Chill Wills

Actor / Director Profile

Chill Theodore Wills

ID for Chill Wills

Birth Name:
Chill Theodore Wills

Height:
6' 2" (1.88 m)

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1 Chill Wills Photos

Chill Wills videos

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Chill Wills

Why is Chill Wills Famous?

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Chill Wills

"Chill Wills Photos, News & Bio @TV Guide"

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Chill Wills Biography

Colorful character actor of American Westerns. Named "Chill" as an ironic comment on his birth date being the hottest day of 1903. A musician from his youth, he performed from the age of 12 with tent shows, in vaudeville, and with stock companies. While performing in vaudeville in Kansas City, he married ballet dancer Betty Chappelle, with whom he had two children. He formed a musical group, Chill Wills and His Avalon Boys. During an appearance at the Trocadero in Hollywood, they were spotted by an RKO executive, subsequently appearing as a group in several low-budget Westerns. After a prominent appearance with The Avalon Boys as both himself and the bass-singing voice of Stan Laurel in Way Out West (1937), Wills disbanded the group and began a solo career as a usually jovial (but occasionally sinister) character actor, primarily in Westerns. His delightful portrayal of Beekeeper in The Alamo (1960) won him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, but his blatant and embarrassing campaign for the Oscar cost him the award and subjected him to a great deal of humiliation -- and probably cost the film a number of awards as well. His wife died in 1971, and he remarried, to Novadeen Googe, in 1973. He continued to work in films and television, usually in roguishly lovable good-ol'-boy parts, up until his death in 1978.

Chill Wills Photo Gallery

Chill Wills filmography

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1. Stubby Pringle's Christmas (1978)
TV Janitor

actor

2. Poco... Little Dog Lost (1977)
Big Burt

actor

3. Mr. Billion (1977)
Col. Clayton T. Winkle

actor

4. Guns of a Stranger (1973)
Tom Duncan

actor

5. Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973)
Lemuel

actor

6. "Hec Ramsey" (1972)
(TV series) Sam McDade

actor

7. The Steagle (1971)
Tall-Guy McCoy

actor

8. "Alias Smith and Jones" (1971)
(TV series) Bixby

actor

9. The Liberation of L.B. Jones (1970)
Mr. Ike

actor

10. "Night Gallery" (1970)
(TV series) Heppelwhite

actor

11. Big Daddy (1969)

actor

12. "Marcus Welby, M.D." (1969)
(TV series)

actor

13. "Judd for the Defense" (1967)
(TV series) Simpson Youngert

actor

14. Fireball 500 (1966)
Big Jaw

actor

15. "Tarzan" (1966)
(TV series) Montroso

actor

16. The Rounders (1965)
Jim Ed Love (owner, Love Ranch)

actor

17. The Wheeler Dealers (1963)
Jay Ray Spinelby

actor

18. The Cardinal (1963)
Monsignor Whittle

actor

19. McLintock! (1963)
Drago

actor

20. Young Guns of Texas (1962)
Preacher Sam Shelby

actor

21. "The Virginian" (1962)
(TV series) Reedy

actor

22. The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come (1961)
Major Buford

actor

23. The Deadly Companions (1961)
Turk

actor

24. Gold of the Seven Saints (1961)
Doc Wilson Gates, MD

actor

25. The Alamo (1960)
Beekeeper

actor

26. "Route 66" (1960)
(TV series) Monty

actor

27. Where the Boys Are (1960)
Police Captain

actor

28. The Sad Horse (1959)
Capt Connors

actor

29. "Rawhide" (1959)
(TV series) Sheriff Asa Tanner

actor

30. From Hell to Texas (1958)
Amos Bradley

actor

31. Gun Glory (1957)
Preacher

actor

32. Gun for a Coward (1957)
Loving

actor

33. "Trackdown" (1957)
(TV series) Sebulen Hunt

actor

34. "Wagon Train" (1957)
(TV series) Bije Wilcox

actor

35. Santiago (1956)
Captain 'Sidewheel' Jones

actor

36. Kentucky Rifle (1956)
Tobias Taylor

actor

37. Giant (1956)
Uncle Bawley

actor

38. "Playhouse 90" (1956)
(TV series) Mr. Pruitt

actor

39. Francis in the Navy (1955)
Francis the Talking Mule (voice) (uncredited)

actor

40. Timberjack (1955)
Steve Riika

actor

41. "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" (1955)
(TV series) Mr. Kilmer

actor

42. Hell's Outpost (1954)
Kevin Russel

actor

43. Francis Joins the WACS (1954)
Gen. Benjamin Kaye (voice) (uncredited) / Francis the Talking Mule (voice) (uncredited)

actor

44. Ricochet Romance (1954)
Tom Williams

actor

45. City That Never Sleeps (1953)
Sgt. Joe, the 'Voice of Chicago'

actor

46. Francis Covers the Big Town (1953)
Francis the Talking Mule (voice)

actor

47. Small Town Girl (1953)
'Happy', Jailer (uncredited)

actor

48. Tumbleweed (1953)
Sheriff Murchoree

actor

49. The Man from the Alamo (1953)
John Gage

actor

50. Bronco Buster (1952)
Dan Bream

actor

51. Ride the Man Down (1952)
Ike Adams

actor

52. Francis Goes to West Point (1952)
Francis the Talking Mule (voice) (uncredited)

actor

53. Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Goes Western (1951)
(short) Rodeo Performer

actor

54. Francis Goes to the Races (1951)
Francis the Talking Mule (voice) (uncredited)

actor

55. The Sea Hornet (1951)
Swede

actor

56. Oh! Susanna (1951)
Sergeant Barhydt

actor

57. Cattle Drive (1951)
Dallas

actor

58. "Hallmark Hall of Fame" (1951)
(TV series) Janitor

actor

59. Stella (1950)
Chief Clark (uncredited)

actor

60. High Lonesome (1950)
Boatwhistle, Ranch Cook

actor

61. Francis (1950)
Francis the Talking Mule (voice) (uncredited)

actor

62. The Grass Is Always Greener (1950)
(short) Windy

actor

63. Rock Island Trail (1950)
Hogger McCoy

actor

64. Rio Grande (1950)
Dr. Wilkins (regimental surgeon)

actor

65. The Sundowners (1950)
Sam Beers

actor

66. Tulsa (1949)
Pinky Jimpson (Narrator)

actor

67. Family Honeymoon (1949)
Fred

actor

68. Red Canyon (1949)
Brackton

actor

69. Northwest Stampede (1948)
'Mileaway' James

actor

70. That Wonderful Urge (1948)
Homer Beggs - Justice of the Peace - Monroe Township

actor

71. Loaded Pistols (1948)
Sheriff Cramer

actor

72. The Sainted Sisters (1948)
Will Twitchell

actor

73. The Saxon Charm (1948)
Captain Chatham

actor

74. Heartaches (1947)
Boggie Mann/Vic (voice)

actor

75. High Barbaree (1947)
Lars (uncredited)

actor

76. The Yearling (1946)
Buck Forrester

actor

77. Gallant Bess (1946)
Chief Petty Officer

actor

78. The Harvey Girls (1946)
H.H. Hartsey

actor

79. What Next, Corporal Hargrove? (1945)
Sgt. Cramp

actor

80. Leave Her to Heaven (1945)
Leick Thome

actor

81. The Immortal Blacksmith (1944)
(short) Tom Davenport

actor

82. Trailin' West (1944)
(short) Old Man Coffey

actor

83. Rationing (1944)
Bus driver

actor

84. I'll Be Seeing You (1944)
Swanson

actor

85. Barbary Coast Gent (1944)
Sheriff Hightower

actor

86. Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
Mr. Neely

actor

87. See Here, Private Hargrove (1944)
First Sgt. Cramp

actor

88. Sunday Dinner for a Soldier (1944)
Mr. York

actor

89. Best Foot Forward (1943)
Chester Short

actor

90. A Stranger in Town (1943)
Charles Craig

actor

91. Apache Trail (1942)
'Pike' Skelton

actor

92. Stand by for Action (1942)
Chief Boatswain's Mate Jenks

actor

93. Her Cardboard Lover (1942)
Judge

actor

94. The Bugle Sounds (1942)
Sergeant Larry Dillon

actor

95. Mister Gardenia Jones (1942)
(documentary short) Hotel Employee

actor

96. The Omaha Trail (1942)
Henry Hawkins

actor

97. Tarzan's New York Adventure (1942)
Manchester Montford

actor

98. Billy the Kid (1941)
Tom Patterson

actor

99. Belle Starr (1941)
Blue Duck

actor

100. The Bad Man (1941)
'Red' Giddings

actor

101. Honky Tonk (1941)
The Sniper

actor

102. Western Union (1941)
Homer Kettle

actor

103. Wyoming (1940)
Lafe (uncredited)

actor

104. The Westerner (1940)
Southeast

actor

105. Tugboat Annie Sails Again (1940)
Shiftless

actor

106. Boom Town (1940)
Harmony Jones

actor

107. Sky Murder (1940)
Sheriff Beckwith

actor

108. Sorority House (1939)
Mr. Johnson

actor

109. The Day the Bookies Wept (1939)
Man on Bus (uncredited)

actor

110. Racketeers of the Range (1939)
Whopper Hatch

actor

111. Arizona Legion (1939)
'Whopper' Hatch

actor

112. Trouble in Sundown (1939)
Whopper

actor

113. Timber Stampede (1939)
Whopper Hatch

actor

114. Allegheny Uprising (1939)
M'Cammon

actor

115. Lawless Valley (1938)
Deputy Speedy McGow

actor

116. Block-Heads (1938)
Midget in Elevator (uncredited) (voice)

actor

117. Way Out West (1937)
Lead Singer of the Avalon Boys/Stan's Bass Singing (as The Avalon Boys)

actor

118. Nobody's Baby (1937)
Amateur Hour Lead Quartet Singer (as The Avalon Boys)

actor

119. At Sea Ashore (1936)
(short) Leader of Avalon Four Quartette (as The Avalon Four)

actor

120. Call of the Prairie (1936)
Singing cowhand (as The Avalon Boys)

actor

121. Hideaway Girl (1936)
Lead Singer of Avalon Boys (as The Avalon Boys)

actor

122. Anything Goes (1936)
Member of 'The Avalon Boys' (as The Avalon Boys)

actor

123. Bar 20 Rides Again (1935)
Background Singer/Henchman (as Chill Wills and His Avalon Boys)

actor

124. It's a Gift (1934)
uncredited Campfire Singer

actor

125. "Assignment: Underwater"
(TV series) Boyd Crosby

actor

126. "The Gene Autry Show"
(TV series) Sheriff Chill Wills

actor

127. "The Texan"
(TV series) Captain Wylie

actor

128. Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade (2004)
archive footage

129. Drive-in Movie Memories (2001)
archive footage

130. "The Rounders" (1966)
unknown episodes

131. "Burke's Law" (1963)
3 episodes, 1963-1965

132. "Gunsmoke" (1955)
3 episodes, 1962-1968

133. Disneyland '59 (1959)
TV Himself

self

134. Screen Snapshots: Fun in the Sun (1952)
Himself - Golf Player

self

135. Screen Snapshots: Hollywood's Mr. Movies (1952)
Himself

self

136. The Over-the-Hill Gang Rides Again (1970)
(TV movie) (performer: "Come All You Texas Rangers" - uncredited)

soundtrack

137. The Over-the-Hill Gang (1969)
(TV movie) (performer: "Texas Rangers" - uncredited)

soundtrack

138. "The Porter Wagoner Show"
(TV series)

soundtrack

139. "Frontier Circus"
(TV series)

soundtrack

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