Gene Wilder, star of 'Willy Wonka,' dead at 83
(CNN)Gene
Wilder, who brought a wild-eyed desperation to a series of memorable and iconic
comedy roles in the 1970s and 1980s, has died, his lawyer, Eric Weissmann,
said.
He was 83.
Wilder is best
known for his collaborations with director Mel Brooks, starring as the
stressed-out Leo Bloom in Brooks' breakout 1967 film "The Producers,"
and later in the monster movie spoof "Young Frankenstein." He also
portrayed a boozing gunslinger in
"Blazing Saddles."
For many people,
Wilder might be best remembered for "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate
Factory," playing the mysterious candy tycoon in the 1971 adaptation of
Roald Dahl's book.
"He blessed
every film we did with his magic and he blessed me with his friendship,"
Brooks wrote.
Wilder died due
to complications from Alzheimer's disease, which he struggled with for three
years, his nephew Jordan Walker-Pearlman said in a statement to CNN.
Wilder chose not
to disclose his illness, the statement added.
"He simply
couldn't bear the idea of one less smile in the world," Walker-Pearlman
said.
In the years
after "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," Wilder continued to
star in numerous comedies, with less consistent success. That included several
films with Richard Pryor, including "Stir Crazy" and "Silver
Streak," as well as solo vehicles like "The Adventures of Sherlock
Holmes' Smarter Brother" and "The World's Greatest Lover," which
he also directed.
In a 2005
interview with CNN, Wilder discussed how he met Brooks, having been cast in a
play opposite the director's then-girlfriend, Anne Bancroft.
"That led
to 'The Producers' and 'Blazing Saddles' and 'Young Frankenstein,' because I
was miscast in a play," Wilder said. "And it changed my life."
He said he was
happy to be cast in primarily comedic roles throughout his acting career.
"For every
dramatic role, there are 14 other guys who will do it better than me,
always," Wilder told CNN.
He was married
to "Saturday Night Live" regular Gilda Radner for five years until
her death in 1989.
When asked in
the same CNN interview whether he thought the public expected him to mourn
Radner indefinitely, Wilder said he felt some people did.
Then added,
"If you found happiness, real happiness, then it would be stupid to waste
your life mourning. And if you asked Gilda, she'd say, don't be a jerk. You
know, go out, have fun. Wake up and smell the coffee."
He is survived
by his wife of 25 years, Karen Wilder.
Wilder's
friends, co-workers and admirers were quick to pay tribute to the actor after
the news of his death.
"Bless you
for all these years of laughter and love, such warmth and humanity," wrote
film critic Leonard Maltin.
Debra Messing,
former star of "Will & Grace," a show on which Wilder
guest-starred, said, "A man who lit up the world with his joy and genius.
I can't say what it meant to act with him and get to know his heart."
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