The Cast Of Willy Wonka – See What They Are Up To Now

Gene Wilder

He being the man who played the original Willy Wonka, Gene Wilder produced a lifetime of characters, films and comedy that resonated well into the 1980s after the 1971 Wonka film was made. Wilder went on to big laughs in the classic B&W spoof of Young Frankenstein as well as the Mel Blanc comedy, Blazing Saddles.

Time was not kind to the man who could remember a thousands scripts and punch lines, however. Wilder passed away in 2016 after suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, a debilitating memory and cognition loss condition.