10 things you need to know today: August 30, 2016

Actor Gene Wilder dies at 83, Russian hackers target Arizona voting system, and more

Gene Wilder alongside his autobiography
(Image credit: Getty Images)

1. Comic film icon Gene Wilder dies at 83

Comic actor Gene Wilder, a film icon known for starring roles in modern classics such as Young Frankenstein and Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, has died. A nephew said Monday that Wilder died of complications from Alzheimer's disease. He was 83. Wilder became a star playing quirky, often neurotic characters in three films directed by Mel Brooks — The Producers, Young Frankenstein, and Western spoof Blazing Saddles. He also teamed up with Richard Pryor in the hit Stir Crazy. Wilder wrote, directed, and starred in several films — including The Woman in Red, which co-starred his wife, Gilda Radner. She died of ovarian cancer in 1989.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Harold Maass, The Week US

Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.