Gene Wilder dies at 83
Actor known for collaborations with Mel Brooks
LOS ANGELES — Gene Wilder, the frizzy-haired actor who brought his deft comedic touch to such unforgettable roles as the neurotic accountant in The Producers and the deranged animator of Young
Frankenstein, has died. He was 83. Wilder’s nephew said Monday that the actor and writer died late Sunday at his home in Stamford, Conn., from complications from Alzheimer’s disease.
Jordan Walker-Pearlman said in a statement that Wilder was diagnosed with the disease three years ago, but kept the condition private so as not to disappoint fans.
“He simply couldn’t bear the idea of one less smile in the world,” Walker-Pearlman said.
Wilder started his acting career on the stage, but millions knew him from his work in the movies, especially his collaborations with Mel Brooks on The Producers, Blazing
Saddles and Young Frankenstein. The last film — with Wilder playing a California-born descendant of the mad scientist, insisting that his name is pronounced “Frahnken-SHTEEN” — was co-written by Brooks and Wilder.
“One of the truly great talents of our time,” Mel Brooks tweeted. “He blessed every film we did with his magic & he blessed me with his friendship.” With his unkempt hair and big, buggy eyes, Wilder was a master at playing panicked characters caught up in schemes that only a madman such as Brooks could devise, whether reviving a monster in Young Frankenstein or bilking Broadway in The Producers. Brooks would call him “God’s perfect prey, the victim in all of us.”
But he also knew how to keep it cool as the boozy gunslinger in
Blazing Saddles or the charming candy man in the children’s favourite Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.