Summary
- Gene Wilder, an influential comedic actor, collaborated with Mel Brooks and Richard Pryor in several films, showcasing his outrageous antics and larger-than-life performances.
- Wilder's memorable scenes in films like "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex" and his iconic portrayal of Willy Wonka in "Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory" solidified his place in comedy history.
- "Young Frankenstein" stands as Wilder's best film and a collaborative masterpiece between him and Mel Brooks, showcasing their comedic genius and visually impressive storytelling.
Gene Wilder was an extremely influential and one-of-a-kind comedic actor who appeared in a number of classic films in the 20th century. Wilder, whose real name was Jerome Silberman, became a frequent collaborator of legendary comedic writer/director Mel Brooks, starring in three of his films in 1967 and 1974. Wilder also appeared onscreen frequently with the pronounced comedian Richard Pryor, co-starring alongside him in four individual films between 1976 and 1991. Wilder attended The University of Iowa where he studied Communications and Theatre Arts, graduating in 1955.
Wilder also wrote and directed four feature films including The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother (1975), The World's Greatest Lover (1977), The Woman in Red (1984), and Haunted Honeymoon (1986). He was nominated for two Academy Awards, Best Adapted Screenplay for Young Frankenstein (1974) and Best ing Actor for The Producers (1967). Wilder is arguably best known for his larger-than-life portrayal of Willy Wonka in Mel Stuart's 1971 film but had appeared in 36 other films and television series until he retired from acting in 2003. Wilder died from Alzheimer's in 2016 at the age of 83.
10 The Frisco Kid (1979)
Wilder starred alongside Harrison Ford in the 1979 Western comedy The Frisco Kid directed by Robert Aldrich. Wilder played a Polish rabbi who traveled through the Old West on his way to San Francisco and formed an unlikely friendship with bank robber Tommy (Ford). While the adventure comedy isn't as laugh-out-loud funny as some of Wilder's better efforts in Mel Brooks' films, his onscreen dynamic with Ford is compelling enough to sustain interest throughout. Wilder offers his typical outrageous antics even though The Frisco Kid doesn't always land all of its punches.
9 Stir Crazy (1980)
Stir Crazy marked the second comedic collaboration between Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder after 1976's Silver Streak. Stir Crazy sees the two actors play best friends Skip Donahue (Wilder) and Harry Monroe (Pryor) who are both sent to prison for a bank robbery they are falsely accused of committing. Both comedic actors put on their typical character shticks for the film, which critics contend starts much better and funnier than it finishes. Still, Stir Crazy is one of the best comedies starring the legendary pair of comedians, who formed an unlikely Hollywood duo in real life.
8 Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask) (1972)
One of Wilder's most memorable scenes of his career involving a sheep can be found in Woody Allen's 1972 comedy film Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask). Based on the novel of the same name written by David Reuben, Allen's film is entirely anthological and presents seven separate sketches that parody an actual informational guidebook to sex. Wilder's sketch is the comedic highlight of the film and offers one of those images that will be difficult to unsee once witnessed.
7 Silver Streak (1976)
Silver Streak was the first and greatest onscreen collaboration between Wilder and Pryor, which blends elements of action, crime, and comedy genres. Wilder's character George Caldwell gets caught in a dangerous conspiracy after discovering the body of a murdered man and teams up with Pryor's Grover to avoid the law together. The Arthur Hiller film feels like an homage and paradox of classic Hitchcock films such as Strangers on a Train, amplified by the zany and wide-ranging performance of Wilder's increasingly paranoid protagonist.
6 Start The Revolution Without Me (1970)
Start the Revolution Without Me features a classic combination between Wilder and Donald Sutherland in Bud Yorkin's 1970 historical comedy. The film is notoriously and intentionally bizarre and is also pretty thick with its historical s of the French Revolution, making it divisive among audiences. Both Wilder and Sutherland play dual roles in the film, which appears throughout to be an emulation of a Mel Brooks comedy. The production design and wardrobe are both impressive aspects of the period piece, making Start the Revolution Without Me a rare form of comedy movie.
5 The Producers (1967)
The Producers was only the second onscreen appearance for Gene Wilder who got his debut in acting the very same year. Mel Brooks wrote and directed the musical comedy in which Wilder as Leo Bloom was nominated for an Academy Award for Best ing Actor. Wilder introduced his signature freak-out comedy in The Producers which would become one of his claims to fame in some of his other films throughout his career. The Producers is a must-watch film because its comedy is timeless and still holds up in this day and age.
4 Blazing Saddles (1974)
Wilder starred alongside Cleavon Little in one of the best Western comedies of all time, Blazing Saddles. In another collaboration between Wilder and Mel Brooks, Blazing Saddles hilariously delivers dead-pan humor through Wilder's mastery of Brooks' comedic style and onscreen expectations. It's another example of timeless comedy from Mel Brooks accompanied by Wilder's over-the-top antics that are masterfully designed to entertain a large crowd, full of various types of jokes, gags, and other devices to make people laugh.
3 Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
Arthur Penn's Bonnie and Clyde was one of the most transformative films in the history of Hollywood, pioneering a new brand of filmmaking that was largely against censorship and traditional conventions in the late 1960s. It was also shot with innovative cinematographical elements and edited with a rejuvenated, even rapid pace that breathed new life into an old Hollywood system that was proven to be outdated by films like this. Wilder made his feature film debut in Bonnie and Clyde, which is fitting considering how he was a transformative in comedy.
2 Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (1971)
Wilder's most famous role is as the mysterious and riddling Willy Wonka in 1971's Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. A longtime childhood favorite for many viewers, Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory is a classic that has been difficult to outperform despite Tim Burton and Johnny Depp's efforts in 2005's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Many people might still only know of Wilder through his portrayal of Willy Wonka, which is a testament to how well he played the character which Timothee Chalamet also appears as in 2023's Wonka.
1 Young Frankenstein (1974)
Gene Wilder's best movie is also Mel Brooks' greatest achievement as a writer and director, which is 1974's Young Frankenstein. Wilder actually co-wrote the screenplay with Brooks, making the 1974 film a truly collaborative effort from the minds of both comedic geniuses. Brooks was able to accomplish a sharply constructed story with Young Frankenstein while also crafting a film that was visually impressive and most of all, hilarious. Widely considered among the best films Mel Brooks ever made due to his thoughtful direction and deliberate comedy, Young Frankenstein is also Gene Wilder's greatest movie.
