Gene Wilder and Peter Boyle “Young Frankenstein” (1974) Photo Courtesy 20th Century Fox / The Hollywood Archive
Gene Wilder, the star of classic comedies including “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” and several of Mel Brooks’ films including, “Young Frankenstein” and “Blazing Saddles” has died, his family told The Associated Press on Monday. He was 83.
His nephew Jordan Walker-Pearlman said Wilder died late Sunday of complications from Alzheimer’s disease at his home in Stamford, Connecticut.
Born Jerome Silberman in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on June 11, 1933, Wilder began his career on stage, and made his screen debut in the TV-series Armstrong Circle Theatre in 1962. Although his first film role was portraying a hostage in the 1967 motion picture “Bonnie and Clyde,” Wilder’s first major role was as Leopold Bloom in the 1968 film “The Producers” for which he was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. This was the first in a series of collaborations with writer/director Mel Brooks, including 1974’s “Blazing Saddles” and “Young Frankenstein,” which Wilder co-wrote, garnering the pair an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Wilder is also known for his portrayal of Willy Wonka in “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” (1971) and for his four films with Richard Pryor: “Silver Streak” (1976), “Stir Crazy” (1980), “See No Evil, Hear No Evil” (1989), and “Another You” (1991). Wilder directed and wrote several of his own films, including “The Woman in Red” (1984).
Actress Gilda Radner,was Wilder’s third wife with whom he starred in three films. Her death from ovarian cancer led to his active involvement in promoting cancer awareness and treatment, helping found the Gilda Radner Ovarian Cancer Detection Center in Los Angeles.
“One of the truly great talents of our time,” read a tweet from the verified Twitter account of filmmaker Mel Brooks, who directed Wilder in those two films. “He blessed every film we did with his magic & he blessed me with his friendship.”