History Creator / GeneWilder

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* ''Film/TheProducers'' (1968); his first collaboration with Creator/MelBrooks. Received his only Oscar nomination for acting (Best Supporting Actor; lost to his future ''Willy Wonka'' co-star Jack Albertson for ''The Subject Was Roses'').

-->-- ''Film/WillyWonkaAndTheChocolateFactory''

Jerome Silberman (June 11, 1933 – August 29, 2016), better known as [[StageNames Gene Wilder]], was widely regarded as one of the greatest American comedic actors of the 20th century, if not ''the'' greatest. Best remembered for being the first actor to play Film/{{Willy Wonka|AndTheChocolateFactory}}, for his three screen collaborations with Creator/MelBrooks, and for his four co-starring appearances with Creator/RichardPryor, he also wrote and directed a number of films himself.

Wilder met and fell in love with ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' original cast member Creator/GildaRadner on the set of the movie ''Hanky Panky'' (1982). They wed in 1984 and appeared together again in the films ''The Woman In Red'' and ''Haunted Honeymoon''. Radner died following a long battle with ovarian cancer in 1989, after which Wilder established the Gilda Radner Ovarian Detection Center at Cedars-Sinai Hospital.

Jerome Silberman (June 11, 1933 – August 29, 2016), better known as [[StageNames Gene Wilder]], was widely regarded as one of the greatest American comedic actors of the 20th century, if not ''the'' greatest. He was best known for being the first actor to portray Film/{{Willy Wonka|AndTheChocolateFactory}}, for his collaborations with Creator/MelBrooks, and for his four co-starring appearances with Creator/RichardPryor.

Jerome Silberman (June 11, 1933 – August 29, 2016), better known as [[StageNames Gene Wilder]], was widely regarded as one of the greatest comedic actors of the 20th century, if not ''the'' greatest. He was best known for being the first actor to portray Film/{{Willy Wonka|AndTheChocolateFactory}}, for his collaborations with Creator/MelBrooks, and for his four co-starring appearances with Creator/RichardPryor.

** In 1999, Wilder co-wrote and starred in two TV films for A&E, ''Murder in a Small Town'' and ''The Lady in Question'', with him playing the role of 1930s theatre director turned Main/AmateurSleuth Larry "Cash" Carter. A&E hoped to create a franchise of films à la ''{{Series/Columbo}}'', but it never came to pass.

Jerome Silberman, better known as [[StageNames Gene Wilder]] (June 11, 1933 – August 29, 2016), was widely regarded as one of the greatest comedic actors of the 20th century, if not ''the'' greatest. He was best known for being the first actor to portray Film/{{Willy Wonka|AndTheChocolateFactory}}, for his collaborations with Creator/MelBrooks, and for his four co-starring appearances with Creator/RichardPryor.

* ReclusiveArtist: [[invoked]] Rarely gave interviews at the height of his popularity and gave even fewer afterward. Also, went out of his way to say just how much he hates actually promoting a film, to the extent that it caused him to pass on a lot of projects.

** By his own admission, he usually went out of his way to AVOID this trope, and rather than make waves on a set by arguing with a director, he would simply pass on a project if he didn't feel like a good fit. In fact, he got along with most of the directors he worked with, especially with Mel Brooks (the two were extremely close friends and neither garnered quite the same critical acclaim when working without the other), and Sidney Poitier, who he regularly played tennis with.

** He even went out of his way to try and adopt one of his young Irish co-stars that he had grown particularly close to in Quacksar Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx when the boy's family mentioned that they could not afford to give him a very good life. However, even though Wilder had gone through the process to proceed with the adoption (Including a promise that the child would be raised a Catholic, despite Wilder being Jewish), the child decided that he did not want to go live in America after all.

* ''Theatre/DeathOfASalesman'' (1966 TV)

* ''Series/TheElectricCompany1971'' (in animated inserts, such as ''The Adventures of Letterman'')

* ''Film/SeeNoEvilHearNoEvil'' (1989; also cowriter); his third screen pairing with Richard Pryor.

* ''Series/SomethingWilder'' (1994; TV Sitcom)

Jerome Silberman, better known as Gene Wilder (June 11, 1933 – August 29, 2016), was widely regarded as one of the greatest comedic actors of the 20th century, if not ''the'' greatest. He was best known for being the first actor to portray Film/{{Willy Wonka|AndTheChocolateFactory}}, for his collaborations with Creator/MelBrooks, and for his four co-starring appearances with Creator/RichardPryor.

* NamesTheSame: He did not play congas on the Music/TalkingHeads song "I Zimbra".

** He was asked to voice a character in ''WesternAnimation/OverTheHedge'', which was Norbert the Owl, but he turned down the role and the character was scrapped.

** He was asked to voice a character in ''WesternAnimation/OverTheHedge'', but he turned down the role and the character was scrapped.

** In 1999, Wilder co-wrote and starred in two TV films for A&E: ''Murder in a Small Town'', and ''The Lady in Question'', with Wilder playing the role of 1930s theatre director turned Main/AmateurSleuth Larry "Cash" Carter. A&E hoped to turn it into a franchise of films à la ''{{Series/Columbo}}'', but it never came to pass.

* ProductionPosse: [[invoked]] Famously with Creator/MelBrooks and Creator/RichardPryor. Less famously so with Creator/DomDeLuise and Creator/MadelineKahn.

* ExecutiveMeddling: [[invoked]] In 1999 he did two television mystery movies for Creator/AAndE, ''Murder in a Small Town'' and ''The Lady in Question''. Both got high ratings and critical praise, some even saying that his character Larry "Cash" Carter was the next Series/{{Columbo}}. However, A&E ownership changed hands and they informed Wilder that there would be no more Cash Carter mysteries, leaving him bitterly angry and [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere causing him to retire completely from acting]].