Gene Wilder

Gene Wilder (born Jerome Silberman on June 11, 1933 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is an American actor, who has starred in more than thirty movies.

Biography

Born in Milwaukee, the son of Russian Jewish immigrants, Wilder studied drama at the University of Iowa and later attended Britain's Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. He served in the United States Army from 1956 to 1958.

Related Topics:
Russia - Jewish - Immigrants - University of Iowa - Britain's - United States Army - 1956 - 1958

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Returning to the United States, Wilder sought work in the theater supporting himself by driving a limousine and teaching fencing.

Related Topics:
Limousine - Fencing

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His first big part was in Bonnie and Clyde where he played an undertaker abducted by the couple.

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Perhaps one of his best known roles is that of Willy Wonka in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

Related Topics:
Willy Wonka - Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

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In the late 1970s and 1980s he appeared in a number of movies with Richard Pryor, making them the most prolific inter-racial comedy double act in movies during the period.

Related Topics:
1970s - 1980s - Richard Pryor

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In 1979 he starred alongside Harrison Ford in the comedy 'The Frisco Kid'.

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Wilder was married to Saturday Night Live actress Gilda Radner from 1984 until her death from ovarian cancer in 1989. Since then he has remained active in promoting cancer awareness and treatment. Wilder himself was hospitalized with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 1999 and made a full recovery in 2000.

Related Topics:
Saturday Night Live - Gilda Radner - Ovarian cancer - Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma - 1999 - 2000

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He has been married to actress Karen Boyer since 1991.

Related Topics:
Karen Boyer - 1991

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On March 1, 2005 Wilder released his highly-personal memoir Kiss Me Like A Stranger, an account of his life covering everything from his childhood, when his mother died of heart disease, up through his wife's death. He has been praised for the openness and honesty of his writing, setting it apart from other Hollywood memoirs.

Related Topics:
March 1 - 2005

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