Gene Wilder Articles

Anne Bancroft, Mel Brooks in To Be or Not to Be (top); Mel Brooks at the 1969 Oscar ceremony (bottom) The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present a tribute to Mel Brooks on Friday, July 24, at 8 p.m. at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. Hosted by film historian Leonard Maltin, the evening will feature numerous film clips and stories [...]

James Robert Parish, author of countless film books (The RKO Gals, Fiasco: A History of Hollywood's Iconic Flops), answers a few questions on the subject of his upcoming biography, It's Good to Be the King: The Seriously Funny Life of Mel Brooks (Wiley, 2007). Many comedians are supposed to be major bores when they're not "on." Does Mel Brooks fit into that mold? Over the [...]

Richard Pryor died today of a heart attack at a Los Angeles hospital. He was 65. One of the most popular Hollywood comedians during the second half of the '70s, Pryor appeared in several box-office hits, including Silver Streak (1976), in which he was first paired with fellow comedian Gene Wilder; the all-star, omnibus dramatic comedy California Suite (1978), opposite Bill Cosby; and Stir Crazy [...]