Gene Wilder facts for kids

Gene Wilder
Quick facts for kids Gene Wilder
	Wilder in 1970
Born	Jerome Silberman ; June 11, 1933; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Died	August 29, 2016 (aged 83); Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.
Cause of death	Complications of Alzheimer's disease
Nationality	American
Alma mater	University of Iowa
Occupation	Actor, screenwriter, director, author
Years active	1961–2003 (actor); 1998–2013 (author)
Spouse(s)	Mary Mercier; (m. 1960; div. 1965) ; Mary Joan Schutz; (m. 1967; div. 1974) ; Gilda Radner; (m. 1984; her death 1989) ; Karen Boyer; (m. 1991; his death 2016) ;
Children	1
Relatives	Jordan Walker-Pearlman (nephew)
Signature

Gene Wilder (born Jerome Silberman, June 11, 1933, died August 29, 2016) was an American actor, comedian, movie director, screenwriter and author. 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.

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 problems caused by Alzheimer's disease on August 29, 2016 in Connecticut.

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
1970	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	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
1980	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)

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)
The Scarecrow (Broadway, 1972)
Rhinoceros (1974)
Laughter on the 23rd Floor (London, 1996)

Images for kids

Wilder with Gilda Radner, 1986
Wilder at a book signing in 2007
Wilder in 1984