Henry Travers was as James Stewart's somewhat befuddled but kind-hearted guardian angel Clarence Odbody in Frank Capra's 1946 film "It's a Wonderful Life". Traver's character saves Stewart's from committing suicide, and shows him how wonderful his life really is. Though the film was a financial flop, it later became a Christmas classic and one of the most beloved films in American cinema. However, despite his long life, Travers would never know that his performance as Clarence would become his most celebrated, as the film only became a Christmas television perennial in the 1970s and 1980s, long after the actor's death. Travers retired
Bill Travers he played the title role in "Abraham Cochrane" which had a short run. Travers' most famous film role came when he played the conservationist George Adamson in the highly successful 1966 film "Born Free", about which experience the two co-wrote the book "On Playing with Lions". He co-starred with McKenna and the experience made him and his wife very conscious of the many abuses of wild animals in captivity that had been taken from Africa and other natural environments around the world. Travers received an offer to play a support role in "Duel at Diablo" (1967); during filming he broke