2039c434d055017678e12e42ac152d5e.jpgCHILL WILLS
INFORMATION FROM IMDb
Date of birth
18 July 1903
Seagoville, Texas, USA
Date of death
15 December 1978
Encino, California, USA. (cancer)
Birth name
Chill Theodore Wills
Sometimes Credited As:
The Avalon Boys / Chill Wills and His Avalon Boys
Spouse
Novadeen Googe (7 December 1973 - 15 December 1978) (his death) 2 children
Hattie Elizabeth Betty' Chappelle' (1928 - 11 November 1971) (her death) 2
children
Daughter, Jill Wills (b.1939)
Son, Will Wills (b.1942)
Mini Biography-1
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.
IMDb mini-biography by Jim Beaver
Mini Biography-2
from Leonard Maltin's Movie Encyclopedia:
A veteran of tent shows, stock, and vaudeville engagements throughout the Southwest, Wills first played onscreen in 1935 as lead vocalist with the Avalon Boys, a Western-music group he organized. Shortly after appearing in the 1937 Laurel and Hardy comedy Way Out West Wills left the group to seek fame and fortune as an actor. He played sidekick to cowboy star George O'Brien in several 1939 horse operas, beginning with Arizona Legion and graduated to supporting roles in major films such as Boom Town (1940), Honky Tonk (1941), Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), Leave Her to Heaven (1945), and The Yearling (1946). In his youth a slender, homely man with bobbing Adam's apple, Wills gained weight steadily throughout the 1940s and 1950s, as his screen characters became progressively obnoxious. He was somewhat restrained and, consequently, very effective in Giant (1956), and he earned an Oscar nomination (then mounting an aggressive-and controversial-promotional campaign) for The Alamo (1960). Wills also supplied the voice of Francis the Talking Mule in the popular 1950s movie series. He costarred in two TV series, "Frontier Circus" (1961) and "The Rounders" (1967), a spin-off of the feature film. His last movie was Mr. Billion (1977). Copyright © 1994 Leonard Maltin, used by arrangement with Signet, a division of Penguin Putnam, Inc.
Personal quotes
Groucho Marx (in his own trade-paper ad after Wills took out an ad campaign for the Oscar, which listed all Academy members and calling them his "cousins"): "Dear Chill Wills: I'm glad to hear I'm your cousin, but I'm voting for Sal Mineo."
While campaigning for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 1960, Wills took out a series of ads with the declaration "Win, lose or draw, you're all my cousins and I love you."It was signed "Your cousin, Chill Wills".One member of the Academy placed a response ad stating:"Dear Mr. Chill Wills, I am delighted to be your cousin but I voted for Sal Mineo."It was signed, Groucho Marx.
[blog]Filmography[/blog]
Actor
1. Stubby Pringle's Christmas (1978) (TV) .... Janitor
2. Poco... Little Dog Lost (1977)
... aka Poco
3. Mr. Billion (1977) .... Col. Clayton T. Winkle
... aka The Windfall
4. "Hec Ramsey"
- Scar Tissue (1974) TV Episode .... McDade
5. Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973) .... Lemuel
6. Guns of a Stranger (1973) .... Tom Duncan
7. "Alias Smith and Jones"
- The Biggest Game in the West (1972) TV Episode .... Bixby
8. The Steagle (1971) .... Tall-Guy McCoy
9. "The Virginian"
... aka The Men from Shiloh (new title)
- The Angus Killer (1971) TV Episode .... Reedy
10. "Marcus Welby, M.D."
... aka Robert Young, Family Doctor
- Another Buckle for Wesley Hill (1971) TV Episode
11. "Night Gallery"
... aka Rod Serling's Night Gallery (USA)
- The Little Black Bag (1970) TV Episode .... Heppelwhite
12. The Over-the-Hill Gang Rides Again (1970) (TV) .... Gentleman George Agnew
13. The Liberation of L.B. Jones (1970) .... McIke
14. The Over-the-Hill Gang (1969) (TV) .... Gentleman George Agnew
15. Big Daddy (1969)
... aka Paradise Road
16. "Gunsmoke"
... aka Gun Law (UK)
... aka Marshal Dillon (USA: rerun title)
- A Noose for Dobie Price (1968) TV Episode .... Elihu Gorman
- A Hat (1967) TV Episode .... Red Conniston
- Abe Blocker (1962) TV Episode .... Abe Blocker
17. "Tarzan"
- End of a Challenge (1968) TV Episode .... Montroso
18. "Judd for the Defense"
- Confessional (1967) TV Episode .... Simpson Youngert
19. "The Rounders" (1966) TV Series .... Jim Ed Love (1966-67)
20. Fireball 500 (1966) .... Big Jaw
21. "Burke's Law"
... aka Amos Burke, Secret Agent (USA: new title)
- Who Killed the Toy Soldier? (1965) TV Episode .... General Hector Harder
- Who Killed Avery Lord? (1964) TV Episode .... Stanton Custer
- Who Killed Cable Roberts? (1963) TV Episode .... Harry Riggs
22. The Rounders (1965) .... Jim Ed Love (owner, Love Ranch)
23. "Rawhide"
- Incident at Deadhorse: Part 2 (1964) TV Episode .... Sheriff Asa Tanner
- Incident at Deadhorse: Part 1 (1964) TV Episode .... Sheriff Asa Tanner
24. "Route 66"
- Where There's a Will, There's a Way: Part 2 (1964) TV Episode .... Monty
- Where There's a Will, There's a Way: Part 1 (1964) TV Episode .... Monty
25. The Cardinal (1963) .... Monsignor Whittle
26. The Wheeler Dealers (1963) .... Jay Ray
... aka Separate Beds (UK)
27. McLintock! (1963) .... Drago
28. Young Guns of Texas (1962) .... Preacher Sam Shelby
29. "Frontier Circus" (1961) TV Series .... Col. Casey Thompson
30. The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come (1961) .... Major Buford
31. The Deadly Companions (1961) .... Turk
... aka Trigger Happy (USA: reissue title)
32. Gold of the Seven Saints (1961) .... Doc Wilson Gates, MD
33. Where the Boys Are (1960) .... Police Captain
34. "Assignment Underwater"
- Troubled Waters (1960) TV Episode .... Boyd Crosby
35. The Alamo (1960) .... Beekeeper
36. "Playhouse 90"
- Tomorrow (1960) TV Episode .... Mr. Pruitt
37. The Sad Horse (1959) .... Capt Connors
38. "The Texan"
- The Eyes of Captain Wylie (1959) TV Episode .... Captain Wylie
39. "Trackdown"
- The Samaritan (1959) TV Episode .... Sebulen Hunt
40. "Wagon Train"
... aka Major Adams, Trail Master
- The Bije Wilcox Story (1958) TV Episode .... Bije Wilcox
41. "Alfred Hitchcock Presents"
- Don't Interrupt (1958) TV Episode .... Mr. Kilmer
42. From Hell to Texas (1958) .... Amos Bradley
... aka Manhunt (UK)
43. Gun Glory (1957) .... Preacher
44. Gun for a Coward (1957) .... Loving
45. Giant (1956) .... Uncle Bawley
46. Santiago (1956) .... Sidewheel
... aka The Gun Runner
47. Kentucky Rifle (1956) .... Tobias Taylor
48. Francis in the Navy (1955) (voice) (uncredited) .... Francis
49. Timberjack (1955) .... Steve Riika
50. Hell's Outpost (1954) .... Kevin Russel
51. Ricochet Romance (1954) .... Tom Williams
52. Francis Joins the WACS (1954) .... Gen. Kaye/voice of Francis
53. Tumbleweed (1953) .... Sheriff Murchoree
... aka Three Were Renegades (USA)
54. The Man from the Alamo (1953) .... Fred Gage
55. City That Never Sleeps (1953) .... Sgt. Joe, the 'Voice of Chicago'
56. Francis Covers the Big Town (1953) (voice) (uncredited) .... Francis the Talking Mule
57. Small Town Girl (1953) .... 'Happy', Jailer
58. Ride the Man Down (1952) .... Ike Adams
59. Francis Goes to West Point (1952) (voice) (uncredited) .... Francis the Talking Mule
60. Bronco Buster (1952) .... Dan Bream
61. The Sea Hornet (1951) .... Swede
62. Cattle Drive (1951) .... Dallas
63. Francis Goes to the Races (1951) (voice) (uncredited) .... Francis the Talking Mule
64. Oh! Susanna (1951) .... Sgt. Barhydt
65. "The Gene Autry Show" .... Chill Wills, sidekick (eps. 1.20., 1.22)
... aka Melody Ranch
- The Peacemaker (1950) TV Episode .... Chill Wills - Sidekick
- The Gray Dude (1950) TV Episode .... Chill Wills
66. High Lonesome (1950) .... Boatwhistle
67. Rio Grande (1950) .... Dr. Wilkins (regimental surgeon)
... aka John Ford and Merian C. Cooper's Rio Grande (USA: complete title)
68. Stella (1950) (uncredited) .... Chief Clark
69. Rock Island Trail (1950) .... Hogger McCoy
... aka Transcontinent Express (UK)
70. The Sundowners (1950) .... Sam Beers
... aka Thunder in the Dust (UK)
71. Francis (1950) (voice) (uncredited) .... Voice of Francis the Talking Mule
... aka Francis the Talking Mule
72. The Grass Is Always Greener (1950) .... Windy
73. Tulsa (1949) .... Pinky Jimpson and Narrator
74. Red Canyon (1949) .... Brackton
75. Family Honeymoon (1949) .... Fred
76. Loaded Pistols (1948) .... Sheriff Cramer
77. That Wonderful Urge (1948) .... Homer Beggs, J.P. Monroe Twp.
78. The Saxon Charm (1948) .... Captain Chatham
79. Northwest Stampede (1948) .... 'Mileaway' James
80. The Sainted Sisters (1948) .... Will Twitchell
81. It Can't Be Done (1948)
82. Heartaches (1947) .... Boggie Mann, Vic's 'Voice'
83. High Barbaree (1947) (uncredited) .... Lars
84. Gallant Bess (1947) .... Chief Petty Officer
85. The Yearling (1946) .... Buck Forrester
86. The Harvey Girls (1946) .... H.H. Hartsey
87. Leave Her to Heaven (1945) .... Leick Thome
88. What Next, Corporal Hargrove? (1945) .... Sgt. Cramp
89. I'll Be Seeing You (1944) .... Swanson
90. Sunday Dinner for a Soldier (1944) .... Mr. York
91. Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) .... Mr. Neely (the iceman)
92. Trailin' West (1944) .... Old Man Coffey
93. Barbary Coast Gent (1944) .... Sheriff Hightower
... aka Gold Town
... aka The Honest Thief
94. The Immortal Blacksmith (1944) .... Tom Davenport
95. Rationing (1944) .... Bus driver
96. See Here, Private Hargrove (1944) .... Sgt. Cramp
97. Best Foot Forward (1943) .... Chester Short
98. A Stranger in Town (1943) .... Charles Craig
99. Stand by for Action (1942) .... Chief Boatswain's Mate Jenks
... aka Cargo of Innocents (UK)
100. Apache Trail (1942) .... 'Pike' Skelton
101. The Omaha Trail (1942) .... Henry Hawkins
102. Her Cardboard Lover (1942) .... Sam, the judge
103. Tarzan's New York Adventure (1942) .... Manchester Montford
104. The Bugle Sounds (1942) .... Sergeant Larry Dillon
105. Honky Tonk (1941) .... The Sniper
106. Belle Starr (1941) .... Blue Duck
... aka Belle Starr, the Bandit Queen
107. Billy the Kid (1941) .... Tom Patterson
108. The Bad Man (1941) .... 'Red' Giddings
... aka Two-Gun Cupid (UK)
109. Western Union (1941) .... Homer Kettle
110. Tugboat Annie Sails Again (1940) .... Shiftless
111. Sky Murder (1940) .... Sheriff Beckwith
112. The Westerner (1940) .... Southeast
113. Wyoming (1940) (uncredited) .... Lafe
... aka Bad Man of Wyoming (UK)
114. Boom Town (1940) .... Deputy Harmony Jones
115. Allegheny Uprising (1939) .... John M'Cammon
... aka The First Rebel (UK)
116. The Day the Bookies Wept (1939) (uncredited) .... Man on Bus
117. Timber Stampede (1939) .... Whopper Hatch
118. Racketeers of the Range (1939) .... Whopper Hatch
119. Sorority House (1939) .... Mr. Johnson
... aka That Girl from College (UK)
120. Trouble in Sundown (1939) .... Whopper
121. Arizona Legion (1939) .... 'Whopper' Hatch
122. Lawless Valley (1938) .... Deputy Speedy McGow
123. Block-Heads (1938) (uncredited) .... Voice-over for midget in elevator
124. Nobody's Baby (1937) (uncredited) .... Member of 'The Avalon Boys'
125. Way Out West (1937) (as The Avalon Boys) .... One of the Avalon Boys/Stan's bass singing
126. Hideaway Girl (1936) (as The Avalon Boys) .... Lead Singer of Avalon Boys
127. At Sea Ashore (1936) .... Member of 'The Avalon Boys'
128. Call of the Prairie (1936) .... Avalon Boy
129. Anything Goes (1936) .... Member of 'The Avalon Boys'
... aka Tops Is the Limit (USA: reissue title)
130. Bar 20 Rides Again (1935) (as Chill Wills and His Avalon Boys) .... Background Singer/Henchman
131. It's a Gift (1934) (uncredited) .... Campfire Singer
Composer
1. Hell's Outpost (1954) (song "Packin' In The Mail") (uncredited)
2. High Lonesome (1950) (song "20 Miles From Carson")
