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.
Known For
| Birth Location | San Francisco, California, USA |
|---|---|
| Born | 1894-03-25 |
| Died | 1962-06-19 |
Movies
Fail Safe
as Bit Part (uncredited)
1964
Cape Fear
as Dr. Pearsall
1962
Twenty Plus Two
as Newspaper morgue attendant
1961
The Deadly Companions
as Doctor Acton
1961
Inherit the Wind
as Bible Salesman (uncredited)
1960
The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock
as Pentagon General
1959
Alias Jesse James
as Titus Queasley
1959
Rock-a-Bye Baby
as Fire Chief (uncredited)
1958
Gunman's Walk
as Judge
1958
Quantrill's Raiders
as Judge Wood
1958
The Missouri Traveler
as Sheriff Marvin Peavy
1958
Jeanne Eagels
as Marshal (uncredited)
1957
Johnny Tremain
as Ephraim Lapham
1957
The Wayward Bus
as Van Brunt
1957
The Iron Sheriff
as Judge
1957
These Wilder Years
as Old Cab Driver
1956
The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell
as Admiral William S. Sims
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
Atomic Energy as a Force for Good
as Tim Summers
1955
The Raid
as Josiah Anderson
1954
Johnny Guitar
as Ned - Bank Teller (uncredited)
1954
River of No Return
as Trader (uncredited)
1954
The Wild One
as Art Kleiner
1953
The Last Posse
as Todd Mitchell
1953
Niagara
as Boatman
1953
The Happy Time
as Family Doctor
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
1952
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
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 - Coroner (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
1950
Mrs. Mike
as Dr. McIntosh
1949
Adam's Rib
as Judge Marcasson
1949
All the King's Men
as Dolph Pillsbury
1949
They Live by Night
as Mobley
1949
Miss Grant Takes Richmond
as Roscoe Johnson (uncredited)
1949
Brimstone
as Martin Tredwell
1949
Lust for Gold
as Parsons (uncredited)
1949
The Price of Freedom
as McTrees
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
Act of Violence
as Pop
1949
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
Green Grass of Wyoming
as Jake Willis
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
1948
Jingle, Jangle, Jingle
as Pop Williams
1948
Speaking of Animals: Home Sweet Home
as Babirusa / Pig (voice)
1948
Wild Harvest
as Mike Alperson
1947
Along the Oregon Trail
as Jim Bridger
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)
1947
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)
1946
Scarlet Street
as Globe Loan Office Manager (uncredited)
1945
The Loose Nut
as Construction Worker (voice)
1945
State Fair
as Hog Judge (uncredited)
1945
The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry
as Mr. Nelson (uncredited)
1945
You Came Along
as Col. Dale V. Armstrong (uncredited)
1945
Bewitched
as Mr. Herkheimer
1945
Rhapsody in Blue
as Rachmaninoff
1945
Salome, Where She Danced
as Sheriff
1945
Fall Guy
as Mr. Nedsen, Parkson's Attorney (uncredited)
1945
High Powered
as Jeff Hines
1945
Grissly's Millions
as John Frey
1945
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 (uncredited)
1944
The Navy Way
as Baldy - Triangle A Ranch Hand (uncredited)
1944
In Old Oklahoma
as Doctor
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
Cowboy in Manhattan
as Higgins
1943
The Meanest Man in the World
as Pawn Shop Owner (uncredited)
1943
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
The Postman Didn't Ring
as Mr. Slade
1942
Saboteur
as J.C. Lormans - Company Official (uncredited)
1942
Shut My Big Mouth
as Jim Long
1942
USS VD: Ship of Shame
as Commandant (uncredited)
1942
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
1941
Blossoms in the Dust
as Senator
1941
The Richest Man in Town
as Frederick Johnson
1941
Cracked Nuts
as Sylvanus Boogle
1941
Maisie Was a Lady
as Judge Thatcher (Uncredited)
1941
You, the People
as Mr. Roberts
1940
Blondie Plays Cupid
as Mr. Tucker
1940
It's A Small World
as Courtroom spectator (uncredited)
1935
Pure Feud
as Lem (uncredited)
1934
Will Wright hasn't worked on any movies or TV shows
