Earlier this week, the world lost one of the greatest comical geniuses of all time, a man who could make anybody laugh, a legend. On August 29, 2016 Gene Wilder passed away in his home. When I was growing up, my parents filled up our house with Mel Brooks movies, which Gene Wilder was one of the recurring actors. One of the movies that my parents always had in our favorites was "Young Frankenstein," in which Gene Wilder plays the great-great-grandson of Victor Frankenstein from the Mary Shelley novel.
In addition to that, Gene is in one of the greatest films of all time, "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory." You'd be hard pressed to find anybody born in the past 80 years who hasn't seen "Willy Wonka," and can't sing along to the Oompa Loompa song. These prominent roles that Wilder portrayed had a great deal of charm, to which anybody watching would break out into hysterical laughter, one joke coming right after the other. The roles that he was in were some of the greatest comedic characters in cinematic history, giving a natural and captivating performance.
When I first heard the news of his passing, I was devastated. One of my favorite actors and one of my inspirations as an actor myself as gone. I can't really put into words how I felt, but I had this lingering feeling that I needed to watch all of his films. Many of the guys in my dorm felt the same way. I talked to one of my roommates who also had the same affinity for Gene Wilder that I did and he yelled at our other roommate who had no idea who Gene was. Our community here wants to have a Gene Wilder marathon, which I think really says a lot. He was one of those actors that really transcended his movies. He touched the hearts of so many people with his roles, many people have great childhood memories of growing up and watching his movies.
His death has caused a ripple in the cinematic world. The actor who played Charlie in "Willy Wonka" compared it to losing a father. Mel Brooks, Johnny Depp, Bassnectar, and many more celebrities posted about their feelings and their condolences for Wilder's family. I don't think there will ever be another actor that will do so much for so many people quite like he did. The way he reached so many different people is something that will resonate with those that love his movies in a way that won't be repeated.
So, this is a goodbye. I may have never known you, Gene, but you've been an inspiration to not only me, but the rest of the world. You will be an influence on new actors for years, and you will be sorely missed. You will live on in the hearts of your fans and the characters you portrayed.
