Portrait of Will Wright

Will Wright

Acting

Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. William Henry "Will" Wright (March 26, 1894, San Francisco, California - June 19, 1962, Los Angeles, California) was an American character actor. He was frequently cast in westerns and in curmudgeonly roles. Over the course of his career, Wright appeared in more than 200 film and television roles. He started his acting career in vaudeville and later moved to the stage, then on to movies, radio, and television. Among the films in which Wright appeared are Shadow of the Thin Man (1941), The Major and the Minor (1943), So Proudly We Hail! (1943), Road to Utopia (1946), Mother Wore Tights (1947), Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948), Little Women (1949), Walk Softly, Stranger (1950), Sunset in the West (1950), People Will Talk (1951), The Happy Time (1952), River of No Return (1954), The Man with the Golden Arm (1955), Jeanne Eagels (1957), and Gunman's Walk (1958). One of his most famous and memorable film roles was corrupt city official Dolph Pillsbury in the Academy Award-winning All the King's Men (1949). Wright provided the voice of Friend Owl in Walt Disney's animated film Bambi (1942). He guest starred on several television series. Will Wright died of cancer in 1962.

Born: March 25, 1894

Place of Birth: San Francisco, California, USA

Filmography

1964
Fail Safe

as Bit Part (uncredited)

1962
Cape Fear

as Dr. Pearsall

1961
1961
Twenty Plus Two

as Newspaper morgue attendant

1961
The Deadly Companions

as Doctor Acton

1961
Mister Ed

as Mr. Thompson

1960
1960
Thriller

as Constable Tom Walker

1960
Inherit the Wind

as Bible Salesman (uncredited)

1959
Mr. Lucky

as The Leadville Kid

1959
Dennis the Menace

as Merrivale

1959
Riverboat

as J.C. Sickel

1959
1959
Alias Jesse James

as Titus Queasley

1959
Rawhide

as Grandfather

1958
77 Sunset Strip

as Luther Hanks

1958
Bat Masterson

as Billy Willow

1958
1958
1958
1958
Rock-a-Bye Baby

as Fire Chief (uncredited)

1958
1958
Quantrill's Raiders

as Judge Wood

1958
The Missouri Traveler

as Sheriff Marvin Peavy

1957
Leave It to Beaver

as Pete at Firehouse #7

1957
Trackdown

as Zack

1957
Maverick

as General Hoyt Bosco

1957
Maverick

as Jabe Hallock

1957
Maverick

as General Eakins

1957
Maverick

as Sheriff Chester Bentley

1957
Perry Mason

as James Vardon

1957
Perry Mason

as Adam Thompson

1957
Perry Mason

as Chuck Clark

1957
Sugarfoot

as Charlie Cade

1957
Sugarfoot

as John Chamberlain

1957
Sugarfoot

as Job Turner

1957
Jeanne Eagels

as Marshal (uncredited)

1957
Johnny Tremain

as Ephraim Lapham

1957
The Wayward Bus

as Van Brunt

1957
1956
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre

as King - Newspaper Editor

1956
These Wilder Years

as Old Cab Driver

1955
The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell

as Admiral William S. Sims

1955
1955
The Tall Men

as Gus - Bartender (uncredited)

1955
The Kentuckian

as John Decker (uncredited)

1955
Not as a Stranger

as Mr. Roberts (uncredited)

1955
The Millionaire

as Grandpa Costello

1954
Lassie

as Caleb Brown

1954
The Raid

as Josiah Anderson

1954
Johnny Guitar

as Ned - Bank Teller (uncredited)

1954
River of No Return

as Trader (uncredited)

1953
The Wild One

as Art Kleiner

1953
Letter to Loretta

as Father Gourdian

1953
The Last Posse

as Todd Mitchell

1953
1953
Niagara

as Boatman

1952
The Happy Time

as Family Doctor

1952
Cavalcade of America

as George's Father

1952
O. Henry's Full House

as Manager (segment "The Clarion Call") (uncredited)

1952
O. Henry's Full House

as Hotel Desk Clerk (segment "The Clarion Call") (uncredited)

1952
Holiday for Sinners

as The Man with a Cigar

1952
Lure of the Wilderness

as Sheriff Brink

1952
Lydia Bailey

as Consul (uncredited)

1952
Paula

as Raymond Bascom

1952
Young Man with Ideas

as Party Guest (uncredited)

1952
The Las Vegas Story

as Mike Fogarty

1951
I Love Lucy

as Mr. Walters

1951
I Love Lucy

as Sheriff

1951
People Will Talk

as Uncle John Higgins (uncredited)

1951
The Tall Target

as Thomas Ogden (uncredited)

1951
Never Trust a Gambler

as Cap Douglas (uncredited)

1951
Excuse My Dust

as Race judge

1951
My Forbidden Past

as Luther Toplady

1951
Vengeance Valley

as Mr. Willoughby

1951
The Living Christ

as Herod The Great

1951
1950
Dallas

as Judge Harper

1950
Walk Softly, Stranger

as Jake, Poker Player (uncredited)

1950
Sunset in the West

as Sheriff Tad Osborne

1950
No Way Out

as Dr. Cheney (uncredited)

1950
The Savage Horde

as Judge Thomas Cole

1950
A Ticket to Tomahawk

as Marshal Kit Dodge

1950
House by the River

as Inspector Sarten

1949
Mrs. Mike

as Dr. McIntosh

1949
Adam's Rib

as Judge Marcasson

1949
All the King's Men

as Dolph Pillsbury

1949
1949
Miss Grant Takes Richmond

as Roscoe Johnson (uncredited)

1949
The Lone Ranger

as Uncle Ed

1949
Brimstone

as Martin Tredwell

1949
Lust for Gold

as Parsons (uncredited)

1949
Grape Nutty

as Crow (Voice)

1949
Big Jack

as Will Farnsworth

1949
The Green Promise

as Mr. Grenstedt

1949
Little Women

as Mr. Grace (uncredited)

1949
1948
Whispering Smith

as Sheriff McSwiggin

1948
An Act of Murder

as Judge Jim Wilder

1948
Disaster

as Pop Hansford

1948
The Walls of Jericho

as Dr. Patterson (uncredited)

1948
Black Eagle

as Sheriff Clancy

1948
Relentless

as Sam - the Horse Dealer

1948
1948
So This Is New York

as Uncle Fergus (uncredited)

1948
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House

as Eph Hackett (uncredited)

1948
The Inside Story

as J. J. Johnson

1947
Wild Harvest

as Mike Alperson

1947
1947
Cynthia

as Gus Wood, Thatcher's Real Estate Rep

1947
Mother Wore Tights

as Withers (uncredited)

1947
Uncle Tom's Cabana

as Uncle Tom (uncredited)

1947
Keeper of the Bees

as Dr. Grayson

1947
The Trouble with Women

as Commissioner (uncredited)

1947
Danger Street

as Police Chief Bullward

1947
The Long Night

as Mr. Tully - the Janitor (uncredited)

1947
Blaze of Noon

as Mr. Thomas

1947
California

as Chairman (uncredited)

1946
Fair Weather Fiends

as Wolfie Wolf (voice)

1946
Blue Skies

as Dan - Stage Manager (uncredited)

1946
The Jolson Story

as Sourpuss Movie Patron (uncredited)

1946
The Reckless Driver

as Wally Walrus (voice)

1946
Big Town

as Station Agent (uncredited)

1946
Down Missouri Way

as Prof. Morris

1946
The Inner Circle

as Henry Boggs

1946
Rendezvous with Annie

as Elmer Snodgrass

1946
Hot Cargo

as Tim Chapman

1946
Who's Cookin Who?

as Wolfie Wolf (voice)

1946
One Exciting Week

as Otis Piper

1946
Without Reservations

as Pullman Conductor (uncredited)

1946
They Made Me a Killer

as Henry, the Blacksmith

1946
The Blue Dahlia

as "Dad" Newell

1946
Apple Andy

as Devil

1946
Johnny Comes Flying Home

as Foreman (uncredited)

1946
The Hoodlum Saint

as Allan 'Knucklehead' Smith - Times Editor (uncredited)

1946
Road to Utopia

as Mr. Latimer (uncredited)

1946
The Madonna's Secret

as The Riverman

1946
Prospecting for Petroleum

as The Professor (voice)

1945
Scarlet Street

as Globe Loan Office Manager (uncredited)

1945
The Loose Nut

as Construction Worker (voice)

1945
State Fair

as Hog Judge (uncredited)

1945
You Came Along

as Col. Dale V. Armstrong (uncredited)

1945
Bewitched

as Mr. Herkheimer

1945
Rhapsody in Blue

as Rachmaninoff

1945
Fall Guy

as Mr. Nedsen, Parkson's Attorney (uncredited)

1945
High Powered

as Jeff Hines

1945
Grissly's Millions

as John Frey

1944
Practically Yours

as Sen. Cowling (uncredited)

1944
Dangerous Passage

as Postal Clerk (uncredited)

1944
The Town Went Wild

as Judge Harry Schrank (uncredited)

1944
Wilson

as Hughes Campaign Orator in Maine (uncredited)

1944
Take It Big

as Rodeo Judge (uncredited)

1944
You Can't Ration Love

as Judge Cary - Justice of the Peace

1944
The Navy Way

as Baldy - Triangle A Ranch Hand (uncredited)

1943
1943
Here Comes Elmer

as Horace Parrot

1943
So Proudly We Hail

as Colonel Clark (Uncredited)

1943
Sleepy Lagoon

as Cyrus Coates

1943
The Good Fellows

as Brother from Danville (uncredited)

1943
1943
The Meanest Man in the World

as Pawn Shop Owner (uncredited)

1942
Tennessee Johnson

as Alderman (uncredited)

1942
The Major and the Minor

as Ticket Agent #1 (uncredited)

1942
A Letter From Bataan

as Mr. Limpert

1942
Wildcat

as John 'Paw' Smithers

1942
Bambi

as Friend Owl (voice) (uncredited)

1942
Tales of Manhattan

as Old Concertgoer (Laughton sequence) (uncredited)

1942
1942
Saboteur

as J.C. Lormans - Company Official (uncredited)

1942
1942
USS VD: Ship of Shame

as Commandant (uncredited)

1941
Shadow of the Thin Man

as Maguire - Nervous Ticket Seller (uncredited)

1941
The Tell-Tale Heart

as Second Deputy Sheriff (uncredited)

1941
Nothing But the Truth

as Mr. Bart Prichard (uncredited)

1941
Mob Town

as Pawnbroker (uncredited)

1941
Honky Tonk

as Townsman at Meeting House (uncredited)

1941
1941
The Richest Man in Town

as Frederick Johnson

1941
Cracked Nuts

as Sylvanus Boogle

1941
Maisie Was a Lady

as Judge Thatcher (Uncredited)

1940
You, the People

as Mr. Roberts

1940
Blondie Plays Cupid

as Mr. Tucker

1935
It's A Small World

as Courtroom spectator (uncredited)

1934
Pure Feud

as Lem (uncredited)