoy
Movie 1971
Movie 1969
Self (archive footage)
Movie 1976
Self
Movie 1959
Beekeeper
Movie 1992
Captain Chatham
Movie 1948
Self (archive footage)
Movie 2004
Amateur Hour Lead Quartet Singer (as The Avalon Boys)
Movie 1937
Tv 1957
Tv 1960
Tv 1971
Sheriff Asa Tanner
Tv 1959
Tv 1967
Tv 1966
Tv 1961
Tv 1958
Tv 1966
