Chill Wills
| Chill Wills | |
|---|---|
Wills in 1941
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| Born |
Theodore Childress Wills July 18, 1902 Seagoville, Texas, United States |
| Died | December 15, 1978 (aged 76) Encino, California, United States |
| Resting place |
Grand View Memorial Park Cemetery Glendale, California, United States |
| Occupation | Actor, singer |
| Years active | 1934–1978 |
| Spouse(s) |
Hattie Chappelle (m. 1928; her death 1971) Novadeen Googe (m. 1973; his death 1978) |
Theodore Childress "Chill" Wills (July 18, 1902 – December 15, 1978) was an American actor and a singer in the Avalon Boys Quartet.
Wills was born in Seagoville, Texas on July 18, 1902.
Wills 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 and Western twang were 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 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 in 1960 for his role as Davy Crockett's companion "Beekeeper" in the film The Alamo. 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.
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