Gene Wilder

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gene Wilder (2007) signature

Gene Wilder (born June 11, 1933 in Milwaukee , Wisconsin as Jerome Silberman , † August 29, 2016 in Stamford , Connecticut ) was an American actor , comedian , writer and director. He was one of the most popular comedians in Hollywood, especially in the 1970s and 1980s.

life and work

Silberman learned acting at The Actors Studio in New York . There he took on the stage name Gene Wilder, composed of the autobiographical character Eugene in Thomas Wolfes novel Schau heimwärts, Engel and the playwright Thornton Wilder .

His acting career began in the early 1960s in off-Broadway productions in New York City. The comedian first attracted attention in Broadway productions such as The White House in 1964 with Helen Hayes . In 1963, he appeared on stage with Anne Bancroft , Mel Brooks ' then partner and later wife , in Bertolt Brecht's mother Courage . In the same year he played the young Billy Bibbit in the stage version of Ken Kesey's novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest .

In 1967 Wilder drew attention to himself with a supporting role in the successful gangster film Bonnie and Clyde - in the typical role of a gentle, average man who has to struggle with extraordinary challenges. The following year Mel Brooks engaged him for his film debut Spring for Hitler , with which he had his breakthrough as a film comedian. He was nominated for an Oscar for his performance , as well as in 1974 for his title role in Frankenstein Junior . Here he also played under the direction of Mel Brooks, with whom he had also written the script for the film. In the same year he was also seen in Brooks' western parody The wild wild west .

Gene Wilder (1984)

Gene Wilder was one of the most popular film comedians in the 1970s and 1980s and starred in films like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1971), Woody Allen's Everything You Always Wanted About Sex (1972), Trans-America Express (1976) or One Rabbi in the Wild West (1979). Between 1975 and 1986, Wilder directed and wrote five comedies , including Sherlock Holmes' Clever Brother (1975), The World's Greatest Lover (1977) and The Woman in Red (1984). The latter became one of the greatest successes for Wilder.

Trans-Amerika-Express was the first of four comedies that Wilder directed with co-star Richard Pryor between 1976 and 1991 . Both became one of the most popular comedian duos of the time. With films like No Baby on Board (1990), Wilder was unable to build on his earlier successes and from 1993 only appeared in television series. From 2003 Wilder was no longer active as a television or film actor.

From 1984 until her early cancer death in 1989, Gene Wilder was married to his colleague Gilda Radner , with whom he appeared in four films ( Hanky ​​Panky , The Wild West , Wedding Night in the Haunted Castle and The Woman in Red ). From 1991 Wilder was married to the costume designer Karen Boyer (fourth marriage).

In 1998 Wilder published the book Gilda's Disease together with oncologist Steven Piver about the illness and death of Gilda Radner. Between 2005 and 2013 Wilder wrote five other books, including the memoir Kiss Me Like a Stranger , the short story collection What Is This Thing Called Love? and the spy novel My French Whore .

Gene Wilder last suffered from Alzheimer's disease , from the consequences of which he died on August 29, 2016 at the age of 83.

Filmography (selection)

Awards and nominations

  • 1962: Clarence Derwent Award for Complaisant Lover
  • 1968: Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for The Producers
  • 1971: Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy for Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
  • 1974: Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay for Young Frankenstein
  • 1976: Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy for Silver Streak

Web links

Commons : Gene Wilder  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ AP / Reuters: US comedian Gene Wilder has died. Die Welt , August 29, 2016, accessed on August 29, 2016 .
  2. ↑ Christian Schröder: Gene Wilder died: The king of neuroses. In: tagesspiegel.de . August 30, 2016, accessed August 31, 2016 .
personal data
SURNAME Wilder, Gene
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Silberman, Jerome (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-American actor
DATE OF BIRTH June 11, 1933
PLACE OF BIRTH Milwaukee , Wisconsin
DATE OF DEATH 29th August 2016
Place of death Stamford , Connecticut