Chill Wills facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chill Wills
Wills in 1941
Born	Theodore Childress Wills (1902-07-18)July 18, 1902 Seagoville, Texas, U.S.
Died	December 15, 1978(1978-12-15) (aged 76) Encino, California, U.S.
Resting place	Grand View Memorial Park Cemetery Glendale, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, singer
Years active	1934–1978
Spouse(s)	Hattie Chappelle ​ ​ (m. 1928; died 1971)​ Novadeen Googe ​ ​ (m. 1973)​

Theodore Childress "Chill" Wills (born July 18, 1902 – died December 15, 1978) was a famous American actor. He was also a singer in a group called the Avalon Boys.

Early Life

Chill Wills was born in Seagoville, Texas. His birthday was July 18, 1902.

Acting Career

Starting Out as a Singer

Chill Wills started performing when he was very young. In the 1930s, he formed and led a singing group. They were called the Avalon Boys.

The Avalon Boys sang in the movie Way Out West (1937). Chill Wills also provided a deep voice for actor Stan Laurel in that film. After appearing in a few Westerns, he stopped the group in 1938. He then began his solo acting career.

Becoming a Movie Star

Jack Kruschen, John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, and Wills in McLintock! (1963)

During the 1940s, Wills worked for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios. He appeared in many Western movies. He also took on serious roles. For example, he played Uncle Bawley in the movie Giant (1956). This film also starred Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor, and James Dean.

Chill Wills was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. This was for his role as Beekeeper in the movie The Alamo (1960).

The Voice of Francis the Talking Mule

One of Chill Wills' most famous roles was as the voice of Francis the Talking Mule. He voiced Francis in a series of popular movies. His deep, rough voice fit the mule's funny and sarcastic personality.

Even though he was the voice, Wills was not always listed in the movie credits. This was common for voice actors back then. He did appear on screen in the fourth movie, Francis Joins the WACS. In that film, he played General Ben Kaye.

TV Shows and Later Roles

Chill Wills also appeared in many television shows.

• In 1959, he starred in "The Bije Wilcox Story" on Wagon Train.
• He was in Rory Calhoun's Western series The Texan in 1960.
• Wills starred in the series Frontier Circus (1961–62).
• He played a rancher named Jim Ed Love in The Rounders (1966).
• In 1962, he guest-starred on Gunsmoke as Abe Blocker. He played an old friend of Marshal Matt Dillon.
• In 1968, he was in another Gunsmoke episode, "A Noose for Dobie Price".
• His last role was in 1978, as a janitor in Stubby Pringle's Christmas.

Political Involvement

Chill Wills was interested in politics. In the 1960s, he supported certain political candidates. For example, in 1963 and 1964, he appeared with other actors to support U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater. Later, in 1968, he supported George Wallace, a former governor of Alabama.

Personal Life

Chill Wills enjoyed playing poker. He was friends with Benny Binion, who started the World Series of Poker. Wills even took part in the first World Series in 1970.

Death

Chill Wills passed away from cancer on December 15, 1978. He was 76 years old. He was buried at Grand View Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.

Partial Filmography