Gene Wilder

Gene Wilder
Wilder in 1970
Born	Jerome Silberman (1933-06-11)June 11, 1933 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Died	August 29, 2016(2016-08-29) (aged 83) Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.
Cause of death	Complications of Alzheimer's disease
Resting place	Long Ridge Union Cemetery; Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.
Nationality	American
Alma mater	University of Iowa
Occupations	Actor author comedian director writer
Years active	1961–2005 (actor) 1998–2013 (author)
Spouses	Mary Mercier ​ ​ (m. 1960; div. 1965)​ Mary Joan Schutz ​ ​ (m. 1967; div. 1974)​ Gilda Radner ​ ​ (m. 1984; died 1989)​ Karen Boyer ​ (m. 1991)​
Children	1
Relatives	Jordan Walker-Pearlman (nephew)
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1956–1957
Signature

Gene Wilder (Jerome Silberman; June 11, 1933 – August 29, 2016) was an American actor, comedian, director and writer. He was most famous for his acting work and in particular for the movies he made with Mel Brooks which include The Producers, Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein. He also played the part of Willy Wonka in the musical movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.

Wilder studied Communication and Theatre Arts at the University of Iowa.^[1]

Wilder was drafted into the Army on September 10, 1956.

An unauthorized biography of Wilder called Gene Wilder: Funny and Sad by Brian Scott Mednick was published in December 2010 by BearManor Media.

Wilder died from Alzheimer's disease on August 29, 2016 in Stamford, Connecticut^[2] at age 83.

Work

Movies

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1967	Bonnie and Clyde	Eugene Grizzard
1968	The Producers	Leo Bloom	Nominated – Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
1970	Start the Revolution Without Me	The twins Claude and Philippe
	Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx	Quackser Fortune
1971	Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory	Willy Wonka	Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1972	Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask)	Dr. Doug Ross
	The Scarecrow	Lord Ravensbane/The Scarecrow	Television
1974	Rhinoceros	Stanley	Based on Eugène Ionesco's play Rhinoceros
	Blazing Saddles	Jim, "The Waco Kid"
	The Little Prince	The Fox
	Thursday's Game	Harry Evers	Television
	Young Frankenstein	Dr. Frankenstein	Co-written with Mel Brooks Nominated – Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay
1975	The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother	Sigerson Holmes	Also director and writer
1976	Silver Streak	George Caldwell	Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1977	The World's Greatest Lover	Rudy Valentine, aka Rudy Hickman	Also producer, director, and writer
1979	The Frisco Kid	Avram Belinski
1980	Sunday Lovers	Skippy	Directed "Skippy" segment
	Stir Crazy	Skip Donahue
1982	Hanky Panky	Michael Jordon
1984	The Woman in Red	Teddy Pierce	Also director and writer
1986	Haunted Honeymoon	Larry Abbot	Also director and writer
1989	See No Evil, Hear No Evil	Dave Lyons	Also writer
1990	Funny About Love	Duffy Bergman
1991	Another You	George/Abe Fielding
1999	Murder in a Small Town	Larry "Cash" Carter	Television
	Alice in Wonderland	The Mock Turtle
	The Lady in Question	Larry "Cash" Carter	Television

Television

• Voice for The Electric Company's segment The Adventures of Letterman (60 episodes, 1972–77)
• Something Wilder (1994–95)
• Will & Grace (2002) Episode "Boardroom and a Parked Place" (Guest Star – Mr. Stein)
• Will & Grace (2003) Episode "Sex, Losers & Videotape" (Guest Star – Mr. Stein)

Stage

• The Complaisant Lover (Broadway, 1962)
• Mother Courage and Her Children (Broadway, 1963)
• Death Of A Salesman
• One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Broadway, 1963)
• The White House (Broadway, 1964)
• Luv (Broadway, 1966)
• Laughter on the 23rd Floor (London, 1996)
• The Scarecrow (Broadway, 1972)
• Rhinoceros (1974)

References

1. Distinguished Alumni Winner: Gene Wilder Archived 2013-05-30 at the Wayback Machine. University of Iowa Alumni Association. Retrieved on March 19, 2008
2. "Gene Wilder Dies at 83; Star of 'Willy Wonka' and 'Young Frankenstein'". The New York Times. August 29, 2016. Retrieved August 29, 2016.