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