The comedy world has lost another beloved performer, in a year that has seemed to claim more legends than most years. The iconicGene Wilderpassed away earlier today, at the age of 83, at his home in Stamford, Connecticut. His nephew,Jordan Walker-Pearlman, revealed that the actordieddue to complications from Alzheimer’s disease.
The actor was bornJerome Silbermanon June 20, 2025 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Jeanne (Baer) and William J. Silberman, who worked as a manufacturer of miniature whiskey and beer bottles. He made his professional acting debut in the 1961 off Broadway adaptation ofRoots, before making his Broadway debut later that year inThe Complaisant Lover. He won the Clement Derwent Award that year as the most promising newcomer. He also starred in the 1963 playMother Courage and Her Children, alongsideAnne Bancroft, who would becomeMel Brooks' wife, which would change his life forever.
After meetingGene Wilderduring the play’s production,Mel Brookswould become close friends with the actor.Gene Wildercontinued to work on the stage inOne Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,Dynamite TonightandLuv, along with TV productions such asThe Sound of Hunting,The Interrogators,WindfallandDeath of a Salesman, before making his feature film debut as Eugene Grizzard in the 1967 classicBonnie & Clyde. His second big screen performance would be his first collaboration withMel Brooks, and one of his most iconic performances in the 1967 comedyThe Producers.
Gene Wilder’s performance as accountant Leo Bloom alongsideZero Mostel’s Max Bialystock wonWilderhis firstOscar nomination, which gave birth to his legendary movie career. He went on to star inStart the Revolution Without MewithDonald Sutherlandand as the title character inQuackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx, before landing his next iconic role as Willy Wonka in 1971’sWilly Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. The actor scored his second Oscar nomination forBlazing Saddles, and then went onto star inYoung Frankenstein, which he co-wrote withMel Brooks. The actor wrote, directed and starred in several of his own movies, such asThe Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother,The World’s Greatest Lover,The Woman in RedandHaunted Honeymoon, but none could match the success he had withMel Brooks
Varietyreports that the actor was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma back in 1989. He also starred inStir Crazy,The Woman in Red,See No Evil, Hear No Evil,Funny About Loveand his own TV sitcomSomething Wilder, which only ran for one season between 1994 and 1995. He had a two-episode guest starring arc onWill & Gracein 2002, which won him an Emmy Award. His last performance was voicing Elmer in an episode ofYo Gabba Gabbaearlier this year. It was rumored thatSteven Spielbergwas trying to lure the actor out of retirement before his passing.
