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Who Was Gene Wilder?
Gene Wilder, a celebrated actor and comedian, launched his film career with a minor role in the 1967 classic Bonnie and Clyde. He gained widespread fame as a key collaborator with writer and director Mel Brooks, showcasing his unique comedic style in iconic films such as Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Blazing Saddles, and Young Frankenstein. Beyond his film career, Wilder was also a serious novelist, authoring a memoir and several novels. He was married to fellow comedian and actress Gilda Radner until her untimely death in 1989. Wilder passed away on August 28, 2016, at the age of 83.
Early Life
Born Jerome Silberman on June 11, 1933, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Wilder grew up in a Jewish family. His father, William, emigrated from Russia, and his mother, Jeanne, struggled with health issues related to rheumatic heart disease. A doctor once advised the young Jerome to make his mother laugh to ease her suffering, which sparked his lifelong passion for acting. After a brief period at a military academy in California, Wilder returned to Milwaukee and immersed himself in the local theater scene, making his stage debut as Balthasar in Romeo and Juliet. Following high school, he studied communication and theater arts at the University of Iowa and spent a year at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in the UK, where he focused on theater and fencing. Upon returning to the United States, Wilder began studying the Stanislavski method of acting, but he was drafted into the U.S. Army, where he served as a medic for two years. Afterward, he relocated to New York City, taking various odd jobs, including fencing instructor, to support his acting aspirations.
Early Career
At the age of 26, Wilder changed his name from Jerry Silberman to Gene Wilder, inspired by a character in a Thomas Wolfe novel and the playwright Thornton Wilder. He began appearing regularly in off-Broadway and Broadway productions, notably meeting Anne Bancroft during a 1963 production of Mother Courage and Her Children. Bancroft introduced him to her boyfriend, Mel Brooks, leading to a fast friendship that resulted in Wilder’s casting in Brooks’s screenplay for The Producers.
Lead in Willy Wonka
Wilder’s film debut came with a minor role in Bonnie and Clyde, but it was his performance as Leo Bloom in The Producers that marked his first major role. Despite the film’s initial commercial failure and mixed reviews, Wilder received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. His subsequent role as Willy Wonka in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory solidified his status as a leading comedic actor, earning him a Golden Globe nomination and captivating audiences with his portrayal of the whimsical chocolatier.
Despite personal success, Wilder’s films during this period struggled at the box office until he appeared in Woody Allen’s Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex in 1972 and later in Brooks’s Blazing Saddles in 1974, which further defined his career.
Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein
Blazing Saddles was a groundbreaking western comedy that aimed to satirize societal norms, quickly becoming a cult classic. In 1974, Wilder co-wrote Young Frankenstein with Brooks, another film that humorously subverted the horror genre. Starring as Dr. Frankenstein’s grandson, Wilder’s performance alongside a talented ensemble cast, including Cloris Leachman and Peter Boyle, contributed to the film’s enduring popularity.
In addition to these hits, Wilder wrote, directed, and starred in The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes’ Smarter Brother and The World’s Greatest Lover, though these later projects received less acclaim compared to Young Frankenstein.
Films with Richard Pryor
Wilder’s successful collaboration with Richard Pryor led to four notable films: Silver Streak (1976), Stir Crazy (1980), See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989), and Another You (1991). Stir Crazy, featuring Wilder and Pryor as prison inmates, was particularly successful, further cementing Wilder’s reputation as a comedy legend. He also received acclaim for his role in the western comedy The Frisco Kid (1979), where he portrayed a Polish rabbi.
Relationship with Gilda Radner
Wilder met Gilda Radner while co-starring in the 1981 film Hanky Panky. Their relationship blossomed on set, leading to their marriage in 1984 after both sought divorces from their previous spouses. Their bond was strong, although Wilder later expressed frustration with Radner’s neediness. Tragically, Radner was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and passed away in 1989. In her memory, Wilder established Gilda’s Club, a support network for cancer patients.
Retirement
Throughout the 1990s, Wilder’s involvement in film declined, with a series of unsuccessful projects. However, he found success in 1999 with Murder in a Small Town, a TV movie he starred in and co-wrote, which garnered high ratings. That same year, Wilder announced his diagnosis of non-Hodgkin lymphoma but recovered after treatment. By the end of the decade, he effectively retired from show business, citing a preference for the creative aspects over the industry’s business side. He made a few appearances on Will & Grace but chose to focus on writing, publishing his memoir Kiss Me Like a Stranger: My Search for Love and Art in 2005.
Life as a Writer
In the years following his retirement, Wilder continued to write, producing two novels and a collection of short stories. In a 1999 interview, he reflected on his writing journey, acknowledging that while he did not consider himself a natural writer, he discovered a deep well of creativity that compelled him to express his thoughts through writing.
Personal Life and Death
Wilder was married four times, with his first marriage to Mary Mercier lasting from 1960 to 1965. He then married Mary Joan Schutz in 1967, adopting her daughter, Katharine, before their separation. His marriage to Gilda Radner in 1984 lasted until her death in 1989, and he married Karen Webb in 1991.
Gene Wilder passed away from complications related to Alzheimer’s disease on August 28, 2016, in Stamford, Connecticut, at the age of 83. His legacy as a groundbreaking comedian and filmmaker endures, cherished by fans and fellow artists alike.