Theodore Childress "Chill" Wills

 Theodore Childress "Chill" Wills (July 18, 1902 – December 15, 1978)

One of his more memorable roles was that of the distinctive voice of Francis the Talking Mule in a series of popular films. Wills' deep, rough voice, with its Western twang, was matched to the personality of the cynical, sardonic mule. As was customary at the time, Wills was given no billing for his vocal work, though he was featured prominently on-screen as blustery General Ben Kaye in the fourth entry, Francis Joins the WACS. He also provided the deep voice for Stan Laurel's performance of "The Trail of the Lonesome Pine" in Way Out West (1937), in which the Avalon Boys Quartet appeared. During the 1940s, Wills was a contract player for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Although he appeared in many Westerns, Wills was cast in a number of serious film roles, including as "the City of Chicago" as personified by a phantom police sergeant in the film noir City That Never Sleeps (1953), and that of Uncle Bawley in Giant (1956), which also features Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor, and James Dean. Wills was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Davy Crockett's companion Beekeeper in the film The Alamo (1960).

Wills starred in the short-run series Frontier Circus, which aired for only one season (1961–62) on CBS. In 1966, he was cast in the role of a shady Texas rancher, Jim Ed Love, in the short-lived comedy/Western series The Rounders. His last role was in 1978, as a janitor in Stubby Pringle's Christmas. Wills was married twice, remarrying after the death of his first wife in 1971. On December 15, 1978, Wills died of cancer in Encino, California, age 76. He was cremated, and interred at Grand View Memorial Park in Glendale, California.