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.

Films indisponible à partir de Chill Wills

I'll Be Seeing You

Swanson

Film 1944

City That Never Sleeps

Sgt. Joe, the 'Voice of Chicago'

Film 1953

The Westerner

Southeast

Film 1940

The Sundowners

Sam Beers

Film 1950

Francis in the Navy

Francis (voice) (uncredited)

Film 1955

Sky Murder

Sheriff Beckwith

Film 1940

Leave Her to Heaven

Leick Thome

Film 1945

The Yearling

Buck Forrester

Film 1946

Belle Starr

Blue Duck

Film 1941

Fireball 500

Big Jaw

Film 1966

High Lonesome

Boatwhistle

Film 1950

Family Honeymoon

Fred

Film 1948

The Bugle Sounds

Sgt. Larry Dillon

Film 1942

Her Cardboard Lover

Judge

Film 1942

The Little Shepherd Of Kingdom Come

Major Buford

Film 1961

Gun Glory

Preacher

Film 1957

Drive-In Movie Memories

Film 2001

Tugboat Annie Sails Again

Shiftless

Film 1940

The Sad Horse

Capt. Connors

Film 1959

Francis Goes to the Races

Francis The Talking Mule (as Francis the Talking Mule)

Film 1951

The Grass Is Always Greener

Windy

Film 1950

The Sainted Sisters

Will Twitchell

Film 1948

Young Guns of Texas

Preacher Sam Shelby

Film 1962

Sunday Dinner for a Soldier

Mr. York

Film 1944

Racketeers of the Range

Whopper Hatch

Film 1939

Gallant Bess

Chief Petty Officer

Film 1946

Tumbleweed

Sheriff Murchoree

Film 1953

Barbary Coast Gent

Sheriff Hightower

Film 1944

Northwest Stampede

Mileaway

Film 1948

At Sea Ashore

Leader of The Avalon Four (uncredited)

Film 1936

That Wonderful Urge

Homer Beggs

Film 1948

Apache Trail

'Pike' Skelton

Film 1942

Sorority House

Mr. Johnson

Film 1939

Way Out West

Lead Singer of the Avalon Boys / Stan's Bass Singing (uncredited)

Film 1937

Ricochet Romance

Tom Williams

Film 1954

Best Foot Forward

Chester Short

Film 1943

The Day the Bookies Wept

Man on Bus (uncredited)

Film 1939

Call of the Prairie

Singing Cowhand

Film 1936

The Omaha Trail

Henry Hawkins

Film 1942

Lawless Valley

Deputy Speedy McGow

Film 1938

Trouble in Sundown

Whopper

Film 1939

Wyoming

Lafe

Film 1940

Stand by for Action

Mate Jenks, Chef-Bootsmann

Film 1942

Poco… Little Dog Lost

Big Burt

Film 1977

Francis Goes to West Point

Francis (as Francis the Talking Mule)

Film 1952

Stubby Pringle's Christmas

The Janitor

Film 1978

The Sea Hornet

Swede

Film 1951

Loaded Pistols

Sheriff Cramer

Film 1948

Guns of a Stranger

Tom Duncan

Film 1973

New York Premiere Telecast 'Giant'

Host

Film 1956

See Here, Private Hargrove

First Sgt. Cramp

Film 1944

Mr. Gardenia Jones

Hotel Employee

Film 1942

The Steagle

Tall Guy McCoy

Film 1971

Big Daddy

Film 1969

It's Showtime

Self (archive footage)

Film 1976

Disneyland '59

Self

Film 1959

John Wayne's 'The Alamo'

Beekeeper

Film 1992

The Saxon Charm

Captain Chatham

Film 1948

Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade

Self (archive footage)

Film 2004

Nobody's Baby

Amateur Hour Lead Quartet Singer (as The Avalon Boys)

Film 1937

Séries TV indisponible à partir de Chill Wills

Trackdown

Tv 1957

Route 66

Tv 1960

Alias Smith and Jones

Tv 1971

Rawhide

Sheriff Asa Tanner

Tv 1959

Judd for the Defense

Tv 1967

Tarzan

Tv 1966

Frontier Circus

Tv 1961

The Texan

Tv 1958

The Rounders

Tv 1966