Chill Theodore Wills is an American actor and singer in The Avalon Boys, best known for his roles in films such as McLintock! and the Alamo.
Biography
Wills was born on July 18, 1902 in Sigoville, Texas. From early childhood, he was fond of art, especially music. Noticing the child's creativity, Chill's parents sent him to a music school. He began his career as a singer, forming The Avalon Boys quartet in the early 1930s. Together with him, he appeared in a number of films as the lead singer of the group, and in 1938, after his solo acting career began to develop, he disbanded the quartet.
Wills was a poker player and close friend of Benny Binion, founder of the World Series of Poker tournament. Wills took part in the First World Series held in 1970 in Las Vegas and was even one of the advertising faces of the tournament. True, the actor did not have any special merits and achievements in poker. According to Chill himself, poker for him has always been just a hobby and a way of having fun.
Career
Over the years of his acting career, Wills has created a number of memorable roles on the screens, including Mr. Neely in the musical "Meet Me in St. Louis" (1944), Dr. Wilkes in the western "Rio Grande" (1950), Uncle Bauli in the drama "The Giant" (1956), the beekeeper in John Wayne's war drama The Alamo (1960) and Drago in the Western McLintock! (1963). Wills was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role as companion Davy Crockett in The Alamo, but Peter Ustinov went to Peter Ustinov for his role as Lentulus Batiatus in Spartacus. In addition, he starred a lot on television, where he had roles in the television series "Barrel Smoke", "Alfred Hitchcock Presents", "Rawhide Lash" and many others.
In addition to participating in Hollywood films, the actor actively made acquaintances with the US political elite. For example, in 1963-64, Chill Wills appeared with Walter Brennan and Ephraim Zimbalist Jr. in the election campaign of Senator Barry M. Goldwater from the Republican Party for the presidency of the United States. In 1968, Wills refused to endorse Richard Nixon as president and served as a ceremonial planner for George Wallace, the former governor of Alabama. All of Wallace's presidential campaigns in California took place with Wills' direct organizational support. Chill Wills was one of the few Hollywood celebrities who supported Wallace's proposal against Nixon and Hubert H. Humphrey, besides him, Walter Brennan was a famous actor on Wallace's side.
Wills played his last movie role in 1978 as a janitor in Stubby Pringle's Christmas.
Personal life
The actor was married twice. From his first wife, Betty Chappelli, he has two children, Jill Wills (born 1939) and Will Wills (born 1942). In 1973, two years after the death of his first wife, Wills married a second time, his new wife was named Novadin Goodge. The actor suffered from cancer for many years, on December 15, 1978, at the age of 76, he died in Encino, California. Buried in Glendale Memorial Cemetery.
Awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the US film industry.
Filmography
1977 Mr. Billion | Mr. Billion (USA):: Colonel Winkle
1973 Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid | Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (USA):: Lemuel
1969 Freeing Lord Byron Jones | The Liberation of L. B. Jones (USA)
1965 Sharpie | Rounders, The (USA):: Jim Ed
1964 Highway 66 | Route 66
1963-1966 Burke's Justice | Burke's Law (USA)
1963 McLintock! | McLintock! (USA)
1963 Cardinal | Cardinal, The (USA)
1962 Young Texas Arrows | Young Guns of Texas (USA)
1961 Deadly Companions | Deadly Companions, The | Trigger Happy (USA):: Turk
1960 Theater-90 | Playhouse 90 (USA):: Mr. Pruit
1960 Alamo | Alamo, The (USA)
1959-1966 Rawhide Lash | Rawhide (USA)
1958 From Hell to Texas | From Hell to Texas (USA)
1957 A pistol for a scoundrel | Gun for a Coward (USA)
1956 Santiago | Santiago
1956 Giant | Giant (USA)
1955-1962 Alfred Hitchcock presents | Alfred Hitchcock Presents (USA)
1953 The Man from the Alamo | Man from the Alamo, The (USA):: John Gage
1953 The girl from the town | Small Town Girl (USA)
1953 The City That Never Sleeps | City That Never Sleeps (USA)
1951 Oh! Suzanne | Oh! Susanna
1950 Rio Grande | Rio Grande (USA):: Dr. Wilkins
1949 Tulsa | Tulsa (USA):: Little finger Jimpson
1948 This wonderful impulse | That Wonderful Urge (USA)
1946 Fawn | The Yearling (USA):: Buck Forrester
1946 Harvey Girls | Harvey Girls, The (USA)
1945 Leave Her in Paradise | Leave Her to Heaven (USA):: Lick Thorne
1944 See you | I'll Be Seeing You (USA)
1944 Meet me in St. Louis | Meet Me in St. Louis (USA)
1942 Tarzan's Adventure in New York | Tarzan's New York Adventure (USA):: Manchester Montford
1942 Her cardboard lover | Her Cardboard Lover (USA)
1941 Bad Man | The Bad Man (USA)
1941 Eatery | Honky Tonk (USA)
1941 Western Union | Western Union (USA):: Homer
1940 Noisy city | Boom Town (USA)
1940 The Man from the West | Westerner, The (USA)
1939 Allegheny Uprising | Allegheny Uprising (USA)
1938 Dumbheads | Block-Heads (USA):: episode
1937 Way from the West | Way Out West (USA)
1936 Whatever Happens | Anything Goes (USA)
1934 This is a gift | It's a Gift (USA):: episode
