Gene Wilder was married four times in his life.
Gene Wilder the beloved actor, and comedian who starred in such classics as:
- Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
- Young Frankenstein
- Producers
His third wife was Gilda Radner, another comedy legend who was one of the original cast members of Saturday Night Live.
They met on the set of the film Hanky Panky in 1981 and married in 1984.
They were a happy and devoted couple, who also collaborated on two more films:
- The Woman in Red
- Haunted Honeymoon.
Sadly, their marriage was cut short when Radner died of ovarian cancer in 1989, at the age of 42.
Wilder was devastated by her death and became a vocal advocate for cancer awareness and research.
He co-founded Gilda’s Club, a network of support groups for people living with cancer, named after his late wife.
Wilder did not remarry for two years after Radner’s death, but he eventually found love again with Karen Boyer, a clinical supervisor for the New York League for the Hard of Hearing.
They met in 1989 when Wilder consulted Boyer for his role as a deaf man in the film See No Evil, Hear No Evil.
They married in 1991 and remained together until Wilder’s death in 2016, at the age of 83.
Boyer was Wilder’s fourth and final wife and his longest-lasting marriage.
She helped him cope with his grief over Radner and supported him through his own health issues, including non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and Alzheimer’s disease.
Who was the love of Gene Wilder’s life?
Gene Wilder had many loves in his life, but he often said that Gilda Radner was his soulmate.
He once described their relationship as “a perfect match of love and comedy”.
Gene Wilder said that they had an instant connection and mutual respect for each other’s talents.
He also said that they made each other laugh and that they shared a similar sense of humor and outlook on life.
He wrote in his memoir, Kiss Me Like a Stranger: My Search for Love and Art, that “I had one great blessing: I loved her more than I hated cancer that took her away from me”.
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He also said that he never stopped loving her, even after he remarried.
However, this does not mean that Wilder did not love his other wives as well.
Gene Wilder said that he loved his first wife, Mary Mercier, whom he married in 1960 and divorced in 1965.
But that they were too young and immature to make their marriage work.
He said that he loved his second wife, Mary Joan Schutz, whom he married in 1967.
They divorced in 1974, but they grew apart over time.
Gene Wilder said that he loved his fourth wife, Karen Boyer, whom he married in 1991.
They stayed together until his death in 2016, but their love was different from his love for Radner.
He said that Boyer was “a wonderful woman” who gave him “a sense of peace” and “a feeling of home”.
Who inherited Gene Wilder’s money?
Gene Wilder was one of the most successful and beloved actors of his generation.
He amassed a considerable fortune from his film and television career.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, he had an estimated net worth of $20 million at the time of his death.
He also owned several properties, including a house in Stamford, Connecticut.
He lived with his wife Karen Boyer; a beach house in Malibu; and an apartment in New York City.
Wilder was very private about his personal life and did not reveal much about his will or estate planning.
However, according to some reports, he left most of his money to charity, especially to organizations related to cancer research and treatment.
Gene Wilder’s donations
He also donated some of his personal belongings, such as scripts, costumes, awards, photographs, and letters, to various institutions, such as:
- The University of Iowa Libraries, where he studied theatre
- The Billy Rose Theatre Division at the New York Public Library
- The National Museum of American History.
Wilder also left some money to his family members, including his nephew Jordan Walker-Pearlman.
Jordan Walker-Pearlman is also a filmmaker; his sister Corinne Silberman-Pearlman; and his adopted daughter Katharine Wilder.
He also left some money to his wife Karen Boyer, who was reportedly very generous with sharing it with Wilder’s relatives.
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Does Gene Wilder have kids?
Gene Wilder did not have any biological children of his own, but he adopted one daughter from his second marriage.
His daughter is Katharine Wilder, who was born in 1966 to Mary Joan Schutz, whom Wilder married in 1967.
Katharine was Schutz’s daughter from a previous relationship, but Wilder legally adopted her and raised her as his own.
He also gave her his surname and introduced her to the world of show business.
Katharine appeared in some of his films, such as Silver Streak and Murder on the Orient Express, as well as in some TV shows, such as Frontier and Branagh Theatre Live: Romeo and Juliet.
Wilder and Katharine had a falling out in 1974
However, Wilder and Katharine had a falling out in 1974, when he divorced Schutz and started dating his co-star Madeline Kahn.
Katharine felt betrayed by her father and stopped speaking to him for many years.
She also pursued a career in acting but did not achieve much success.
She later reconciled with Wilder in the late 1980s, after he lost his third wife Gilda Radner to cancer.
They remained close until his death in 2016.
Katharine was one of the few people who knew about his Alzheimer’s diagnosis, which he kept secret from the public.
She also inherited some of his money and belongings, according to his will.
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