Gene Wilder's biography

Jerome Silberman is 83 years old actor born at Milwaukee. He was born on Sunday 11th of June 1933. Gene is often nicknamed as Jerry Silberman, Jerome Silberman, Gene Wilder. According to year of birth 1933 Gene belongs to Silent Generation. Birthday on 11th of June means he is Gemini. Gemini is a dual sign of Zodiac Belt. One born with this rising sign is very dual and creative in nature with lots of verbosity. They are the most expressive people as they love talking.

He is native english speaker. Gene is white american. Gene is citizen of United States of America. He is jewish. Gene´s primary profession is to be actor. You can know him also as film director, comedian, television actor, film producer, stage actor, diarist, screenwriter. Gene is recently known as writer. He received Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series Will & Grace in 2003

Gene Wilder's family

Gene Wilder's ex wife

Gilda Radner

Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner have been together since 1984 for 5 years. She is known as comedian. Gene´s ex wife was born on Friday 28th of June 1946 in Detroit. His ex wife died on Saturday 20th of May 1989 in Los Angeles. Gilda Radner was 56 years old, when this happened.

Gene Wilder's schools

We found 5 schools He attended. Complete list of schools: University of Iowa, Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Washington High School, HB Studio, Black-Foxe Military Institute.

Detailed informations about Gene´s schools

Attended and graduated from Washington High School (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) in 1951. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Iowa at Iowa City in 1955. He was a lifelong brother of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity.

Gene Wilder's career

Gene´s main focus is to be actor. Gene is famous thanks to Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory. You could see him also in Will & Grace.

Is Gene Wilder gay ?

Gene is known to be straight.

How did Gene Wilder die

He died on on Monday 29th of August 2016 when he was 83 years old at Stamford. Gene Wilders death was caused by alzheimer's disease. It happend like natural causes.

Awards and competitions

Gene Wilder's Awards

Won the Clarence Derwent award for the Broadway play "The Complaisant Lover" in 1962.

Gene Wilder's Rankings

His performance as Dr. Frederick Frankenstein ("that's FRONKensteen") in Young Frankenstein (1974) is ranked #9 on Premiere magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006).
His performance as Willy Wonka in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) is ranked #38 on Premiere magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.

Gene Wilder's Nominations

He was nominated for Academy Award for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay
Gene was nominated for Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for work The Producers in 1968

Gene Wilder's quotes

[on Mel Brooks] A loud kind of Jewish genius--maybe that's as close as you can get to defining him.
Woody [Woody Allen] makes a movie as if he were lighting 10,000 safety matches to illuminate a city. Each one is a little epiphany: topical, ethnic or political.
[on his role in Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask (1972)] And that's not an easy task, being in bed with a sheep, especially if you make the sheep nervous. I'm not going to go on, if you know what I'm talking about.
I'm not so funny. Gilda [Gilda Radner] was funny. I'm funny on camera sometimes. In life, once in a while. Once in a while. But she was funny. She spent more time worrying about being liked than anything else.
[on Mel Brooks] We are not interested in polite titters, we want the audience rolling on the floor and falling about. Mel works on his feet -- it's a hit and miss, hit and miss, hit and miss. Then in the editing he will take out the misses!
[on why he doesn't make movies anymore] I like writing books. I'd rather be at home with my wife. I can write, take a break, come out, have a glass of tea, give my wife a kiss, and go back in and write some more. It's not so bad. I am really lucky.
[on Mel Brooks] There's not much white sugar in Mel's veins. He would never ask an audience for sympathy.
[on Zero Mostel] You may have heard stories about how bombastic, aggressive, and dictatorial Zero might be. It didn't happen with me. He always took care of me. I loved him. He looked after me as if I were a baby sparrow.
I never thought of it as God. I didn't know what to call it. I don't believe in devils, but demons I do because everyone at one time or another has some kind of a demon, even if you call it by another name, that drives them.
So my idea of neurotic is spending too much time trying to correct a wrong. When I feel that I'm doing that, then I snap out of it.
Great art direction is NOT the same thing as great film direction!
A lot of comic actors derive their main force from childish behavior. Most great comics are doing such silly things; you'd say, "That's what a child would do.".
Actors fall into this trap if they missed being loved for who they really were and not for what they could do - sing, dance, joke about - then they take that as love.
I write funny. If I can make my wife laugh, I know I'm on the right track. But yes, I don't like to get Maudlin. And I have a tendency towards it.
I don't mean to sound - I don't want it to come out funny, but I don't like show business. I love - I love acting in films. I love it.
I wanted to do - there was this film called Magic (1978) that Anthony Hopkins did. And the director wanted me. The writer wanted me. Joe Levine said no, I don't want any comedians in this.
I'm not so funny. Gilda was funny. I'm funny on camera sometimes. In life, once in a while. Once in a while. But she was funny. She spent more time worrying about being liked than anything else.
I love the art of acting, and I love film, because you always have anther chance if you want it. You know, if we - if this isn't going well, you can't say - well, you could say - let's stop. Let's start over again, Gene, because you were too nervous.
Lots of things are hard work, but I think writing, for me, after I started acting at 13 years old. I like writing now much more than I do acting only because, well, partly because the scripts that are offered are junk.
I'm quietly political. I don't like advertising. Giving money to someone or support, but not getting on a bandstand. I don't want to run for president in 2008. I will write another book instead.
[on why he retired from acting] I don't like show business, I realized. I like show, but I don't like the business.
When I'm not working on something, I seem to go through periods of depression. It helps to keep busy.
I'm going to tell you what my religion is. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Period. Terminato. Finito.
Pride is not the worst of sins. In fact, it's one of the most interesting ones.
I'm an actor, not a clown.
When your mother gives you confidence about anything that you do, you carry that confidence with you.
I'm funny on camera sometimes. In life, once in a while. Once in a while.
If my mother hadn't laughed at the funny things I did, I probably wouldn't be a comic actor. After she had her first heart attack, the doctor said, 'Try to make her laugh.' And that was the first time I tried to make anyone laugh.
What do actors really want? To be great actors? Yes, but you can't buy talent, so it's best to leave the word 'great' out of it. I think to be believed, onstage or onscreen, is the one hope that all actors share.
I love the art of acting, and I love film, because you always have another chance if you want it. You know, if we - if this isn't going well, you can't say - well, you could say - let's stop. Let's start over again, Gene, because you were too nervous.
I didn't want to be a comedian. I wanted to be an actor - maybe a comic actor, but a real actor - by real, I mean not a comedian. I wanted to be an actor.
I don't want to do 'Hamlet.' I don't want to do Robert Redford roles or Mel Gibson roles or Kevin Costner roles, because I'm not going to be good at them.
I want to do what I can lend my talents to, but I want it to be as a human being and not as a two-dimensional character.
I'm not from Hollywood, and I'm also not one of the people who wants to do a tell-all, and I hate tell-alls. I didn't want to tell all.
The thing I love about making movies is the peace of mind that I know I don't have to be perfect the first time. I can be perfect the second time or the third time.
When I was in desperate trouble for maybe eight or nine years, I went to a neuropsychiatrist.
I feel very Jewish, and I feel very grateful to be Jewish. But I don't believe in God or anything to do with the Jewish religion.
What good is a character who's always winking at the audience to let them in on the secret?
I'm stopped by mothers who say, 'Mr. Wilder, what advice would you give to my young boy? He's really talented.'
I don't like giving speeches. It makes me nervous.
My favorite author is Anton Chekhov, not so much for the plays but for his short stories, and I think he was really my tutor.
I'd like to do a comedy with Emma Thompson. I admire her as an actress so much. I love her. And I didn't know it until recently that her whole career started in comedy.
I said something really stupid once. I told a friend that my mother was so beautiful, but my dad was ugly. My dad heard it and just laughed it off, but I felt guilty. It haunted me for years. I should never have said that.
When you fall in love, and you're very young, you think that that's the love of your life. And maybe it is, but it usually doesn't turn out that way.
I was a milksop as a kid. I had no confidence, no guts. I felt I was going to be someone else someday - someone who didn't have my weaknesses.
I know a lot of sad people who aren't comedians.
There seems to be a pattern. I get one good script every two years.
I've read everything printed in English that Freud has written. It helped me a great deal.
I like writing books. I'd rather be at home with my wife. I can write, take a break, come out, have a glass of tea, give my wife a kiss, and go back in and write some more. It's not so bad. I am really lucky.
If there's an audience, I think they're going to expect me to be funny. But what if I'm not funny? What if I fail?
I live in a small town in Connecticut, and they don't write scripts there, but I get them anyway because my agent is in Los Angeles.
I feel alone and safe in public.

Gene Wilder's height, body shape, eye color

Lets describe how Gene Wilder looks. We will focus on Gene´s height, body shape, eye color and hair color. Gene is tall as 5' 10½" (179 cm). Body build is average. His eyes are tinted blue. His hair is shade of blonde.

Gene Wilder