"Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory", "Bonnie and Clyde", "Producers", "Young Frankenstein" - films that made the audience remember Gene Wilder. A talented actor, director and screenwriter died in August 2016, but his memory continues to live. What is known about a man who brilliantly succeeded in comic roles?
Gene Wilder: biography of a star (childhood and adolescence)
The future famous actor was born in the US state of Wisconsin, a joyful event occurred in June 1933. Few people know that Gene Wilder is the pseudonym Jerome Zilberman decided to take. Nature generously endowed the descendant of Jewish immigrants with the gift of making people laugh. Surprisingly, the boy’s talent was revealed thanks to his mother’s illness. The woman suffered from rheumatism, and a caring son constantly tried to distract and make her laugh, invented and played funny scenes.
Gradually, Gene Wilder realized that he wanted to become an actor. As a teenager, he began to study at the school of dramatic art. It was then that he decided to take a pseudonym, as other students made fun of his last name, because the aspiring lyceum was the only Jew in the group. During his studies, Gene began playing in the summer performances of Williams and Miller. Comprehending the basics of the chosen profession, the young man did not forget about the development of his physical indicators. Wilder devoted a lot of time to dancing, fencing and gymnastics.
First successes
The first serious work of the future star was the role that Gene played in the production of Arnold Wesker's “Roots” on Broadway. However, they started talking about him after the release of the film "Bonnie and Clyde", presented to the audience in 1967. Gene Wilder brilliantly embodied the image of a frightened undertaker. The plot demanded that his character look scared, but the actor, on the contrary, tried to portray the absence of fear. The result was very funny, the undertaker Gina was remembered by the audience.
Fateful for Wilder was the game in the play "Breast Milk Courage". A colleague introduced Gene to her husband, who turned out to be comedian Mel Brooks. A chance meeting resulted in a fruitful cooperation that lasted for many years. Later, the actor admitted to journalists that it was Mel who owed much to his success.
Star roles
In 1968, Brooks' comedy film "Producers" was shot, one of the main roles in which was performed by actor Gene Wilder. The film was postponed for five years due to financial problems. When he did come out, Wilder became a real star. In this comedy, the comedian embodied the image of the nervous accountant Bloom, who is forced to save the business of the Broadway producer from collapse. Throughout the film, the character of Gene is on the verge of a mental breakdown. The film gave the actor not only thousands of fans, but also an Oscar nomination.
The next joint work of Brooks and Wilder was the painting "Young Frankenstein", which was released in 1974. Comedy is a parody of black and white horror films. Gene in this film played the role of the grandson of Dr. Frankenstein, his character constantly pokes his eyes, which gives him an awesome look.
Perhaps the most famous film with the participation of the famous comedian is Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. In this picture, Gene played an eccentric confectioner, who became the favorite of several generations of viewers. It is impossible not to mention the films "I see nothing, I hear nothing" and "Raging mad", which are good because of the tandem of Wilder and Richard Prior.
Director, writer
Not only as a talented actor, the comedian managed to remain in the memory of the audience, he also took place as a director. His most famous work is Woman in Red. Gene Wilder directed a melodramatic comedy about a man who is experiencing a midlife crisis. Of course, not without a fatal beauty, which the central character falls in love with without memory. Other films of Gene - “Honeymoon with Ghosts”, “Sunday Lovers”, “The Adventures of the Sly Brother Sherlock Holmes”.
After 1990, Wilder almost did not act in films. He focused on literary activity, issued memoirs, wrote several love affairs.
Love family
Gene Wilder, whose films and biography are discussed in this article, has married several times. With the first two spouses, the actor broke up, the reasons for which remained behind the scenes. The third of his chosen one was the actress Gilda Radner, whose life was taken away by cancer. The death of his wife was a heavy blow for Wilder, he even began to engage in charity work and help cancer patients.
Karen Boyer - Gene's fourth wife, who remained faithful to him until his death. The actor has only one child - daughter Katherine, who connected her life with the theater world.
Death
A talented comedian died in August this year. Doctors claim that the cause of his death was Alzheimer's disease, which he fought over the past three years.