Legendary comic actor Gene Wilder dies at 83 

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Legendary comic actor Gene Wilder dead at 83

Wilder collaborated on comedies with Mel Brooks, Richard Pryor and late wife Gilda Radner

The Associated Press Posted: Aug 29, 2016 3:45 PM ET Last Updated: Aug 29, 2016 5:34 PM ET

This handout photo provided by Warner Bros. and the Library of Congress shows Gene Wilder as the mercurial Willy Wonka. (Warner Bros., Library of Congress)

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Wilder\'s nephew said Monday that the actor and writer died late Sunday at his home in Stamford, Conn., from complications from Alzheimer\'s disease.

Jordan Walker-Pearlman said in a statement that Wilder was diagnosed with the disease three years ago, but kept the condition private so as not to disappoint fans.

"He simply couldn\'t bear the idea of one less smile in the world," Walker-Pearlman said.

The frizzy-haired actor was a master at playing panicked characters caught up in schemes that only a madman such as Mel Brooks could devise, whether reviving a monster in

Wilder is shown at an appearance for his autobiography Kiss Me Like A Stranger in June 2005 in London, England. (MJ Kim/Getty Images)

"One of the truly great talents of our time," Mel Brooks tweeted. "He blessed every film we did with his magic & he blessed me with his friendship."

. One of his craziest roles was playing the therapist having an affair with a sheep in Woody Allen\'s

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask)

Born Jerome Silberman, Wilder was also known for his collaborations with Richard Pryor as in

was helmed by recently deceased Canadian-born director Arthur Hiller.

They created several memorable scenes, including Pryor providing Wilder with directions on how to "act black" as in

, and Wilder bravely confronting a serial killer in the prison comedy

Gene Wilder, left, and Richard Pryor are shown in this December 1980 handout photo, shortly after the release of Stir Crazy. (AP)

But Wilder would insist in a 2013 interview that he was no comedian. He told interviewer Robert Osborne it was the biggest misconception about him.

"What a comic, what a funny guy, all that stuff! And I\'m not. I\'m really not. Except in a comedy in films," Wilder said.

"But I make my wife laugh once or twice in the house, but nothing special. But when people see me in a movie and it\'s funny then they stop and say things to me about \'how funny you were.\' But I don\'t think I\'m that funny. I think I can be in the movies."

Gene Wilder was one of the funniest and sweetest energies ever to take a human form. If there\'s a heaven he has a Golden Ticket. ;^)

In 1968, Wilder received an Oscar nomination for his work in Brooks\'

. He played the introverted Leo Bloom, an accountant who discovers the liberating joys of greed and corruption as he and Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel) conceive a Broadway flop titled

 and plan to flee with the money raised for the show\'s production. Matthew Broderick played Wilder\'s role in the 2001 Broadway stage revival of the show.

starring his second wife, Gilda Radner. He was with Radner until her death from ovarian cancer in 1989.

star, who was then married, while making 1982\'s

But Wilder was frank about problems in the marriage even before her illness in the 2005 autobiography

Gilda Radner, centre, and Gene Wilder, right, perform in a scene from the film Hanky Panky, directed by Sidney Poitier in Boston on Aug. 27, 1981. (Bill Polo/Associated Press)

"As much as I loved being with her, I wanted to breathe again without having to worry about her," Wilder wrote.

After Radner died of ovarian cancer in 1989, Wilder spent much of his time after promoting cancer research. He opened a support facility for cancer patients called "Gilda\'s Place." In 1991, he testified before Congress about the need for increased testing for cancer.

Wilder is survived by his wife, Karen, whom he married in 1991.

, released in 1994 and also co-starring Pryor, was his final big screen appearance.

Wilder worked mostly in television in recent years, including appearances on

 — including one that earned him an Emmy Award for outstanding guest actor — and a starring role in the short-lived sitcom

Gene Wilder, an avid tennis fan, is shown with his wife Karen Boyer at the 2007 U.S. Open in New York City. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

As for why he stopped appearing on the big screen, Wilder said in 2013 he was turned off by the noise and foul language in modern movies.

"I didn\'t want to do the kind of junk I was seeing," he said in an interview. "I didn\'t want to do 3D for instance. I didn\'t want to do ones where there\'s just bombing and loud and swearing, so much swearing ... can\'t they just stop and talk instead of swearing?"

Wilder, a Milwaukee native, was born June 11, 1933. His father was a Russian emigre, his mother was of Polish descent. When he was six, Wilder\'s mother suffered a heart attack that left her a semi-invalid. He soon began improvising comedy skits to entertain her, the first indication of his future career.

He started taking acting classes at age 12 and continued performing and taking lesson through college. In 1961, Wilder became a member of Lee Strasberg\'s prestigious Actor\'s Studio in Manhattan.

That same year, he made both his off-Broadway and Broadway debuts. He won the Clarence Derwent Award, given to promising newcomers, for the Broadway work in Graham Greene\'s comedy

He used his new name, Gene Wilder, for the off-Broadway and Broadway roles. He lifted the first name from the character Eugene Gant in Thomas Wolfe\'s

, while the last name was clipped from playwright Thornton Wilder. A key break came when he co-starred with Bancroft in Bertolt Brecht\'s

American actor Gene Wilder performs alongside Rolf Saxon, during a rehearsal of Neil Simon\'s Laughter on the 23rd Floor on Oct. 2 1996. (Shawn Baldwin/Reuters)

"I was having trouble with one little section of the play, and he gave me tips on how to act. He said, \'That\'s a song and dance. He\'s proselytizing about communism. Just skip over it, sing and dance over it, and get on to the good stuff.\' And he was right," Wilder later explained.

, he had a small role as the hostage of gangsters in the 1967 classic

A man who lit up the world with his joy and genius. I can\'t say what it meant to act with him and get to know his heart. ❤️RIP #GeneWilder

Gene Wilder.An inspiration.His performances had guts,originality&perfect timing.Original characters all with soul. pic.twitter.com/CLCo9kuWIe

Forever a great comedy film duo Dad and #GeneWilder RIP pic.twitter.com/SBPtgJ9Eux

An earlier version indicated that Gene Wilder played the role of the sheriff in Blazing Saddles. The sheriff was played by the late Cleavon Little; Wilder played the character Jim.

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