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