LIFE Gene Wilder, 1933–2016: The Man Who Was Willy Wonka and So Much More

In a tribute to Gene Wilder, the movies' first Willy Wonka, LIFE presents a lavishly illustrated commemorative edition. This special issue highlights Wilder’s indelible, career-defining roles and traces his life from his childhood in Milwaukee through his marriage to and loss of Saturday Night Live star Gilda Radner and beyond: Behind the scenes at Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, and why Wonka remains such an enduring film for children Inside Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, and The Producers and Wilder’s partnership with director Mel Brooks How Wilder and Richard Pryor created comedic gold on screen Gilder Radner, Wilder’s beloved late wife, in her own words In a tribute to Gene Wilder, the movies' first Willy Wonka, LIFE presents a lavishly illustrated commemorative edition. This special issue highlights Wilder's indelible, career-defining roles and traces his life from his childhood in Milwaukee through his marriage to and loss of Saturday Night Live star Gilda Radner and Please note that this product is an authorized edition published by Time Inc. and sold by Amazon. This edition is printed using a high quality matte interior paper and printed on demand for immediate fulfillment.