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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 Laurel's 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 Crockett's companion "Beekeeper" in the film The Alamo (1960). However, his aggressive campaign for the award was considered tasteless by many, including the film's 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 Calhoun's 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 Wallace's presidential campaign.[5] Wills was among the few Hollywood celebrities to endorse Wallace's 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 Pringle's Christmas. CLR
Description above from the Wikipedia article Chill Wills, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
2004
as Self (archive footage)
2001
1994
as (archive footage)
1992
as Beekeeper
1978
as The Janitor
1977
as Big Burt
1977
as Col. Clayton T. Winkle
1976
as Self (archive footage)
1973
as Lemuel
1973
as Tom Duncan
1971
as Tall Guy McCoy
1971
1970
as Heppelwhite (segment "The Little Black Bag")
1970
as Gentleman George Agnew
1970
as Mr. Ike
1969
as Gentleman George Agnew
1969
1967
1966
1966
1966
as Big Jaw
1965
as Jim Ed Love
1963
as Monsignor
1963
as Jay Ray Spinelby
1963
as Drago
1963
as Harry Riggs
1963
as Stanton Custer
1963
as General Hector Harder
1962
as Preacher Sam Shelby
1961
1961
as Turk
1961
as Major Buford
1961
as Doc Wilson Gates, M.D.
1960
as Police Captain
1960
as Beekeeper
1960
1959
as Self
1959
as Capt. Connors
1959
as Sheriff Asa Tanner
1958
1958
as Amos Bradley
1957
1957
as Preacher
1956
as Loving
1956
as Uncle Bawley
1956
as Host
1956
as Captain 'Sidewheel' Jones
1956
as Tobias Taylor
1955
as Mr. Kilmer
1955
as Abe Blocker
1955
as Red Conniston
1955
as Elihu Gorman
1955
as Francis (voice) (uncredited)
1955
as Steve Riika
1954
as Kevin Russell
1954
as Tom Williams
1954
as Francis (as Francis the Talking Muke)
1953
as Sheriff Murchoree
1953
as John Gage
1953
as Sgt. Joe, the 'Voice of Chicago'
1953
as Francis (as Franis the Talking Mule)
1952
as Ike Adams
1952
as Francis (as Francis the Talking Mule)
1952
as Dan Bream
1951
as The Janitor
1951
as Swede
1951
as Dallas
1951
as Francis The Talking Mule (as Francis the Talking Mule)
1951
as Sgt. Barhydt
1950
as Dr. Wilkins
1950
as Boatwhistle
1950
as Chief Clark
1950
as Hogger McCoy
1950
as Francis the Talking Mule (voice)
1950
as Sam Beers
1950
as Windy
1949
as Brackton
1949
as Pinky Jimpson (Narrator)
1948
as Sheriff Cramer
1948
as Fred
1948
as Homer Beggs
1948
as Captain Chatham
1948
as Mileaway
1948
as Will Twitchell
1947
as 'Breezie' Mann
1946
as Buck Forrester
1946
as Chief Petty Officer
1946
as H.H. Hartsey
1945
as Leick Thome
1945
as Sgt. Cramp
1944
as Swanson
1944
as Mr. York
1944
as Mr. Neely
1944
as Sheriff Hightower
1944
as First Sgt. Cramp
1943
as Chester Short
1943
as Charles Craig
1942
as Mate Jenks, Chef-Bootsmann
1942
as 'Pike' Skelton
1942
as Henry Hawkins
1942
as Judge
1942
as Hotel Employee
1942
as Manchester Montford
1942
as Sgt. Larry Dillon
1941
as The Sniper
1941
as Blue Duck
1941
as Tom Patterson
1941
as 'Red' Giddings
1941
as Homer Kettle
1940
as Shiftless
1940
as Sheriff Beckwith
1940
as Southeast
1940
as Lafe
1940
as Harmony Jones
1939
as M'Cammon
1939
as Man on Bus (uncredited)
1939
as Whopper Hatch
1939
as Whopper Hatch
1939
as Mr. Johnson
1939
as Whopper
1939
as Whopper Hatch
1938
as Deputy Speedy McGow
1937
as Amateur Hour Lead Quartet Singer (as The Avalon Boys)
1937
as Lead Singer of the Avalon Boys / Stan's Bass Singing (uncredited)
1936
as Leader of The Avalon Four (uncredited)
1936
as Singing Cowhand
1935
as Henchman