Actor Gene Wilder died Monday, the Associated Press reported.
Wilder, who was born Jerome Silberman, played Willy Wonka in the 1971 film version of "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" and in dozens of other productions, including "Death of a Salesman," "Young Frankenstein," "Bonnie and Clyde" and "Blazing Saddles."
The actor and comedian was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on June 11, 1933, to a Jewish family. His father was a Russian immigrant, and his mother suffered from rheumatic heart disease. He is said to have begun his acting career when he put on different accents as a way to make his mother laugh.
Wilder's nephew said Monday that the actor died of complications from Alzheimer's disease, the AP reported.
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Wilder married actress Gilda Radner in 1984; she died of ovarian cancer in 1989.
Wilder is survived by a daughter, whom he adopted in 1967 while he was married to her mother, Mary Joan Schute, according to TMZ.
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