The world lost a true treasure six years ago today when Gene Wilder died from complications of Alzheimer's disease at the age of 83. He lived his later years in Stamford, Connecticut where he passed away.
In every role Wilder had, he always held a certain charm that made the audience love him. His career included some of the great comedy movies of all time, with a mix of drama.
When the New York Times interviewed his nephew filmmaker Jordan Walker-Pearlman who announced his passing, he said, “His rule for comedy was simple: Don’t try to make it funny; try to make it real. I’m an actor, not a clown." In various interviews, Wilder said that he didn’t like show business. “I like the show, but not the business.”
In an interview with the late Robert Osborne in 2013, Gene Wilder explained why he had not done movies for over two decades. He complained about the vulgarity and violence. “If that came into a meaningful place, I can understand it but I didn’t want to do the junk that I was seeing. I like to write books.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezfVc5MGmIU
Gene Wilder had a caring but tragic relationship with another beloved character, Gilda Radner. For ten months she was misdiagnosed and eventually told she had Stage IV cancer in 1986. After her death at 42 in 1989, a heartbroken Gene Wilder started many cancer support groups in her name that are still going strong today.
https://www.cedars-sinai.org/programs/gynecology/clinical-trials/hereditary-cancer.html
https://gildasclubwestchester.org/
It was through his movies that he stole the heart of the world. From his timeless classics with Mel Brooks like Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles to his incredible chemistry and pairing with Richard Pryor in flims like Stir Crazy and Silver Streak, he brought a spirit of positivity and joy while making you laugh.
For the child in all of us, who will ever forget the role of a lifetime as Wilder played the starring role in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The part was so desired in Hollywood that it took a while to cast. Fred Astaire & Joel Grey were considered and many publications say that Peter Sellers begged for the role. On the Willy Wonka Wikipedia page, it states that when Gene Wilder walked in it was then that director Mel Stuart and producer David L. Wolper realized that they could stop looking. Wolper remarked, "The role fit him tighter than one of Jacques Cousteau’s wetsuits." Stuart was captivated by Wilder's "humor in his eyes.” Wolper tried to suppress Stuart's eagerness for the actor as he wanted to negotiate the salary. Regardless, the director ran out into the hall as Wilder was leaving and offered him the part of Wonka.
It is common knowledge that Gene Wilder agreed to the role on one condition; that he be allowed to improvise the first scene that the audience see's Wonka. It was his idea to have Wonka walk up to the gate with a noticed limp using a cane ending in a somersault. Wilder felt it was important to show how unpredictable Wonka was and to expect the unexpected.
The eyes were something Wilder often talked about. In many interviews, he said that Chaplin was a comedic hero of his, and he loved his movie “City Lights.” Wilder often said that the movie made a big impression on him as an actor. “It was funny, then sad, then both at the same time.”
Gene Wilder loved his fans and in the last few years of his life, he rarely was in the public eye. He didn't want fans to feel bad or sad about his condition. Even towards the end, he knew the importance of a smile and a laugh, and never wanted to disappoint. And he never did.
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