Jack Wild

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Jack Wild
Serie. Jack Wild (Dodger in film Oliver) tijdens persconferentie in bioscoop D, Bestanddeelnr 921-8847 (cropped).jpg
Wild dressed up as his character from Oliver! in 1968
Born(1952-09-30)30 September 1952
Royton, Lancashire, England
Died1 March 2006(2006-03-01) (aged 53)
Tebworth, Bedfordshire, England
OccupationActor, singer
Years active1964–2006
Spouse(s)
  • Gaynor Jones
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1976; div. 1985)​
  • Claire Harding
    ​
    ​
    (m. 2005)​

Jack Wild (30 September 1952 – 1 March 2006) was an English actor and singer. He is best known for his roles as the Artful Dodger in the film Oliver! (1968), for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the age of 16, becoming the fourth-youngest nominee in the category. He also received BAFTA Award and Golden Globe Award nominations for the role.

Wild also appeared in the television series H.R. Pufnstuf (1969) and its film adaptation Pufnstuf (1970), as well as in the films Melody (1971) and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991).

Early life and education[]

Wild was born into a working-class family in Royton, Lancashire. In 1960, at the age of eight, with his parents and his elder brother Arthur, he moved to Hounslow, in Middlesex, where he got a job helping the milkman, which paid about five shillings. While playing football with his brother in the park, he was discovered by theatrical agent June Collins, mother of Phil Collins. June Collins enrolled both Jack and Arthur at the Barbara Speake Stage School, an independent school in Acton, west London.

Acting career[]

Oliver![]

Jack Wild (right) with Oliver! co-star Mark Lester at the 41st Annual Academy Awards, 14 April 1969

The Wild brothers sought acting roles to supplement their parents' income. In the autumn of 1964 the pair were cast in the West End theatre production of Lionel Bart's Oliver! – Arthur in the title role and Jack as Charley Bates, a member of Fagin's gang.[1] Wild was chosen to play the Artful Dodger for the 1968 movie version of Oliver! His performance received critical acclaim and several nominations:

TV work[]

Wild with the title character in the NBC children's series H.R. Pufnstuf, 1969

In the spring of 1966, Wild left the stage show of Oliver! to make the film serial Danny the Dragon for the Children's Film Foundation.[2] Wild's first speaking roles on TV were in an episode of Out of the Unknown, and in the third part of the BBC's version of the 'Wesker trilogy', I'm Talking About Jerusalem. He also appeared in episodes of Z-Cars, The Newcomers and George and the Dragon.

After Oliver![]

At the 1968 premiere of Oliver!, Jack Wild met brothers Sid and Marty Krofft, who thought he would make a good lead for a show they were developing called H.R. Pufnstuf. Wild starred in that American family television series that launched in 1969. H.R. Pufnstuf was also a segment in the second (and final) season of The Banana Splits Adventure Hour, despite two episodes remaining unaired until 2018. As well, Wild starred in the film Pufnstuf (1970), filmed shortly after production of the television show had concluded.

Other roles followed, including the films Melody (1971, with Oliver! co-star Mark Lester) and Flight of the Doves (1971). The latter film reunited him with Ron Moody, who had played Fagin in Oliver! In 1972, Wild appeared as a stowaway in an episode of BBC TV's The Onedin Line. In 1973, he played Reg in The 14, a film directed by David Hemmings, about a family of London children orphaned by the death of their mother. On television, Wild appeared in a BBC adaptation of Our Mutual Friend in 1976.[3]

He also embarked on a recording career, releasing The Jack Wild Album for Capitol Records. That contained the single "Some Beautiful", which received considerable exposure on Radio Luxembourg but did not chart well. In the early 1970s, Wild also released the albums Everything's Coming Up Roses and Beautiful World for Buddah Records.[4] By then, however, Wild was becoming tired of being typecast in younger roles. He was 16 years old when he started playing the 11-year-old lead in H.R. Pufnstuf.

In 1999, Wild lamented, "When I first entered in the show business, of course I didn't mind playing younger roles. However it did bug me when I would be twenty-one being offered the role of a thirteen-year-old. I'm not saying I didn't enjoy playing these roles; I had barrels of fun, I just wanted more serious and dramatic roles; it's that simple." During the early 1970s, Wild was considered a teen heartthrob, alongside David Cassidy and Barry Williams.

Later career[]

He returned to the big screen in a few minor roles, such as in the 1991 Kevin Costner film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and as a peddler in Basil (1998). For the most part, he spent the remainder of his career working in theatre. His last major appearance was as the male lead, "Mouse", in Tayla Goodman's rock musical Virus. The show ran for two weeks at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham, in 1999. For his final film appearance he had a minor role in Moussaka & Chips (2005), in which he once again worked with Ron Moody.[3]

Personal life[]

Wild first met Welsh-born actress Gaynor Jones when they were around 12 years old at the Barbara Speake stage school. After he left in 1966, he did not see her again until Christmas of 1970. They married on 14 February 1976.[5] She left him in 1985 because of his chronic drinking.[1] He met his second wife, Claire L. Harding, when he was working with her in Jack and the Beanstalk in Worthing.[1] They married in Bedford in September 2005.[6] In 2001, Wild was diagnosed with oral cancer, blaming the disease on his drinking and smoking habits.[7] He underwent chemotherapy immediately, and had his tongue and voice box removed in July 2004, leaving him unable to speak.[1] Wild had to communicate through his wife Claire for the rest of his life.[1]

Alcoholism[]

By 1973, aged 21, he was an alcoholic. After exhausting his remaining fortune, Wild lived with his retired father for a few years.[8] His alcoholism caused three cardiac arrests and resulted in numerous hospital stays.[8] He was diagnosed with diabetes on 14 March 1983. His alcoholism ruined both his career and marriage to Gaynor Jones, who left him in 1985 because of his drinking.[1] During the mid-1980s, he often drank three to four bottles of vodka a week; he typically drank half a bottle of vodka and two bottles of wine every day.[9] He later admitted his alcoholism was so debilitating that he was incapable of performing any kind of work.[10] Wild eventually became sober on 6 March 1989, after joining the support group, Alcoholics Victorious.[10]

Death and legacy[]

Wild died just before midnight on 1 March 2006, following a long battle with oral cancer.[11] He is buried in Toddington Parish Cemetery, Bedfordshire.[12] He had been unable to speak for the last two years of his life following the operation in which his vocal cords and part of his tongue were removed.[13] At the time of his death, he and his wife, Claire, had been working on his autobiography.[14] She said: "All the material was there when Jack died, it just needed rearranging, editing, and, in certain sections, writing out from transcripts Jack and I made as we recorded him talking about his life."[9] The book, It's a Dodger's Life, was published in 2016 with a foreword by Pufnstuf co-star Billie Hayes, an afterword by Clive Francis, and an epilogue by Wild's wife.[9]

Filmography[]

List of acting performances in film and television
Title Year Alternate titles Role Notes
Poor Cow 1967 Boy Playing Football [Wearing Hat] Uncredited
Danny the Dragon 1967 Gavin
Oliver! 1968 The Artful Dodger First film to act alongside Mark Lester[1] and Ron Moody
Nominated – Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated – BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer
H.R. Pufnstuf 1969 Jimmy TV series, 1 Season, 17 Episodes (Segment: H.R. Pufnstuf; 2 episodes unreleased)
Pufnstuf 1970 Pufnstuf Zaps the World Jimmy
Melody 1971 S.W.A.L.K. Ornshaw Second and last film to act alongside Mark Lester[1]
Flight of the Doves 1971 Finn Dove Second film to act alongside Ron Moody
The Pied Piper 1972 Gavin
The Onedin Line 1972 Peter Thompson Season 2, Episode 3
The 14 1973 Existence (USA)
The Wild Little Bunch (USA) 		Reg
Sigmund and the Sea Monsters 1973 Himself Guest appearance
Keep It Up Downstairs 1976 Peregrine Cockshute Everyday Maths
Alice 1982 Mock Turtle
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves 1991 Much the Miller's Son
Basil 1998 Peddler
Moussaka & Chips 2005 Durgen Fleece Third film to act alongside Ron Moody; final film role

Discography[]

Albums[]

Singles[]

The Jack Wild Album
List of singles, with selected chart positions
Title Year Peak chart positions
UK[18] US
"Some Beautiful" 1970 46 92
"Wait For Summer" 1970 — 115
"Everything's Coming Up Roses" 1971 — 107
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Vallance, Tom (3 March 2006). "Jack Wild". The Independent.
  2. ^ "Official Jack Wild Website - Theatre Work". Jackwild.info.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b "Child star Jack Wild, the Artful Dodger, dies of cancer aged 53". The Guardian. 3 March 2006.
  4. ^ "Jack Wild: Albums". CMT.com. MTV Networks. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  5. ^ General Register Office of England and Wales, Marriages, March quarter 1976, Surrey North, Vol 17, page 156
  6. ^ General Register Office of England and Wales, Marriages, September quarter 2005, Bedford, District 309, Page 0579, entry 004
  7. ^ "Jack Wild". Oralcancerfoundation.org. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b "Jack Wild". The Daily Telegraph. London. 3 March 2006. ISSN 0307-1235. OCLC 49632006. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b c Wild, Jack (2016). It's a Dodger's Life. Coventry, West Midlands, England: Fantom Films Limited. p. 440. ISBN 9781781962664.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b Wylie, Ian (29 December 2004). "Jack's Wild life". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  11. ^ General Register Office of England and Wales, Deaths, March quarter 2006, Bedford, District 3091G, Register No G7D, entry 099
  12. ^ Wilson, Scott (19 August 2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. McFarland – via Google Books.
  13. ^ Barkham, Patrick (3 March 2006). "Child star Jack Wild, the Artful Dodger, dies of cancer aged 53". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 June 2021. Wild admitted his heavy smoking and drinking made him a "walking time bomb" for mouth cancer. The disease was diagnosed in 2000. Although unable to speak after an operation two years ago...
  14. ^ "Oliver! star Jack Wild dies at 53". BBC News. 2 March 2006. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  15. ^ "Jack Wild - The Jack Wild Album". Discogs. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  16. ^ "Jack Wild - Everything's Coming Up Roses". Discogs. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  17. ^ "Jack Wild - A Beautiful World". Discogs. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  18. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 601. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.

Bibliography[]

  • Wild, Jack. Autobiography: It's A Dodger's Life, Fantom Films 2016. Hardback edition ISBN 978-1-78196-266-4
  • Holmstrom, John. The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995, Norwich, Michael Russell, 1996, p. 296. ISBN 978-0859551786
  • Dye, David. Child and Youth Actors: Filmography of Their Entire Careers, 1914-1985. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 1988, p. 239. ISBN 9780899502472

External links[]

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