11 interesting facts from the life of actor Gene Wilder (12 photos)

Actor Gene Wilder, who is Jewish, is widely known for his starring role in the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Many people remember him in this image, but he also starred in a number of other cult films. However, behind these films is a man who led a life even more amazing than any of his characters. Let's find out interesting facts about Gene Wilder!





1. He was born under a different name



Gene Wilder was born on June 11, 1933 in Milwaukee, USA as Jerome Silberman. He is Jewish by origin. When he was 26 years old, he took the stage name by which he was always known. As the actor said, he took his name from the book “Look at Thy Home, Angel” by Thomas Wolfe, and his last name was inspired by playwright Thornton Wilder.

2. He became interested in acting at age 8





Wilder became interested in acting at the age of 8. This happened after he saw his sister perform on stage. Then he immediately went up to his sister’s teacher and asked if she would take him as a student: she replied that only when he turns 13 years old. The day after his 13th birthday, he called that teacher and studied with her for two years.

3. At first he was sent to a military institute, but acting took its toll



Gene Wilder's mother, Jean Silberman, saw great potential in her son, and in his youth sent him to the Black Fox Military Institute in Hollywood. But sometimes even the best intentions of our loved ones do not live up to expectations. Wilder, being the only Jewish boy at school, was often bullied and attacked. After a short stay in Black Fox, he returned home where he became involved in the theater community.

4. He got his first role at age 15



After returning from military institute, 15-year-old Gene Wilder received his first role on stage. He played Balthazar, Romeo's servant, in a production of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

5. He practiced fencing



After graduating from high school, Gene Wilder studied theater at the University of Iowa. He was then accepted into drama school in the UK, where he took up an unusual hobby - fencing. After six months of practice, he became the first freshman to win the school-wide fencing championship. And once in Hollywood, Wilder used his fencing skills for productions and films.

6. Wilder served in the psychiatry department



In September 1956, the actor was drafted into the army and enrolled in the Medical Corps. He served as a paramedic in the psychiatry and neurology department of an army hospital. He combined his service with acting training in New York.

7. He studied at several acting schools, including the Lee Strasberg method



Wilder studied acting for three years at the studio of Herbert Berghof and Uta Hagen in New York. Then his colleague, actor Charles Grodin, convinced him to leave the studio and told him about Lee Strasberg's method of acting. Soon, Wilder began studying with a theater director and actor using the Strasberg method, and a few months later he was accepted into the acting studio.

8. He was instantly cast as Willy Wonka



In 1971, Gene Wilder auditioned for the role of Willy Wonka in the film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, based on Roald Dahl's novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The film's creator, Mel Stewart, offered him the role after just a few lines. Although the actor later hesitated whether to accept the invitation or not, he eventually agreed.

9. Wilder didn't approve of Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory



Wilder never approved of Tim Burton's 2005 film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, a modern version of the original. He preferspeople didn’t even watch the film, later calling it an “insult.” In his opinion, Burton remade the film just for the money. He also said in an interview:

"I like Johnny Depp as an actor. But when I saw small parts of the film and what he does there, I decided that I didn't want to see the film because I didn't want to be disappointed in it."

10. He was married four times



Wilder was married four times: first to actresses Mary Mercier and Mary Joan Schutz, and later to Gilda Radner. When Radner died of cancer in 1989, he became active in raising awareness about cancer and its treatment. He founded the Ovarian Cancer Center named after his wife, and co-founded a club in her honor. While preparing for the film See Nothing, Hear Nothing (1989), Wilder worked with Karen Webb, the clinical director of the New York League of the Hearing Impaired. She taught him how to read lips. That’s how they met and got married in 1991.

11. After acting, he took up writing.



After the 1990s, Wilder largely retired from acting. Besides being diagnosed and hospitalized with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, he didn't like any of the scripts that were sent to him. That is why he later became actively involved in writing.