Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner (Photo Credit: Jean-Jacques BERNIER | Getty Images)
The new documentary Remembering Gene Wilder takes a deep dive into the illustrious life and career of the legendary Gene Wilder. Wilder passed away on August 29, 2016, at the age of 83, due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease.
Throughout his life, Gene Wilder married four times. However, his relationship with his third wife, Gilda Radner, is often regarded as one of the most wholesome love stories in showbiz. Gilda was an American actress, comedian, writer, and singer, who was best known for her stint in Saturday Night Live.
According to CNN, Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner met for the first time in 1981, on the set of the film, Hanky Panky. Eventually, they co-starred in several films together and fell in love. They tied the knot on September 18, 1984, and remained married until her death five years later. Interestingly, The Washington Post stated that he was initially hesitant about marrying her because he believed she was too dependent on him.
According to Rotten Tomatoes, the synopsis of Remembering Gene Wilder reads, “This loving tribute to Gene Wilder celebrates his life and legacy as the comic genius behind an extraordinary string of film roles, from his first collaboration with Mel Brooks in The Producers, to the enigmatic title role in the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, to his inspired on-screen partnership with Richard Pryor in movies like Silver Streak.”
It continues, “It is illustrated by a bevy of touching and hilarious clips and outtakes, never-before-seen home movies, narration from Wilder’s audiobook memoir, and interviews with a roster of brilliant friends and collaborators like Mel Brooks, Alan Alda, and Carol Kane. Remembering Gene Wilder shines a light on an essential performer, writer, director, and all-around mensch.”
When did Gilda Radner die?
Gilda Radner passed away on May 20, 1989, at the age of 42, after a lengthy battle with ovarian cancer. Apart from her work on Saturday Night Live, she is best known for appearing in films like First Family, The Woman in Red, Haunted Honeymoon, and more.
After her passing, wrote an emotional essay in People magazine, that reflected on his beloved’s passing. Furthermore, in this essay, he stated that Gilda’s death could have been avoided. One part of the essay read, “Until three weeks before Gilda died, I believed she would make it. If I made one contribution to this ovarian-cancer nightmare, it was that I was so dumb – or ignorant or innocent that I never believed she would die so soon. Never. Gilda would wake up frightened in the middle of the night and ask me over and over again, ”Am I going to die?” I kept telling her, ”I’ll die before you do.” And I meant it. Gilda was too strong a fighter. Her spirit would never give in to cancer, I thought. I was wrong.”
Gilda Radner is considered an icon in the history of American comedy. Furthermore, she won an Emmy, and Grammy, and is also a Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame inductee. Her first husband was guitarist G. E. Smith, with whom she was married for two years.
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