Kiss me like a stranger : my search for love and art

"Gene Wilder's frank, charming memoir, KISS ME LIKE A STRANGER, is refreshingly free from the two major sins of show-biz autobiographies: self-aggrandizement and score-settling."— Los Angeles Times In this unusually personal book from the beloved star of many beloved and classic film comedies—from The Producers to Young Frankenstein , Blazing Saddles to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory —Gene Wilder writes about a side of his life the public hasn't seen on the screen. Wilder talks about everything from his experiences in psychoanalysis to why he got into acting to the funny, wonderful movies he made with Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, Richard Pryor, and many others. He writes candidly about the role of women in his life, about the overwhelming experience of marrying comedienne Gilda Radner, and about what ultimately had to happen for him to find true love. KISS ME LIKE A STRANGER is one actor's life in his own words. "Uproarishly funny and at times very moving. It made me want to go out and see every Gene Wilder movie again."—Mel Brooks "an intimate, unusual memoir…His book candidly explores his own faults and feelings, as well as those of the people he's loved and lost."— Publishers Weekly Publishers Weekly The man who created some of the funniest moments in film history talks about acting, adultery, neuroses and death in this intimate, unusual memoir. Wilder began acting as a teenager at summer camp and eventually earned some acclaim on Broadway but not much money-he says he was still collecting unemployment checks when he began shooting his breakout film role in Mel Brooks's original film version of The Producers (1968). The movie flopped commercially, but Wilder's comedic chops were established. A string of successes followed: Blazing Saddles; Young Frankenstein; Willy Wonka; Stir Crazy. Off camera, things were more complicated. After two troubled marriages, Wilder married Saturday Night Live's Gilda Radner-a brilliant, erratic woman who battled bulimia and wild mood swings. Wilder is unusually frank in documenting both Radner's faults and her long struggle with cancer. Honesty is a prevailing quality of this book, as Wilder freely discusses topics ranging from his own neuroses to the drug-fueled misbehavior of his great comedic partner, Richard Pryor. He also doesn't avoid telling the details of his own bout with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Wilder's fans may be disappointed to find relatively scant coverage of some of his triumphs, but Wilder clearly isn't interested in writing a conventional Hollywood memoir. His book candidly explores his own faults and feelings, as well as those of the people he's loved and lost. Photos. Agent, David Sarnoff. (Mar. 14) Forecast: Wilder's five-city tour will help market the book to fans, and a timely (if minor) hook is his voice role in the forthcoming comedy Instant Karma. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information. Gene Wilder is one of the great comic actors who defined the 1970s and 1980s in movies. From his early work with Woody Allen to the rich group of movies he made with Mel Brooks to his partnership on screen with Richard Pryor, Wilders performances are still discussed and celebrated today. Kiss Me Like A Stranger is an intimate glimpse of the man behind the image on the screen. In this book, Wilder talks about everything from his experiences in psychoanalysis to why he got into acting to how a midwestern childhood with a sick mother changed him. He writes about the creative process on stage and on screen, and divulges moments from life on the sets of the some of the most iconic movies of our time. He also opens up about his love affairs and marriages, including his marriage to comedian Gilda Radner. But the core of Kiss Me Like A Stranger is an actors search for truth and a realization of why the choices he madesome of them so serendipitous they were practically accidentalchanged the course of his life. The comic actor shares personal events that led to his understanding of love and the art of acting, discussing his relationships with such contemporaries as Mel Brooks, Richard Pryor, and Gilda Radner.