The actor, also known for his role in “Blazing Saddles” and “The Producers“, died Monday at the age of 83, due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease.
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Wilder’s nephew, Jordan Walker-Pearlman, said that this was so as not to sadden his younger fans.
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“It’s kind of like losing a parent”, Ostrum told Variety.
Actress Cole said she and the other Willy Wonka “kids” – the actors who played the children in the film – had received a message from Wilder around a year or so ago in which he sent “lots of love”.
Wilder is also famous for his portrayal of the eccentric Willy Wonka in 1971’s Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, as well as his work with Richard Pryor, which included Silver Streak, Stir Crazy, Another You and See No Evil, Hear No Evil.
“He was so quirky”, Ostrum said.
James Corden has paid tribute to “magical” Gene Wilder. As production went on, Ostrum remembered, “They would break for lunch and Gene and I would always buy a chocolate bar and share it on the way back to the set”.
Acting legend Gene Wilder is dead.
Speaking about meeting Gene when he was performing on Broadway, James shared: “He was never less than brilliant at all times”. He never let on how he was going to read a line or convey an expression.
And Rusty Goffe, who played one of Wonka’s Oompa Loompas, wrote that Wilder was “one of the nicest if not THE nicest actor I have ever worked with”.
In a unusual coincidence, the Australian baking competition reality TV show, Zumbo’s Just Dessert, will be airing an episode tonight featuring a floating Willy Wonka hat replica made entirely out of chocolate. He is survived by his wife Karen Boyer, according to the International Movie Database.
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“It’s what I felt when I watched him, it’s what I felt when I met him, and that’s what I hope he’s feeling now, wherever he is”.
