Gene Wilder, who regularly stole the show in comedic gems including Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and Blazing Saddles, died on Monday at the age of 83. Wilder's nephew Jordan Walker-Pearlman said the actor had chosen to keep his Alzheimer's secret so that children who knew him as Willy Wonka would not equate the whimsical character with an adult disease. Wilder's first movie role was a small part as a terrified undertaker who was abducted by Bonnie and Clyde in Arthur Penn's 1967 film of the same name. Besides his classic collaborations with Brooks, Wilder paired memorably with comedian Pryor in hits Silver Streak and Stir Crazy. Before Radner, Wilder was married to the actress-playwright Mary Mercier and Mary Joan Schutz (aka Jo Ayers).

Source: Otago Daily Times August 29, 2016 20:26 UTC