Gene Wilder, who delighted generations of children and adults as Willy Wonka, has died at the age of 83.
Wilder began his career in theatre, before landing the role of Leo Bloom in Mel Brooks's 1968 comedy The Producers and establishing himself as "one of Hollywood's top comedy talents", says the BBC.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
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.
That role earned him the first of his two Oscar nominations and cemented a collaborative relationship with Brooks that led to other hit comedies, including Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein.
But it was his role in the 1971 children's classic Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory that cemented his fame, even though Wilder said the film "wasn't a success when it came out".
Parents thought the story, based on the Roald Dahl book, was "cruel to the children", he once said.
"But it went on to gain a devoted following, and Willy Wonka remains one of the roles with which Mr. Wilder is most closely identified," says the New York Times.
Click on our gallery for some of the most memorable life lessons from Wilder's Willy Wonka.