USA actor Gene Wilder, remembered by many for his lead role in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, has died at the age of 83, his family has confirmed, BBC News reports.
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The actor died on Sunday, August 28 in Stamford, Connecticut, due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease, his family said.
Wilder was unforgettably amusing in such classics as The Producers, Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles. The talented legend grabbed most famous movies of those times.
Wilder frequently collaborated with writer and director Mel Brooks as well as stand-up comedian Richard Pryor.
Born Jerome Silberman to Russian immigrants in Milwaukee, Wilder studied at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre in Bristol, England, and then studied method acting at the Actors Studio. Wilder made his one of the first presence in ‘Bonnie and Clyde’. The late artist is still remembered for the stated role.
Nevertheless, his character of Willy Wonka in the film ‘Charlie And The Chocolate Factory’ made him a worldwide star.
He won an Emmy in 2003 for outstanding guest actor in a comedy series for appearances on “Will and Grace”.
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Here & Now pays tribute by revisiting host Robin Young’s 2005 interview with Wilder about his then-new memoir, “Kiss Me Like a Stranger”.
