Very few actors have the courtesy of gracing cinema with a fine potency that it can reveal for years to come. I understand the fact I’m only 21 years old, and a senior in college, but I couldn’t call myself a film critic if I was never in touch with the likes of the late, great, Gene Wilder. A being who encompassed what it took to be a comedy legend. His recent passing was a crushing loss for anyone that was in the market for a good laugh on a Saturday night, or Sunday afternoon. Chances are, Wilder, being an off-the-wall satirical genius that he was, could have left you heckling days after you saw one of his pictures. He held a special place in all of our hearts, in part because so many of the kids in my generation discovered him young. I look back on my childhood and fondly remember sitting in front of the TV glued to my heavily used VHS copy of “Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory,” of course I was too young to read, so the book would have to come later. Watching “Wonka” was like a magical journey, you would laugh, cry and cheer, and when Mr Wonka put his hands over that everlasting gobstopper in one of the final moments of Mel Stuart’s masterpiece, everything in the world seemed at peace.

Wilder, who was born Jerome Silberman, got his early start in the 60’s in a production of “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” co-starring with Kirk Douglas, where in the same year he landed a role in “Mother Courage and Her Children” opposite Anne Bancroft. And after doing some research it won’t surprise you that Bancroft was dating her future husband Mel Brooks at the time. I say it won’t surprise you, because Brooks was already making his name for comedy at the time. Brooks opted to give Wilder a chance that nobody else would, taking aim at some big screen recognition, while tapping into some true raw talent.

Following Wilder’s career, after he earned rave reviews for his performance as an undertaker being held hostage in 1967’s “Bonnie and Clyde” he landed a role in one of Brook’s most prominent staples, “The Producers” where he played a vibrant Leo Bloom to Zero Mostel’s Max Bialystock. A movie that was so righteously rambunctious, where to this day, it’s one of the most talked about motion pictures of it’s time. The idea of getting a group of wealthy investors to aid in a flop that featured the strong, unforgettable, performance of one tune “Springtime for Hitler.” seemed too ridiculous to comprehend. Yet, somehow, Brooks figured a way to secure financing and made history. At the time, Mostel was an acting icon, so it would be tough for anyone to stand next to him and try to be risky, Wilder made it look easy. How do I know this? He went on to secure a Best Supporting Actor nomination.

And if we continue to follow the trajectory that takes us through 1972 (just after “Wonka”) we land to a very, lesser known, comedy which was Woody Allen’s “Everything You’ve Always Wanted To Know About Sex But Were Afraid To Ask.” Basically, as far as obscure comedies go, this one is a riot. And Wilder is a hoot as a psychiatrist with an unusual obsession with a sheep named Daisey. But then, again in 1974, Wilder returned to his roots, and with Mel Brooks, to deliver back to back double gold plated masterpieces, “Blazing Saddles” and “Young Frankenstein” both of which still reign in the AFI Top 100 movies of all time. As they should. What they share is greater than Brook’s signature high brow/low brow humor, rather the ability for Wilder to deliver his punchlines with such gusto, it would give Brooks a run for his money, and our guts not enough time for recovery.

Of course, Wilder than found a new comedy partner in Richard Pryor with such classics like “Stir Crazy” and “Silver Streak” - sure, the racial gags and stereotypes might be more outdated as opposed to when the movies first released 30 years ago, there is a still a resonance that you can’t beat: comedy magic. Even some lesser appreciated works like “See No Evil Hear No Evil” or “Haunted Honeymoon” with Dom DeLuise are funny in their own merits.

As a quick IMDB search will tell you, Wilder hasn’t done much since 2003 when he appeared in his Emmy award winning turn on “Will and Grace.” Some experts, like Chris Nashawaty of Entertainment Weekly, don’t understand his exit from the limelight, or why he stopped acting for awhile. Then again, as Nashawaty says “he has earned his place in comedy history, why push it?” Perhaps he did. I only hope this generation of Iphone, Tweeters and Facebookers, by the grace of some Youtube miracle, find the talent that was Gene Wilder. Whatever your favorite character or movie was or still is, we all can agree on one thing: he taught us the importance of imagination.