Will Wright

Acting

Born March 25, 1894, San Francisco, California, USA

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.

Filmography

• 1964Fail Safe — Bit Part (uncredited)
• 1962Cape Fear — Dr. Pearsall
• Mister Ed — Mr. Thompson
• 1961The Deadly Companions — Doctor Acton
• The Dick Van Dyke Show — Sam Petrie
• 1961Twenty Plus Two — Newspaper morgue attendant
• 1960Inherit the Wind — Bible Salesman (uncredited)
• Outlaws
• Pete and Gladys
• The Andy Griffith Show — Ben Weaver
• The Tall Man
• Thriller — Constable Tom Walker
• 1959Alias Jesse James — Titus Queasley
• Dennis the Menace — Merrivale
• Mr. Lucky — The Leadville Kid
• Rawhide — Grandfather
• Riverboat — J.C. Sickel
• 1959The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock — Pentagon General
• 77 Sunset Strip — Luther Hanks
• Bat Masterson — Billy Willow
• Bronco
• 1958Gunman's Walk — Judge
• Lawman
• 1958Quantrill's Raiders — Judge Wood
• 1958Rock-a-Bye Baby — Fire Chief (uncredited)
• The Donna Reed Show — Oliver
• 1958The Missouri Traveler — Sheriff Marvin Peavy
• 1957Jeanne Eagels — Marshal (uncredited)
• 1957Johnny Tremain — Ephraim Lapham
• Leave It to Beaver — Pete at Firehouse #7
• Maverick — General Hoyt Bosco, Jabe Hallock, General Eakins, Sheriff Chester Bentley
• Official Detective
• Perry Mason — James Vardon, Adam Thompson, Chuck Clark
• Sugarfoot — Charlie Cade, John Chamberlain, Job Turner
• 1957The Iron Sheriff — Judge
• The Real McCoys
• 1957The Wayward Bus — Van Brunt
• Trackdown — Zack
• Conflict
• Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre — King - Newspaper Editor
• Hey, Jeannie! — McClish
• 1956These Wilder Years — Old Cab Driver
• 1955Atomic Energy as a Force for Good — Tim Summers
• 1955Not as a Stranger — Mr. Roberts (uncredited)
• The 20th Century Fox Hour — Judge O'Neill
• 1955The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell — Admiral William S. Sims
• 1955The Kentuckian — John Decker (uncredited)
• 1955The Man with the Golden Arm
• The Millionaire — Grandpa Costello
• 1955The Tall Men — Gus - Bartender (uncredited)
• December Bride
• 1954Johnny Guitar — Ned - Bank Teller (uncredited)
• Lassie — Caleb Brown
• Public Defender — Horace Bascomb
• 1954River of No Return — Trader (uncredited)
• 1954The Raid — Josiah Anderson
• General Electric Theater — Jake Marley, McCrain, Grandpaw
• Letter to Loretta — Father Gourdian
• 1953Niagara — Boatman
• The Danny Thomas Show — Mr. Johnson
• 1953The Last Posse — Todd Mitchell
• 1953The Wild One — Art Kleiner
• You Are There — Philip Arnold
• Cavalcade of America — George's Father
• Four Star Playhouse — Willie, Scupper
• 1952Holiday for Sinners — The Man with a Cigar
• 1952Lure of the Wilderness — Sheriff Brink
• 1952Lydia Bailey — Consul (uncredited)
• 1952O. Henry's Full House — Manager (segment "The Clarion Call") (uncredited), Hotel Desk Clerk (segment "The Clarion Call") (uncredited)
• 1952Paula — Raymond Bascom
• The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet — Mr. Jackson
• The Ford Television Theatre — Mr. Crane
• 1952The Happy Time — Family Doctor
• 1952The Las Vegas Story — Mike Fogarty
• 1952Young Man with Ideas — Party Guest (uncredited)
• Dragnet
• 1951Excuse My Dust — Race judge
• I Love Lucy — Mr. Walters, Sheriff
• 1951My Forbidden Past — Luther Toplady
• 1951Never Trust a Gambler — Cap Douglas (uncredited)
• 1951People Will Talk — John Higgins (uncredited)
• Schlitz Playhouse of Stars — Pop, Father
• The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok
• The Living Christ — Herod The Great, Annas
• 1951The Tall Target — Thomas Ogden (uncredited)
• 1951Vengeance Valley — Mr. Willoughby
• 1950A Ticket to Tomahawk — Marshal Kit Dodge
• 1950Dallas — Judge Harper
• 1950House by the River — Inspector Sarten
• 1950No Way Out — Dr. Cheney (uncredited)
• 1950Sunset in the West — Sheriff Tad Osborne
• The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show — Judge Kramer
• 1950The Savage Horde — Judge Thomas Cole
• 1950Walk Softly, Stranger — Jake - Poker Player (uncredited)
• 1949Act of Violence — Pop
• 1949Adam's Rib — Judge Marcasson
• 1949All the King's Men — Dolph Pillsbury
• 1949Big Jack — Will Farnsworth
• 1949Brimstone — Martin Tredwell
• 1949Grape Nutty — Crow (Voice)
• 1949Little Women — Mr. Grace (uncredited)
• 1949Lust for Gold — Parsons (uncredited)
• 1949Miss Grant Takes Richmond — Roscoe Johnson (uncredited)
• 1949Mrs. Mike — Dr. McIntosh
• 1949The Green Promise — Mr. Grenstedt
• The Lone Ranger — Uncle Ed
• 1949The Price of Freedom — McTrees
• 1949They Live by Night — Mobley
• 1948An Act of Murder — Judge Jim Wilder
• 1948Black Eagle — Sheriff Clancy
• 1948California's Golden Beginning
• 1948Disaster — Pop Hansford
• 1948Green Grass of Wyoming — Jake Willis
• 1948Jingle, Jangle, Jingle — Pop Williams
• 1948Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House — Eph Hackett (uncredited)
• 1948Relentless — Sam - the Horse Dealer
• 1948So This Is New York — Uncle Fergus (uncredited)
• 1948Speaking of Animals: Home Sweet Home — Babirusa / Pig (voice)
• 1948The Inside Story — J. J. Johnson
• 1948The Walls of Jericho — Dr. Patterson (uncredited)
• 1948Whispering Smith — Sheriff McSwiggin
• 1947Along the Oregon Trail — Jim Bridger
• 1947Blaze of Noon — Mr. Thomas
• 1947California — Chairman (uncredited)
• 1947Cynthia — Gus Wood, Thatcher's Real Estate Rep
• 1947Danger Street — Police Chief Bullward
• 1947Keeper of the Bees — Dr. Grayson
• 1947Mother Wore Tights — Withers (uncredited)
• 1947The Long Night — Mr. Tully - the Janitor (uncredited)
• 1947The Trouble with Women — Commissioner (uncredited)
• 1947Uncle Tom's Cabaña — Uncle Tom (uncredited)
• 1947Wild Harvest — Mike Alperson
• 1946Apple Andy — Devil
• 1946Big Town — Station Agent (uncredited)
• 1946Blue Skies — Dan - Stage Manager (uncredited)
• 1946Down Missouri Way — Prof. Morris
• 1946Fair Weather Fiends — Wolfie Wolf (voice)
• 1946Hot Cargo — Tim Chapman
• 1946Johnny Comes Flying Home — Foreman (uncredited)
• 1946One Exciting Week — Otis Piper
• 1946Prospecting for Petroleum — The Professor (voice)
• 1946Rendezvous with Annie — Elmer Snodgrass
• 1946Road to Utopia — Mr. Latimer (uncredited)
• 1946The Blue Dahlia — "Dad" Newell
• 1946The Hoodlum Saint — Allan 'Knucklehead' Smith - Times Editor (uncredited)
• 1946The Inner Circle — Henry Boggs
• 1946The Jolson Story — Sourpuss Movie Patron (uncredited)
• 1946The Madonna's Secret — The Riverman
• 1946The Reckless Driver — Wally Walrus (voice)
• 1946They Made Me a Killer — Henry, the Blacksmith
• 1946Who's Cookin Who? — Wolfie Wolf (voice)
• 1946Without Reservations — Pullman Conductor (uncredited)
• 1945Bewitched — Mr. Herkheimer
• 1945Fall Guy — Mr. Nedsen, Parkson's Attorney (uncredited)
• 1945Grissly's Millions — John Frey
• 1945High Powered — Jeff Hines
• 1945Rhapsody in Blue — Rachmaninoff
• 1945Salome, Where She Danced — Sheriff
• 1945Scarlet Street — Globe Loan Office Manager (uncredited)
• 1945State Fair — Hog Judge (uncredited)
• 1945The Loose Nut — Construction Worker (voice)
• 1945The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry — Mr. Nelson
• 1945You Came Along — Col. Dale V. Armstrong (uncredited)
• 1944Dangerous Passage — Postal Clerk (uncredited)
• 1944Practically Yours — Sen. Cowling (uncredited)
• 1944Take It Big — Rodeo Judge (uncredited)
• 1944The Navy Way — Baldy - Triangle A Ranch Hand (uncredited)
• 1944The Town Went Wild — Judge Harry Schrank (uncredited)
• 1944Wilson — Hughes Campaign Orator in Maine (uncredited)
• 1944You Can't Ration Love — Judge Cary - Justice of the Peace
• 1943Cowboy in Manhattan — Higgins
• 1943Here Comes Elmer — Horace Parrot
• 1943In Old Oklahoma — Doctor
• 1943Sleepy Lagoon — Cyrus Coates
• 1943So Proudly We Hail — Colonel Clark (Uncredited)
• 1943The Good Fellows — Brother from Danville (uncredited)
• 1943The Meanest Man in the World — Pawn Shop Owner (uncredited)
• 1942A Letter From Bataan — Mr. Limpert
• 1942Bambi — Friend Owl (voice) (uncredited)
• 1942Saboteur — J.C. Lormans - Company Official (uncredited)
• 1942Shut My Big Mouth — Jim Long
• 1942Tales of Manhattan — Old Concertgoer (uncredited)
• 1942Tennessee Johnson — Alderman (uncredited)
• 1942The Major and the Minor — Ticket Agent #1 (uncredited)
• 1942The Postman Didn't Ring — Mr. Slade
• 1942USS VD: Ship of Shame — Commandant (uncredited)
• 1942Wildcat — John 'Paw' Smithers
• 1941Blossoms in the Dust — Senator
• 1941Cracked Nuts — Sylvanus Boogle
• 1941Honky Tonk — Townsman at Meeting House (uncredited)
• 1941Maisie Was a Lady — Judge Thatcher (Uncredited)
• 1941Mob Town — Pawnbroker (uncredited)
• 1941Nothing but the Truth — Mr. Bart Prichard (uncredited)
• 1941Shadow of the Thin Man — Maguire (uncredited)
• 1941The Richest Man in Town — Frederick Johnson
• 1941The Tell-Tale Heart — Second Deputy Sheriff (uncredited)
• 1940Blondie Plays Cupid — Mr. Tucker
• 1940You, the People — Mr. Roberts
• 1935It's A Small World — Courtroom spectator (uncredited)
• 1934Pure Feud — Lem (uncredited)