Will Wright
Born: 1894-03-25 in San Francisco, California, USA
Died: 1962-06-19
Known For: 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.
Filmography
1964
- Fail Safe as Bit Part (uncredited)
1962
- Cape Fear as Dr. Pearsall
1961
- The Dick Van Dyke Show as Sam Petrie
- Mister Ed as Mr. Thompson
- The Deadly Companions as Doctor Acton
- Twenty Plus Two as Newspaper morgue attendant
1960
- The Andy Griffith Show as Ben Weaver
- Thriller as Constable Tom Walker
- The Tall Man
- Outlaws
- Pete and Gladys
- Inherit the Wind as Bible Salesman (uncredited)
1959
- Rawhide as Grandfather
- Dennis the Menace as Merrivale
- Riverboat as J.C. Sickel
- Mr. Lucky as The Leadville Kid
- Alias Jesse James as Titus Queasley
- The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock as Pentagon General
1958
- Lawman
- Bat Masterson as Billy Willow
- The Donna Reed Show as Oliver
- 77 Sunset Strip as Luther Hanks
- Bronco
- Gunman's Walk as Judge
- Rock-a-Bye Baby as Fire Chief (uncredited)
- The Missouri Traveler as Sheriff Marvin Peavy
- Quantrill's Raiders as Judge Wood
1957
- Perry Mason as James Vardon
- Maverick
- Leave It to Beaver as Pete at Firehouse #7
- The Real McCoys
- Sugarfoot as Charlie Cade
- Trackdown
- Official Detective
- Jeanne Eagels as Marshal (uncredited)
- Johnny Tremain as Ephraim Lapham
- The Wayward Bus as Van Brunt
- The Iron Sheriff as Judge
1956
- Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre as King - Newspaper Editor
- Hey, Jeannie! as McClish
- Conflict
- These Wilder Years as Old Cab Driver
1955
- The 20th Century Fox Hour as Judge O'Neill
- The Millionaire as Grandpa Costello
- The Tall Men as Gus - Bartender (uncredited)
- The Man with the Golden Arm
- 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)
- Atomic Energy as a Force for Good as Tim Summers
1954
- Lassie as Caleb Brown
- December Bride
- Public Defender as Horace Bascomb
- River of No Return as Trader (uncredited)
- Johnny Guitar as Ned - Bank Teller (uncredited)
- The Raid as Josiah Anderson
1953
- The Danny Thomas Show as Mr. Johnson
- You Are There
- Letter to Loretta as Father Gourdian
- Niagara as Boatman
- The Wild One as Art Kleiner
- General Electric Theater
- The Last Posse as Todd Mitchell
1952
- Four Star Playhouse as Willie
- The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet as Mr. Jackson
- Cavalcade of America as George's Father
- The Ford Television Theatre as Mr. Crane
- O. Henry's Full House as Manager (segment "The Clarion Call") (uncredited)
- Young Man with Ideas as Party Guest (uncredited)
- Lure of the Wilderness as Sheriff Brink
- Lydia Bailey as Consul (uncredited)
- The Las Vegas Story as Mike Fogarty
- Paula as Raymond Bascom
- Holiday for Sinners as The Man with a Cigar
- The Happy Time as Family Doctor
1951
- I Love Lucy as Mr. Walters
- Dragnet
- The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok
- The Living Christ as Herod The Great
- Schlitz Playhouse of Stars as Pop
- Vengeance Valley as Mr. Willoughby
- The Tall Target as Thomas Ogden (uncredited)
- People Will Talk as Uncle John Higgins (uncredited)
- My Forbidden Past as Luther Toplady
- Never Trust a Gambler as Cap Douglas (uncredited)
- Excuse My Dust as Race judge
1950
- The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show as Judge Kramer
- Dallas as Judge Harper
- No Way Out as Dr. Cheney (uncredited)
- House by the River as Inspector Sarten
- Walk Softly, Stranger as Jake - Poker Player (uncredited)
- A Ticket to Tomahawk as Marshal Kit Dodge
- Sunset in the West as Sheriff Tad Osborne
- The Savage Horde as Judge Thomas Cole
1949
- The Lone Ranger as Uncle Ed
- Little Women as Mr. Grace (uncredited)
- Adam's Rib as Judge Marcasson
- All the King's Men as Dolph Pillsbury
- Act of Violence as Pop
- Lust for Gold as Parsons (uncredited)
- Miss Grant Takes Richmond as Roscoe Johnson (uncredited)
- They Live by Night as Mobley
- Brimstone as Martin Tredwell
- Mrs. Mike as Dr. McIntosh
- Big Jack as Will Farnsworth
- The Green Promise as Mr. Grenstedt
- Grape Nutty as Crow (Voice)
- The Price of Freedom as McTrees
1948
- Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House as Eph Hackett (uncredited)
- Relentless as Sam - the Horse Dealer
- The Walls of Jericho as Dr. Patterson (uncredited)
- An Act of Murder as Judge Jim Wilder
- Green Grass of Wyoming as Jake Willis
- So This Is New York as Uncle Fergus (uncredited)
- Disaster as Pop Hansford
- Whispering Smith as Sheriff McSwiggin
- Jingle, Jangle, Jingle as Pop Williams
- The Inside Story as J. J. Johnson
- Black Eagle as Sheriff Clancy
- California's Golden Beginning
- Speaking of Animals: Home Sweet Home as Babirusa / Pig (voice)
1947
- The Long Night as Mr. Tully - the Janitor (uncredited)
- California as Chairman (uncredited)
- Mother Wore Tights as Withers (uncredited)
- Blaze of Noon as Mr. Thomas
- Cynthia as Gus Wood, Thatcher's Real Estate Rep
- The Trouble with Women as Commissioner (uncredited)
- Wild Harvest as Mike Alperson
- Uncle Tom's Cabana as Uncle Tom (uncredited)
- Keeper of the Bees as Dr. Grayson
- Danger Street as Police Chief Bullward
- Along the Oregon Trail as Jim Bridger
1946
- The Blue Dahlia as "Dad" Newell
- Without Reservations as Pullman Conductor (uncredited)
- Road to Utopia as Mr. Latimer (uncredited)
- The Hoodlum Saint as Allan 'Knucklehead' Smith - Times Editor (uncredited)
- One Exciting Week as Otis Piper
- The Jolson Story as Sourpuss Movie Patron (uncredited)
- Rendezvous with Annie as Elmer Snodgrass
- Apple Andy as Devil
- The Inner Circle as Henry Boggs
- Blue Skies as Dan - Stage Manager (uncredited)
- The Reckless Driver as Wally Walrus (voice)
- Big Town as Station Agent (uncredited)
- Johnny Comes Flying Home as Foreman (uncredited)
- Down Missouri Way as Prof. Morris
- The Madonna's Secret as The Riverman
- They Made Me a Killer as Henry, the Blacksmith
- Fair Weather Fiends as Wolfie Wolf (voice)
- Who's Cookin Who? as Wolfie Wolf (voice)
- Hot Cargo as Tim Chapman
- Prospecting for Petroleum as The Professor (voice)
1945
- Scarlet Street as Globe Loan Office Manager (uncredited)
- State Fair as Hog Judge (uncredited)
- The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry as Mr. Nelson
- Rhapsody in Blue as Rachmaninoff
- High Powered as Jeff Hines
- Salome, Where She Danced as Sheriff
- Bewitched as Mr. Herkheimer
- You Came Along as Col. Dale V. Armstrong (uncredited)
- Fall Guy as Mr. Nedsen, Parkson's Attorney (uncredited)
- Grissly's Millions as John Frey
- The Loose Nut as Construction Worker (voice)
1944
- Wilson as Hughes Campaign Orator in Maine (uncredited)
- Dangerous Passage as Postal Clerk (uncredited)
- Practically Yours as Sen. Cowling (uncredited)
- Take It Big as Rodeo Judge (uncredited)
- The Town Went Wild as Judge Harry Schrank (uncredited)
- The Navy Way as Baldy - Triangle A Ranch Hand (uncredited)
- You Can't Ration Love as Judge Cary - Justice of the Peace
1943
- So Proudly We Hail as Colonel Clark (Uncredited)
- In Old Oklahoma as Doctor
- The Meanest Man in the World as Pawn Shop Owner (uncredited)
- Sleepy Lagoon as Cyrus Coates
- Here Comes Elmer as Horace Parrot
- The Good Fellows as Brother from Danville (uncredited)
- Cowboy in Manhattan as Higgins
1942
- Bambi as Friend Owl (voice) (uncredited)
- Saboteur as J.C. Lormans - Company Official (uncredited)
- Tales of Manhattan as Old Concertgoer (uncredited)
- The Major and the Minor as Ticket Agent #1 (uncredited)
- Wildcat as John 'Paw' Smithers
- Tennessee Johnson as Alderman (uncredited)
- Shut My Big Mouth as Jim Long
- The Postman Didn't Ring as Mr. Slade
- A Letter From Bataan as Mr. Limpert
- USS VD: Ship of Shame as Commandant (uncredited)
1941
- Nothing but the Truth as Mr. Bart Prichard (uncredited)
- Shadow of the Thin Man as Maguire (uncredited)
- Honky Tonk as Townsman at Meeting House (uncredited)
- Blossoms in the Dust as Senator
- Maisie Was a Lady as Judge Thatcher (Uncredited)
- Mob Town as Pawnbroker (uncredited)
- Cracked Nuts as Sylvanus Boogle
- The Tell-Tale Heart as Second Deputy Sheriff (uncredited)
- The Richest Man in Town as Frederick Johnson
1940
- You, the People as Mr. Roberts
- Blondie Plays Cupid as Mr. Tucker
1935
- It's A Small World as Courtroom spectator (uncredited)
1934
- Pure Feud as Lem (uncredited)