Gene Wilder was a comic actor best known for his roles in films such as Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Young Frankenstein, and Blazing Saddles. He was born Jerome Silberman in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1933 and began his career on stage before transitioning to film. Wilder was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in The Producers and won an Emmy for his role in the television movie The Woman in Red. He passed away in 2016 at the age of 83.