One of the greatest
comic actors has passed. Gene Wilder was a rare type of comic actor- he was an actor first. Starting with his appearance in
Bonnie and Clyde (1967) Wilder created characters who took the world very seriously- too seriously. Whether he is the by-the-books accountant in
The Producers (1967) who loses it cradling his baby blanket, or Dr. Frankenstein realizing that his ancestor was right and that you can use science to create life in
Young Frankenstein (1974), or a mysterious chocolate magnate who is annoyed with children in
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)- Wilder delighted with his explosions of joy and frustration- finding comedy in the character and not the joke. His hilarious performances based on big emotional displays are purgatives expelling the poisons of everyday life. If you couldn't be a Wilder character, you could at least laugh at them.
Wilder was 83.
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