News

    Gene Wilder

    June 11, 1933 August 29, 2016 • 83 y.o. (91)

    Full Name Jerome Silberman
    Place of Birth Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
    Place of Death Stamford, Connecticut, USA
    Citizenship United States
    Career 1961 — 2016
    Genres Comedy, Romance, Drama
    Height 1.79 m 5′ 10″
    Zodiac sign gemini
    Religion jewish
    Education
    Family
    father:
    William J. Silberman
    mother:
    Jeanne Baer
    brother/sister:
    Corinne Ruth Silberman
    kids:
    Katharine Anastasia Wilder

    Facts

    Wilder was born Jerome Silberman on June 11, 1933, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to a Russian Jewish family. He was the son of Jeanne (Baer) and William J. Silberman, a manufacturer and salesman of novelty items. Wilder first became interested in acting at age eight, when his mother was diagnosed with rheumatic fever and the doctor told him to "try and make her laugh."

    At the age of 11, he saw his sister, who was studying acting, performing onstage, and the experience enthralled him. He asked her teacher if he could become his student, and the teacher said that if he was still interested at age 13, he would take Wilder on as a student. The day after Wilder turned 13, he called the teacher, who accepted him; Wilder studied with him for two years.

    When Jeanne Silberman felt that her son's potential was not being fully realized in Wisconsin, she sent him to Black-Foxe, a military institute in Hollywood, where he was bullied and sexually assaulted, primarily because he was the only Jewish boy in the school, according to his own account. After an unsuccessful short stay at Black-Foxe, Wilder returned home and became increasingly involved with the local theater community. He performed for the first time in front of a paying audience at age 15, as Balthasar (Romeo's servant) in a production of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Gene Wilder graduated from Washington High School in Milwaukee in 1951.

    Wilder was raised Jewish, but he held only the Golden Rule as his philosophy. In a book published in 2005, he stated, "I have no other religion. 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."

    Wilder studied Communication and Theatre Arts at the University of Iowa, where he was a member of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity. Following his 1955 graduation from Iowa, he was accepted at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in Bristol, England. After six months of studying fencing, Wilder became the first freshman to win the All-School Fencing Championship. Desiring to study Stanislavski's system, he returned to the US, living with his sister and her family in Queens, New York City. He enrolled at the HB Studio.

    Top Rated Movies

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    Filmography chart

    Title Ratings: 6.46
    My Ratings:
    • Comedy 32%
    • Crime 12%
    • Romance 9%
    • Fantasy 6%
    • Family 6%
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                                  • Reset

                                  Actor — 39

                                  2005
                                  1
                                  2005 — narrator

                                  Documentary, History, 1 hr 56 min
                                  United States • Mark Bussler

                                    1999
                                    2
                                    1999 — Larry 'Cash' Carter

                                    Crime, Mystery, Thriller, 1 hr 34 min
                                    United States • Joyce Chopra

                                      3
                                      1999 — Mock Turtle

                                      Fantasy, Adventure, Comedy, 2 hr 8 min
                                      United States, United Kingdom, Germany • Nick Willing

                                        4
                                        1999 — Cash Carter

                                        Crime, Thriller, Mystery, 1 hr 32 min
                                        United States • Joyce Chopra

                                          1998
                                          5
                                          1998 — 2004

                                          Documentary, Biography
                                          United States • Oliver Miede...

                                            6
                                            1998 — 2020 — Mr. Stein

                                            Comedy, Romance, 22 min
                                            United States • James Burrows

                                              1994
                                              7
                                              1994 — 1995 — Gene Bergman

                                              Comedy, 30 min
                                              United States • Barnet Kellman...

                                                1993
                                                8
                                                1993 — Toby

                                                Short, Comedy, 22 min
                                                United States • Noam Pitlik

                                                  1991
                                                  9
                                                  1991 — George / Abe Fielding

                                                  Comedy, Crime, 1 hr 34 min
                                                  United States • Maurice Phillips

                                                    1990
                                                    10
                                                    1990 — Duffy Bergman

                                                    Comedy, Romance, 1 hr 41 min
                                                    United States • Leonard Nimoy

                                                      1989
                                                      11
                                                      1989 — Dave

                                                      Comedy, Crime, 1 hr 42 min
                                                      United States • Arthur Hiller

                                                        1986
                                                        12
                                                        1986 — Larry Abbot

                                                        Comedy, 1 hr 22 min
                                                        United Kingdom, United States • Gene Wilder

                                                          1984
                                                          13
                                                          1984 — Theodore Pierce

                                                          Comedy, Romance, 1 hr 23 min
                                                          United States • Gene Wilder

                                                            1982
                                                            14
                                                            1982 — Michael Jordon

                                                            Action, Comedy, Crime, 1 hr 50 min
                                                            United States • Sidney Poitier

                                                              1980
                                                              15
                                                              1980 — Skip Donahue

                                                              Comedy, Crime, 1 hr 51 min
                                                              United States • Sidney Poitier

                                                                16
                                                                Les séducteurs, 1980 — Skippy, segment "Skippy"

                                                                Comedy, Drama, Romance, 2 hr 5 min
                                                                France, Italy, United Kingdom • Bryan Forbes...

                                                                  1979
                                                                  17
                                                                  1979 — Avram

                                                                  Adventure, Comedy, Drama, 1 hr 59 min
                                                                  United States • Robert Aldrich

                                                                    1977
                                                                    18
                                                                    1977 — Rudy Hickman

                                                                    Comedy, 1 hr 29 min
                                                                    United States • Gene Wilder

                                                                      1976
                                                                      19
                                                                      1976 — George Caldwell

                                                                      Action, Comedy, Crime, 1 hr 54 min
                                                                      United States • Arthur Hiller

                                                                        1975
                                                                        20
                                                                        1975 — Sigerson Holmes

                                                                        Comedy, Crime, Music, 1 hr 31 min
                                                                        United Kingdom, United States • Gene Wilder

                                                                          1974
                                                                          21
                                                                          1974 — Dr. Frederick Frankenstein

                                                                          Comedy, 1 hr 48 min
                                                                          United States • Mel Brooks

                                                                            22
                                                                            1974 — The Fox

                                                                            Musical, Family, Fantasy, 1 hr 28 min
                                                                            United Kingdom, United States • Stanley Donen

                                                                              23
                                                                              1974 — Harry Evers

                                                                              Comedy, 1 hr 40 min
                                                                              United States • Robert Moore

                                                                                24
                                                                                1974 — Jim

                                                                                Comedy, Western, 1 hr 33 min
                                                                                United States • Mel Brooks

                                                                                  1973
                                                                                  25
                                                                                  1973 — Stanley

                                                                                  Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, 1 hr 44 min
                                                                                  United Kingdom, Canada, United States • Tom O'Horgan

                                                                                    26
                                                                                    1973 — Herb Waterman

                                                                                    Comedy, 52 min
                                                                                    United States • Charles Grodin...

                                                                                      1972
                                                                                      27
                                                                                      1972 — Doctor Ross

                                                                                      Comedy, 1 hr 28 min
                                                                                      United States • Woody Allen

                                                                                        28
                                                                                        1972 — Lord Ravensbane

                                                                                        Drama, Fantasy, Romance, 1 hr 45 min
                                                                                        United States • Boris Sagal

                                                                                          1971
                                                                                          29
                                                                                          1971 — Willy Wonka

                                                                                          Musical, Fantasy, Adventure, 1 hr 40 min
                                                                                          United Kingdom, United States • Mel Stuart

                                                                                            1970
                                                                                            30
                                                                                            1970 — Quackser Fortune

                                                                                            Comedy, Drama, Romance, 1 hr 30 min
                                                                                            Ireland • Waris Hussein

                                                                                              1969
                                                                                              31
                                                                                              1969 — Claude / Philippe

                                                                                              Comedy, History, 1 hr 30 min
                                                                                              United States • Bud Yorkin

                                                                                                32
                                                                                                1969 — ... — Letterman

                                                                                                Fantasy, Comedy, Family, 43 min
                                                                                                United States • Jon Stone...

                                                                                                  1968
                                                                                                  33
                                                                                                  1968 — Leo Bloom

                                                                                                  Comedy, Music, 1 hr 28 min
                                                                                                  United States • Mel Brooks

                                                                                                    1967
                                                                                                    34
                                                                                                    1967 — Eugene Grizzard

                                                                                                    Action, Biography, Crime, 1 hr 51 min
                                                                                                    United States • Arthur Penn

                                                                                                      1966
                                                                                                      35
                                                                                                      1966 — Bernard

                                                                                                      Drama, 1 hr 40 min
                                                                                                      United States • Alex Segal

                                                                                                        1961
                                                                                                        36
                                                                                                        1961 — 1964 — Muller

                                                                                                        Musical, Comedy, Drama, 1 hour
                                                                                                        United States • Franklin J. Schaffner...

                                                                                                          37
                                                                                                          1961 — 1965 — Waiter

                                                                                                          Crime, Drama, 1 hour
                                                                                                          United States • Paul Bogart...

                                                                                                            1959
                                                                                                            38
                                                                                                            1959 — 1961 — Happy

                                                                                                            Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, 1 hour
                                                                                                            United States • Sidney Lumet...

                                                                                                              1950
                                                                                                              39
                                                                                                              1950 — 1967 — Yussel

                                                                                                              Drama, 1 hour
                                                                                                              United States • William Corrigan...

                                                                                                                Writer — 10

                                                                                                                1
                                                                                                                (based in novel by)

                                                                                                                Drama
                                                                                                                United States • Andrew Davis

                                                                                                                  1999
                                                                                                                  2
                                                                                                                  1999

                                                                                                                  Crime, Mystery, Thriller, 1 hr 34 min
                                                                                                                  United States • Joyce Chopra

                                                                                                                    3
                                                                                                                    1999

                                                                                                                    Crime, Thriller, Mystery, 1 hr 32 min
                                                                                                                    United States • Joyce Chopra

                                                                                                                      1989
                                                                                                                      4
                                                                                                                      1989

                                                                                                                      Comedy, Crime, 1 hr 42 min
                                                                                                                      United States • Arthur Hiller

                                                                                                                        1986
                                                                                                                        5
                                                                                                                        1986

                                                                                                                        Comedy, 1 hr 22 min
                                                                                                                        United Kingdom, United States • Gene Wilder

                                                                                                                          1984
                                                                                                                          6
                                                                                                                          1984

                                                                                                                          Comedy, Romance, 1 hr 23 min
                                                                                                                          United States • Gene Wilder

                                                                                                                            1980
                                                                                                                            7
                                                                                                                            Les séducteurs, 1980 — (segment) (segment "Skippy")

                                                                                                                            Comedy, Drama, Romance, 2 hr 5 min
                                                                                                                            France, Italy, United Kingdom • Bryan Forbes...

                                                                                                                              1977
                                                                                                                              8
                                                                                                                              1977

                                                                                                                              Comedy, 1 hr 29 min
                                                                                                                              United States • Gene Wilder

                                                                                                                                1975
                                                                                                                                9
                                                                                                                                1975

                                                                                                                                Comedy, Crime, Music, 1 hr 31 min
                                                                                                                                United Kingdom, United States • Gene Wilder

                                                                                                                                  1974
                                                                                                                                  10
                                                                                                                                  1974 — (screen story and screenplay)

                                                                                                                                  Comedy, 1 hr 48 min
                                                                                                                                  United States • Mel Brooks

                                                                                                                                    Director — 5

                                                                                                                                    1986
                                                                                                                                    1
                                                                                                                                    1986

                                                                                                                                    Comedy, 1 hr 22 min
                                                                                                                                    United Kingdom, United States • Gene Wilder

                                                                                                                                      1984
                                                                                                                                      2
                                                                                                                                      1984

                                                                                                                                      Comedy, Romance, 1 hr 23 min
                                                                                                                                      United States • Gene Wilder

                                                                                                                                        1980
                                                                                                                                        3
                                                                                                                                        Les séducteurs, 1980 — (segment "Skippy")

                                                                                                                                        Comedy, Drama, Romance, 2 hr 5 min
                                                                                                                                        France, Italy, United Kingdom • Bryan Forbes...

                                                                                                                                          1977
                                                                                                                                          4
                                                                                                                                          1977

                                                                                                                                          Comedy, 1 hr 29 min
                                                                                                                                          United States • Gene Wilder

                                                                                                                                            1975
                                                                                                                                            5
                                                                                                                                            1975

                                                                                                                                            Comedy, Crime, Music, 1 hr 31 min
                                                                                                                                            United Kingdom, United States • Gene Wilder

                                                                                                                                              Producer — 1

                                                                                                                                              1977
                                                                                                                                              1
                                                                                                                                              1977

                                                                                                                                              Comedy, 1 hr 29 min
                                                                                                                                              United States • Gene Wilder

                                                                                                                                                Other — 100

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