Jack Wild
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| Jack Wild | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jack Wild 30 September 1952 Royton, Lancashire, England |
| Died | 1 March 2006 (aged 53) Tebworth, Bedfordshire, England |
| Cause of death | Oral Cancer |
| Occupation | Actor, Singer |
| Years active | 1964 - 2005 |
| Spouse | Gaynor Jones (1976 - 1985) Claire Harding (2005-06) |
Jack Wild (30 September 1952 – 1 March 2006) was a British actor who is best remembered for his performances in both stage and screen productions of the Lionel Bart musical Oliver! with Ron Moody, Shani Wallis, and Oliver Reed. He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the age of 16 for the role of the Artful Dodger in Oliver! (1968). He is also known for his leading role in the 1969 children's television series H.R. Pufnstuf (1969–71) and for his significant position in the 1976 HBO mini-series, The Tale of Charlie Niebanck.
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[edit] Early life
Wild was born into a working class family in Royton, near Oldham, Lancashire, to a labourer father and a mother who worked as a butcher.[1] Wild moved to Hounslow, west London, with his parents in 1960.[2] He was discovered whilst playing football, by June Collins, mother of Genesis member Phil Collins,[1] who asked if he wanted a job.
[edit] Education
Wild was educated at the Barbara Speake Stage School, an independent school in Acton in West London, and had to supplement his parents' modest incomes by working on a stage production of Oliver! in order to pay his school fees.[3]
[edit] Entertainment career
It was at the premiere of the 1968 film version of Oliver! that Wild met brothers Sid and Marty Krofft, who thought he would make a good lead for a show they were developing called H.R. Pufnstuf. Wild starred in this American family television series that launched in 1969, and he was paid $1,000,000 to play "Jimmy", a boy washed up on "Living Island" (a magic island) with his best friend Freddy, a talking flute.[4] He was also in the movie Pufnstuf.[3]
Wild also embarked on a recording career, cutting one album for Capitol Records and two for Buddah Records in the early 1970s. The three albums were called The Jack Wild Album, Everything's Coming Up Roses, and Beautiful World.[5]
Wild had an older brother named Arthur, who was also an actor and appeared in the London stage version of Oliver!. Arthur Wild died in September 2000, aged 49.[6]
[edit] Challenges
Like many child stars, Wild struggled to make the transition to adult stardom, and by 1976 his film career was over. He began drinking and smoking regularly at the age of twelve. By the age of 21, he was already a registered alcoholic and a diabetic. In 1981 he was supposed to star with Suzi Quatro in a series about a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde for British television, but it was cancelled at the last minute. His alcoholism ruined both his career and his marriage to his childhood sweetheart, Gaynor Jones, who left him in 1985 because of his excessive drinking.[3] For a few years, Wild was forced to live with his retired father, having squandered his fortune. His alcoholism caused three near-fatal cardiac arrests and resulted in several hospital stays until he stopped drinking in 1989.[2]
[edit] Career restarts
Wild went into an alcoholism rehabilitation program in 1988, and gave up drinking on 6 March 1989 after joining Alcoholics Victorious. He returned to the big screen in a few minor roles, such as in the 1991 Kevin Costner film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. For the most part, Wild spent the remainder of his career working in theatre. His last major appearance was as the male lead, "Mouse", in Tayla Goodman's rock musical Virus. The show ran for two weeks at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham. Wild received rave reviews and left the audience laughing. Director Peter Everett said that he was a true actor of the old school and a perfect gentleman.
[edit] Death
Wild died on 1 March 2006, aged 53, after a long battle with oral cancer, which he believed was caused by his alcoholism and smoking.[3][7] Diagnosed with the disease in 2000, he initially underwent chemotherapy, but later had part of his tongue and both vocal cords removed in July 2004.[3] Because of this surgery, he had lost his speech and had to communicate through his wife, Claire Harding, whom he met when they were appearing in Jack and the Beanstalk in Worthing.[3] Jack is buried in Toddington Parish Cemetery.[8]
[edit] Filmography
| Title | Year | Alternate titles | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Danny the Dragon | 1967 | |||
| Oliver! | 1968 | The Artful Dodger | nominated- Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor | |
| H.R. Pufnstuf | 1969–1971 | Jimmy | television series | |
| Pufnstuf | 1970 | Pufnstuf Zaps the World | Jimmy | |
| Melody | 1971 | Ornshaw | ||
| Flight of the Doves | 1971 | Finn Dove | ||
| Caterpiller Taxis | 1972 | |||
| The Pied Piper | 1972 | Gavin | ||
| The Fourteen | 1973 | Existence (USA) The Wild Little Bunch (USA) |
Reg | |
| Keep It Up Downstairs | 1976 | Peregrine Cockshute | ||
| Alice | 1981 | |||
| Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves | 1991 | |||
| Basil | 1998 | Peddler | ||
| Moussaka & Chips | 2005 |
Jack Wild appeared with actor Mark Lester in two films: Oliver! (1968) and Melody (1971).[3]
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- The Jack Wild Album (1970)
- Everything's Coming Up Roses (1971)
- A Beautiful World (1972)
[edit] Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | US | ||
| "Some Beautiful" | 1970 | 46 | 92 |
| "Wait For Summer" | 1970 | — | 115 |
| "(Holy Moses!) Everything's Coming Up Roses" | 1971 | — | 107 |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Jack Wild". The Times (London: Times Newspapers). 3 March 2006. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article736728.ece. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
- ^ a b "Jack Wild". The Daily Telegraph (London). 3 March 2006. ISSN 0307-1235. OCLC 49632006. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1511931/Jack-Wild.html. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Jack Wild". independent.co.uk, Obituaries. Independent News and Media Limited. 3 March 2006. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/jack-wild-468375.html.
- ^ Wild, Jack (actor); Hayes, Billie (actor); Weinrib, Lennie (actor); Gerber, Joan (actor); Edmiston, Walker (actor); Krofft, Marty (writer/creator); Krofft, Sid (writer/creator) (1969). H.R. Pufnstuf (Television production). Rhino Entertainment. UPC 603497011827, ASIN B00013F32G.
- ^ "Jack Wild: Albums". CMT.com. MTV Networks. http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/wild_jack/albums.jhtml. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
- ^ "Arthur Wild - Biography". IMDb. Amazon.com. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1724382/bio. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
- ^ "'My lifestyle caused my mouth cancer'". BBC News, Health. BBC. 16 November 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4439320.stm. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
- ^ "Jack Wild (1952 - 2006)". Find A Grave. 2 March 2006. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=13499963. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
[edit] External links
- Jack Wild at the Internet Movie Database
- Sunshine Day - biographical notes
- Jack Wild Official Website New
