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Celebrity Velvet Daily

Chill Wills Net Worth

Author

Daniel Moore

Updated on August 21, 2026



Theodore Childress Wills net worth is
$1.6 Million

Theodore Childress Wills Wiki: Salary, Married, Wedding, Spouse, Family

Chill Theodore Wills (July 18, 1902 – December 15, 1978) was an American film and television actor and a singer in the Avalon Boys Quartet. 

Full NameTheodore Childress Wills
Net Worth$1.6 Million
Date Of BirthJuly 18, 1902
Died0001-12-15
Place Of BirthSeagoville, Texas, USA
Height6' 2" (1.88 m)
OccupationActor, singer
ProfessionActor, Soundtrack
SpouseHattie Elizabeth "Bettie" Chappelle
NicknamesChill Theodore Wills, Chill Wills, Wills, Chill Theodore
Star SignCancer
#Quote
1While campaigning for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 1960, Wills took out a series of ads with the declaration "Win, lose or draw, you're all my cousins and I love you."It was signed "Your cousin, Chill Wills". One member of the Academy placed a response ad stating: "Dear Mr. Chill Wills, I am delighted to be your cousin but I voted for Sal Mineo. "It was signed, Groucho Marx.
#Fact
1According to 1942 MGM publicity, it was a sweltering hot day when Chill Wills was born, so his parents were inspired to name him "Chill".
2Chill Wills claimed to have won a degree from the "Minsky College of Burlesque".
3Chill Wills composed the song "The Blue-Eyed Sailor Man" that he performed in the 1942 MGM Feature "Stand By for Action".
4He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6923 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on February 8, 1960.
5Following his death, he was interred at Grand View Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.
6Endorsed George Wallace in the 1968 presidential election.
7Had two children: Jill Wills (born 1939) and Will Wills (born 1942).

Actor

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Hec Ramsey1974TV SeriesSam McDade
Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid1973Lemuel
Guns of a Stranger1973Tom Duncan
Alias Smith and Jones1972TV SeriesBixby
The Steagle1971Tall-Guy McCoy
The Virginian1971TV SeriesPat Reedy
Marcus Welby, M.D.1971TV Series
Night Gallery1970TV SeriesHeppelwhite (segment "The Little Black Bag")
The Over-the-Hill Gang Rides Again1970TV MovieGentleman George Agnew
The Liberation of L.B. Jones1970Mr. Ike
The Over-the-Hill Gang1969TV MovieGentleman George Agnew
Big Daddy1969
Gunsmoke1962-1968TV SeriesElihu Gorman / Red Conniston / Abe Blocker
Tarzan1968TV SeriesRonald Montrose
Judd for the Defense1967TV SeriesSimpson Youngert
The Rounders1966-1967TV SeriesJim Ed Love
Fireball 5001966Big Jaw Harris
Burke's Law1963-1965TV SeriesGeneral Hector Harder / Stanton Custer / Harry Riggs
The Rounders1965Jim Ed Love
Rawhide1964TV SeriesSheriff Asa Tanner
Route 661964TV SeriesMonty Musgrave
The Cardinal1963Monsignor Whittle
The Wheeler Dealers1963Jay Ray Spinelby
McLintock!1963Drago
Young Guns of Texas1962Preacher Sam Shelby
Frontier Circus1961-1962TV SeriesColonel Casey Thompson Col. Casey Thompson
The Deadly Companions1961Turk
The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come1961Major Buford
Gold of the Seven Saints1961Doc Wilson Gates, MD
Where the Boys Are1960Police Captain
Assignment: Underwater1960TV SeriesBoyd Crosby
The Alamo1960Beekeeper
Playhouse 901960TV SeriesEd Pruitt
The Sad Horse1959Capt Connors
The Texan1959TV SeriesCaptain Wylie
Trackdown1959TV SeriesZebulon Hunt
Wagon Train1958TV SeriesBije Wilcox
Alfred Hitchcock Presents1958TV SeriesMr. Kilmer
From Hell to Texas1958Amos Bradley
Gun Glory1957Preacher
Gun for a Coward1957Loving
Giant1956Uncle Bawley
Santiago1956Captain 'Sidewheel' Jones
Francis in the Navy1955Francis the Talking Mule (voice, uncredited)
Kentucky Rifle1955Tobias Taylor
Timberjack1955Steve Riika
Hell's Outpost1954Kevin Russel
Ricochet Romance1954Tom Williams
Francis Joins the WACS1954Gen. Benjamin Kaye Francis the Talking Mule (voice)
Tumbleweed1953Sheriff Murchoree
The Man from the Alamo1953John Gage
City That Never Sleeps1953Sgt. Joe, the 'Voice of Chicago'
Francis Covers the Big Town1953Francis the Talking Mule (voice, uncredited)
Small Town Girl1953'Happy', Jailer (uncredited)
Ride the Man Down1952Ike Adams
Francis Goes to West Point1952Francis the Talking Mule (voice, uncredited)
Bronco Buster1952Dan Bream
The Sea Hornet1951Swede
Cattle Drive1951Dallas
Francis Goes to the Races1951Francis the Talking Mule (voice, uncredited)
Oh! Susanna1951Sergeant Barhydt
The Gene Autry Show1950TV SeriesSheriff Chill Wills
Rio Grande1950Dr. Wilkins (regimental surgeon)
High Lonesome1950Boatwhistle, Ranch Cook
Stella1950Chief Clark (uncredited)
Rock Island Trail1950Hogger McCoy
The Sundowners1950Sam Beers
Francis1950Francis the Talking Mule (voice, uncredited)
The Grass Is Always Greener1950ShortWindy
Red Canyon1949Marshal G.T. Brackton
Tulsa1949Pinky Jimpson (Narrator)
Loaded Pistols1948Sheriff Cramer
Family Honeymoon1948Fred
That Wonderful Urge1948Homer Beggs - Justice of the Peace - Monroe Township
The Saxon Charm1948Captain Chatham
Northwest Stampede1948Mileaway
The Sainted Sisters1948Will Twitchell
Heartaches1947'Breezie' Mann
High Barbaree1947Lars (uncredited)
The Yearling1946Buck Forrester
Gallant Bess1946Chief Petty Officer
The Harvey Girls1946H.H. Hartsey
Leave Her to Heaven1945Leick Thome
What Next, Corporal Hargrove?1945Sgt. Cramp
Trailin' West1944ShortOld Man Coffey
Sunday Dinner for a Soldier1944Mr. York
I'll Be Seeing You1944Swanson
Meet Me in St. Louis1944Mr. Neely
Barbary Coast Gent1944Sheriff Hightower
The Immortal Blacksmith1944ShortTom Davenport
Rationing1944Bus Driver (scenes deleted)
See Here, Private Hargrove1944First Sgt. Cramp
Best Foot Forward1943Chester Short
A Stranger in Town1943Charles Craig
Stand by for Action1942Chief Boatswain's Mate Jenks
Apache Trail1942'Pike' Skelton
The Omaha Trail1942Henry Hawkins
Her Cardboard Lover1942Judge
Mister Gardenia Jones1942Documentary shortHotel Employee
Tarzan's New York Adventure1942Manchester Montford
The Bugle Sounds1942Sgt. Larry Dillon
Honky Tonk1941The Sniper
Belle Starr1941Blue Duck
Billy the Kid1941Tom Patterson
The Bad Man1941'Red' Giddings
Western Union1941Homer
Tugboat Annie Sails Again1940Shiftless
Sky Murder1940Sheriff Beckwith
The Westerner1940Southeast
Wyoming1940Lafe (uncredited)
Boom Town1940Harmony Jones
Allegheny Uprising1939M'Cammon
The Day the Bookies Wept1939Man on Bus (uncredited)
Timber Stampede1939Whopper Hatch
Racketeers of the Range1939Whopper Hatch
Sorority House1939Mr. Johnson
Trouble in Sundown1939Whopper
Arizona Legion1939Whopper Hatch
Lawless Valley1938Deputy Speedy McGow
Block-Heads1938Midget in Elevator (voice, uncredited)
Nobody's Baby1937Amateur Hour Lead Quartet Singer (as The Avalon Boys)
Way Out West1937Lead Singer of the Avalon Boys / Stan's Bass Singing (uncredited)
Hideaway Girl1936Lead Singer of Avalon Boys (as The Avalon Boys)
At Sea Ashore1936ShortLeader of The Avalon Four (uncredited)
Anything Goes1936Member of The Avalon Boys (uncredited)
Bar 20 Rides Again1935Background Singer / Henchman (as Chill Wills and His Avalon Boys)
It's a Gift1934Campfire Singer (uncredited)
Stubby Pringle's Christmas1978TV MovieJanitor
Poco... Little Dog Lost1977Big Burt
Mr. Billion1977Col. Clayton T. Winkle

Soundtrack

TitleYearStatusCharacter
The Over-the-Hill Gang Rides Again1970TV Movie performer: "Come All You Texas Rangers" - uncredited
The Porter Wagoner Show1970TV Series performer - 2 episodes
The Over-the-Hill Gang1969TV Movie performer: "Texas Rangers" - uncredited
Frontier Circus1961TV Series performer - 1 episode
The Alamo1960performer: "Here's to the Ladies"
Francis in the Navy1955performer: "Blow the Man Down", "La Cucaracha" - uncredited
Kentucky Rifle1955performer: "Sweet Betsy From Pike" - uncredited
Hell's Outpost1954writer: "Packin' the Mail"
Francis Joins the WACS1954performer: "I WANT TO ENLIST IN THE WACS" - uncredited
Francis Covers the Big Town1953performer: "Missouri Waltz Way down in Missouri"
Bronco Buster1952writer: "Rodeo, Oh!"
Francis Goes to the Races1951performer: "My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean", "La Cucaracha" - uncredited
High Lonesome1950"20 Miles From Carson" / writer: "20 Miles From Carson"
Francis1950performer: "My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean"
The Grass Is Always Greener1950Short performer: "Big Blue Eyes" - uncredited / writer: "Big Blue Eyes" - uncredited
Tulsa1949performer: "TULSA", "Old Faithful", "Three O'Clock in the Morning"
Leave Her to Heaven1945performer: "Chickens in the Garden", "Deedle Deedle Dum Dum" - uncredited
Stand by for Action1942"The Oceana Roll" 1911, uncredited / lyrics: "The Blue-Eyed Sailor Man" - uncredited / music: "The Blue-Eyed Sailor Man" - uncredited / performer: "The Blue-Eyed Sailor Man" - uncredited
The Omaha Trail1942performer: "'Taters and Corn" 1942
Boom Town1940performer: "Polly Wolly Doodle" - uncredited
Racketeers of the Range1939"Red River Valley" / performer: "Caboose on the Red ball Train" 1939, "Red River Valley", "'Cause I'm the Man", "Sleepy Wrangler" 1939
Arizona Legion1939performer: "I'd Rather Be Footloose" - uncredited
Nobody's Baby1937writer: "The West Ain't Wild and Woolly Anymore"
Way Out West1937performer: "The Trail of the Lonesome Pine" 1913 - uncredited
Bar 20 Rides Again1935performer: "The Moon Hangs High"
It's a Gift1934performer: "On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away" 1897 - uncredited

Self

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Dinah!1977TV SeriesHimself
The Porter Wagoner Show1970TV SeriesHimself / Himself - Guest
The Merv Griffin Show1969TV SeriesHimself
That Regis Philbin Show1965TV SeriesHimself
Here's Hollywood1962TV SeriesHimself
The 33rd Annual Academy Awards1961TV SpecialHimself - Nominee: Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Spirit of the Alamo1960TV Movie documentaryHimself
Disneyland '591959TV Movie documentaryHimself
The Juke Box Jury1956TV SeriesHimself
Screen Snapshots: Fun in the Sun1952Documentary shortHimself - Golf Player
Screen Snapshots: Hollywood's Mr. Movies1952Documentary shortHimself
Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Goes Western1951Documentary shortHimself

Archive Footage

Won Awards

YearAwardCeremonyNominationMovie
1960Star on the Walk of FameWalk of FameMotion PictureOn 8 February 1960. At 6923 Hollywood Blvd.

Nominated Awards

YearAwardCeremonyNominationMovie
1961OscarAcademy Awards, USABest Actor in a Supporting RoleThe Alamo (1960)

3rd Place Awards

YearAwardCeremonyNominationMovie
1961Golden LaurelLaurel AwardsTop Male Supporting PerformanceThe Alamo (1960)

Known for movies

Uncle Bawley

Giant (1956)
as Uncle Bawley

Beekeeper

The Alamo (1960)
as Beekeeper

Lemuel

Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973)
as Lemuel

Drago

McLintock! (1963)
as Drago

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