JACK WILDwho died aged 53 on 2 March, 2006, will be best remembered for his cheeky performance playing the artful dodger in the 1968 film and stage versions of the musical of Oliver!
The charismatic actor quickly became a star, nominated for an academy award for Oliver! whist still a teenager. By the tender age of 16 he had his own US Saturday morning show HR Puffnstuff.
Mr Wild went on to star in further films and was briefly a teen heart-throb, landing a recording contract with Capitol Records.
Mr Wild’s star was not to shine brightly for long and due to his heavy drinking and smoking he was diagnosed an alcoholic and diabetic by the age of 21. This contributed to his declining career, although he did make a minor come-back in the late 80s.
Jack Wild was born in Royton, Lancashire, on 30 September, 1952. When he was a baby the family moved to Hounslow, where Wild's mother worked in a shop and his father in a tyre factory.
The teenage Wild was discovered by the mother of Phil Collins, who was sure that he and his brother Arthur had talent and suggested they enrol at her stage school.
Later, Mr Wild would confess how he’d had to work tirelessly to pay the school fees, as his parents were too poor to support him.
Mr Wild soon landed roles in the stage and screen versions of Oliver! He was catapulted to fame when Oscar-nominated for his role as the ‘Artful Dodger’ and made many television appearances. He signed a contract with Capitol Records and released three albums.
Further film roles followed, with Ron 'Fagan' Moody in ‘Flight of the Doves’ and Mark ‘Oliver’ Lester in ‘Melody‘.
Although Mr Wild had a massive teen following, his heavy drinking was affecting his looks and by 1982 he was playing darker roles, in Jacques Demy's sinister fairytale ‘The Pied Piper’ and alongside David Hemmings in ‘The Fourteen'.
As obscurity beckoned, Mr Wild refused to give up his beloved acting and continued to work intermittently. In Britain he remained popular in pantomime. He later expressed a desire to work on EastEnders, envisaging himself as the archetypal cheeky cockney.
His first marriage to Gaynor Jones broke down in 1988 after 13 years. He later married actress Claire Harding in 2005.
In 1991 he returned to the big screen in Kevin Costner’s ‘Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves’ as well as playing the lion in a West End production of The Wizard of Oz. He was immortalised in song by Morrissey in ‘Little Man, What Now?’
In 2001, Mr Wild was diagnosed with mouth cancer resulting in the removal of his tongue and voicebox. He continued to act despite being unable to speak, appearing in a production of Cinderella as Baron Hardup, his silence adding poignancy to the performance.
He continued to make appearances, give interviews and campaign for the awareness of his illness. Due to his inability to communicate through speech, his wife became his voice.
At the time of his death Mr Wild was writing his autobiograpy. He once reflected with typical candour "I look at what I've gone through in my career and I really shouldn't be talking to you now. I should be dead ten times over."
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