Gene Wilder

Biography

Gene Wilder (born Jerome Silberman; June 11, 1933 – August 29, 2016) was an American actor, director, screenwriter, producer, singer-songwriter, and author. He began his career on stage, and made his screen debut in an episode of the TV series The Play of the Week in 1961. Although his first film role was portraying a hostage in the 1967 motion picture Bonnie and Clyde, Wilder's first major role was as Leopold Bloom in the 1967 film The Producers for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. This was the first in a series of collaborations with writer/director Mel Brooks, including 1974's Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein, which Wilder co-wrote, garnering the pair an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. He is known for his iconic portrayal of Willy Wonka in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) and for his four films with Richard Pryor: Silver Streak (1976), Stir Crazy (1980), See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989), and Another You (1991), as well as starring in Woody Allen's Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) (1972). He directed and wrote several of his own films, including The Woman in Red …

Movies & TV Shows

1. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) — Willy Wonka
2. Young Frankenstein (1974) — Dr. Frankenstein
3. Blazing Saddles (1974) — Jim
4. Bonnie and Clyde (1967) — Eugene Grizzard
5. See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989) — Dave Lyons
6. Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex *But Were Afraid to Ask (1972) — Dr. Doug Ross
7. The Producers (1968) — Leo Bloom
8. Will & Grace (1998) — Mr. Stein
9. The Woman in Red (1984) — Theodore Pierce
10. Stir Crazy (1980) — Skip Donahue
11. Alice in Wonderland (1999) — Mock Turtle
12. Silver Streak (1976) — George Caldwell
13. The Frisco Kid (1979) — Avram
14. The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother (1975) — Sigerson Holmes
15. Haunted Honeymoon (1986) — Larry Abbot
16. Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1993) — Self - Guest
17. The Little Prince (1974) — The Fox
18. The View (1997) — Self
19. Another You (1991) — George / Abe Fielding
20. The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962) — Self
21. Hanky Panky (1982) — Michael Jordon
22. Richard Pryor: Omit the Logic (2013) — George / Skip Donahue (archive footage)
23. Inside the Actors Studio (1994) — Self
24. Start the Revolution Without Me (1970) — Claude / Philippe
25. Love, Gilda (2018) — Self (archive footage)
26. Funny About Love (1990) — Duffy Bergman
27. The World's Greatest Lover (1977) — Rudy Valentine / Rudy Hickman
28. The Electric Company (1971) — Letterman (voice)
29. Pure Imagination: The Story of 'Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory' (2001) — Self
30. CBS News Sunday Morning (1979) — Self - Guest
31. The Last Laugh (2016) — Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
32. Remembering Gene Wilder (2024) — Self (archive footage)
33. Sunday Lovers (1980) — Skippy (sketch 'Skippy')
34. Rhinoceros (1974) — Stanley
35. Mel Brooks: Make a Noise (2013) — Self (archive footage)
36. Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx (1970) — Quackser Fortune
37. Death of a Salesman (1966) — Bernard
38. The Defenders (1961) — Waiter
39. EXPO: Magic of the White City (2005) — Narrator (voice)
40. Making Frankensense of Young Frankenstein (1996) — Self

Directed

1. The Woman in Red (1984) — Director
2. The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother (1975) — Director
3. Haunted Honeymoon (1986) — Director
4. The World's Greatest Lover (1977) — Director
5. Sunday Lovers (1980) — Director