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Will Wright

Will Wright

Acting1894San Francisco, California, USA

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.

Acting History

1964
Fail Safe
as Bit Part (uncredited)
1962
Cape Fear
as Dr. Pearsall
Maverick
TVas Sheriff Chester Bentley1 eps
Thriller
TVas Constable Tom Walker1 eps
1961
Twenty Plus Two
as Newspaper morgue attendant
The Deadly Companions
as Doctor Acton
The Donna Reed Show
TVas Oliver1 eps
Rawhide
TVas Grandfather1 eps
The Dick Van Dyke Show
TVas Sam Petrie1 eps
Mister Ed
TVas Mr. Thompson1 eps
77 Sunset Strip
TVas Luther Hanks1 eps
1960
Inherit the Wind
as Bible Salesman (uncredited)
The Andy Griffith Show
TVas Ben Weaver3 eps
1959
Perry Mason
TVas Chuck Clark1 eps
Dennis the Menace
TVas Merrivale4 eps
Mr. Lucky
TVas The Leadville Kid
Trackdown
TVas Zack1 eps
Bat Masterson
TVas Billy Willow3 eps
Riverboat
TVas J.C. Sickel1 eps
1958
Quantrill's Raiders
as Judge Wood
Rock-a-Bye Baby
as Fire Chief (uncredited)
The Missouri Traveler
as Sheriff Marvin Peavy
Leave It to Beaver
TVas Pete at Firehouse #71 eps
Sugarfoot
TVas Job Turner1 eps
1957
The Wayward Bus
as Van Brunt
Johnny Tremain
as Ephraim Lapham
Jeanne Eagels
as Marshal (uncredited)
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
TVas King - Newspaper Editor1 eps
1956
These Wilder Years
as Old Cab Driver
The 20th Century Fox Hour
TVas Judge O'Neill1 eps
The Ford Television Theatre
TVas Mr. Crane1 eps
The Millionaire
TVas Grandpa Costello1 eps
Lassie
TVas Caleb Brown1 eps
Hey, Jeannie!
TVas McClish
1955
The Tall Men
as Gus - Bartender (uncredited)
The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell
as Admiral William S. Sims
The Kentuckian
as John Decker (uncredited)
Not as a Stranger
as Mr. Roberts (uncredited)
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet
TVas Mr. Jackson1 eps
The Lone Ranger
TVas Uncle Ed1 eps
I Love Lucy
TVas Mr. Walters / Sheriff1 eps
1954
The Raid
as Josiah Anderson
River of No Return
as Trader (uncredited)
Johnny Guitar
as Ned - Bank Teller (uncredited)
Cavalcade of America
TVas George's Father1 eps
1953
The Wild One
as Art Kleiner
Niagara
as Boatman
The Last Posse
as Todd Mitchell
Four Star Playhouse
TVas Scupper1 eps
General Electric Theater
TVas Grandpaw / Jake Marley / McCrain
Letter to Loretta
TVas Father Gourdian
1952
Holiday for Sinners
as The Man with a Cigar
Young Man with Ideas
as Party Guest (uncredited)
O. Henry's Full House
as Manager (segment "The Clarion Call") (uncredited)
The Happy Time
as Family Doctor
The Las Vegas Story
as Mike Fogarty
Paula
as Raymond Bascom
Lure of the Wilderness
as Sheriff Brink
Lydia Bailey
as Consul (uncredited)
1951
The Tall Target
as Thomas Ogden (uncredited)
Vengeance Valley
as Mr. Willoughby
Excuse My Dust
as Race judge
People Will Talk
as Uncle John Higgins (uncredited)
My Forbidden Past
as Luther Toplady
Never Trust a Gambler
as Cap Douglas (uncredited)
The Living Christ
TVas Annas / Herod The Great
1950
House by the River
as Inspector Sarten
No Way Out
as Dr. Cheney (uncredited)
Walk Softly, Stranger
as Jake, Poker Player (uncredited)
Sunset in the West
as Sheriff Tad Osborne
Dallas
as Judge Harper
A Ticket to Tomahawk
as Marshal Kit Dodge
The Savage Horde
as Judge Thomas Cole
1949
The Green Promise
as Mr. Grenstedt
Miss Grant Takes Richmond
as Roscoe Johnson (uncredited)
Adam's Rib
as Judge Marcasson
Big Jack
as Will Farnsworth
Brimstone
as Martin Tredwell
All the King's Men
as Dolph Pillsbury
Little Women
as Mr. Grace (uncredited)
Lust for Gold
as Parsons (uncredited)
Grape Nutty
as Crow (Voice)
Mrs. Mike
as Dr. McIntosh
1948
The Inside Story
as J. J. Johnson
Speaking of Animals: Home Sweet Home
as Babirusa / Pig (voice)
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House
as Eph Hackett (uncredited)
Relentless
as Sam - the Horse Dealer
Whispering Smith
as Sheriff McSwiggin
An Act of Murder
as Judge Jim Wilder
So This Is New York
as Uncle Fergus (uncredited)
The Walls of Jericho
as Dr. Patterson (uncredited)
Disaster
as Pop Hansford
Black Eagle
as Sheriff Clancy
1947
Blaze of Noon
as Mr. Thomas
Danger Street
as Police Chief Bullward
Cynthia
as Gus Wood, Thatcher's Real Estate Rep
Keeper of the Bees
as Dr. Grayson
Wild Harvest
as Mike Alperson
California
as Chairman (uncredited)
Uncle Tom's Cabana
as Uncle Tom (uncredited)
The Long Night
as Mr. Tully - the Janitor (uncredited)
Mother Wore Tights
as Withers (uncredited)
The Trouble with Women
as Commissioner (uncredited)
1946
Road to Utopia
as Mr. Latimer (uncredited)
Apple Andy
as Devil
Without Reservations
as Pullman Conductor (uncredited)
Big Town
as Station Agent (uncredited)
The Hoodlum Saint
as Allan 'Knucklehead' Smith - Times Editor (uncredited)
They Made Me a Killer
as Henry, the Blacksmith
Rendezvous with Annie
as Elmer Snodgrass
Johnny Comes Flying Home
as Foreman (uncredited)
The Jolson Story
as Sourpuss Movie Patron (uncredited)
The Reckless Driver
as Wally Walrus (voice)
Blue Skies
as Dan - Stage Manager (uncredited)
The Inner Circle
as Henry Boggs
The Blue Dahlia
as "Dad" Newell
Fair Weather Fiends
as Wolfie Wolf (voice)
Who's Cookin Who?
as Wolfie Wolf (voice)
Down Missouri Way
as Prof. Morris
One Exciting Week
as Otis Piper
Hot Cargo
as Tim Chapman
1945
Rhapsody in Blue
as Rachmaninoff
The Loose Nut
as Construction Worker (voice)
You Came Along
as Col. Dale V. Armstrong (uncredited)
Bewitched
as Mr. Herkheimer
State Fair
as Hog Judge (uncredited)
Uncle Harry
as Mr. Nelson
Scarlet Street
as Globe Loan Office Manager (uncredited)
Fall Guy
as Mr. Nedsen, Parkson's Attorney (uncredited)
High Powered
as Jeff Hines
Grissly's Millions
as John Frey
1944
Wilson
as Hughes Campaign Orator in Maine (uncredited)
Practically Yours
as Sen. Cowling (uncredited)
The Navy Way
as Baldy - Triangle A Ranch Hand (uncredited)
Dangerous Passage
as Postal Clerk (uncredited)
The Town Went Wild
as Judge Harry Schrank (uncredited)
You Can't Ration Love
as Judge Cary - Justice of the Peace
Take It Big
as Rodeo Judge (uncredited)
1943
The Meanest Man in the World
as Pawn Shop Owner (uncredited)
So Proudly We Hail
as Colonel Clark (Uncredited)
The Good Fellows
as Brother from Danville (uncredited)
Here Comes Elmer
as Horace Parrot
1942
The Major and the Minor
as Ticket Agent #1 (uncredited)
Bambi
as Friend Owl (voice) (uncredited)
Saboteur
as J.C. Lormans - Company Official (uncredited)
Tennessee Johnson
as Alderman (uncredited)
Wildcat
as John 'Paw' Smithers
USS VD: Ship of Shame
as Commandant (uncredited)
Tales of Manhattan
as Old Concertgoer (uncredited)
A Letter From Bataan
as Mr. Limpert
1941
Nothing But the Truth
as Mr. Bart Prichard (uncredited)
Maisie Was a Lady
as Judge Thatcher (Uncredited)
Mob Town
as Pawnbroker (uncredited)
Cracked Nuts
as Sylvanus Boogle
Shadow of the Thin Man
as Maguire - Nervous Ticket Seller (uncredited)
Honky Tonk
as Townsman at Meeting House (uncredited)
The Tell-Tale Heart
as Second Deputy Sheriff (uncredited)
The Richest Man in Town
as Frederick Johnson
1940
Blondie Plays Cupid
as Mr. Tucker
You, the People
as Mr. Roberts
1935
It's A Small World
as Courtroom spectator (uncredited)
1934
Pure Feud
as Lem (uncredited)

Social Media

Personal Info

Known For
Acting
Gender
Male
Birthday
3/25/1894
Day of Death
6/19/1962
Place of Birth
San Francisco, California, USA