Michael Böllner (born September 14, 1958) is a German tax accountant and former

child actor The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage, television, or in film, movies. An adult who began their acting career as a child may also be called a child actor, or a "former child actor". Closely associa ...

known for playing

Augustus Gloop This is a list of characters in the 1964 Roald Dahl book ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'', his 1972 sequel ''Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator'', and the former's film adaptations, ''Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory'' (1971), ''Cha ...

in the 1971 film ''

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory ''Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory'' is a 1971 American musical film, musical fantasy film directed by Mel Stuart from a screenplay by Roald Dahl, based on his 1964 novel ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory''. It stars Gene Wilder as chocol ...

''.

Life and career

Böllner grew up in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

, where he was cast for ''Willy Wonka'' and where many scenes in the movie were filmed. He was the only one of the five main child actors to be German, and did not speak much English at the time of filming. After ''Willy Wonka'' was completed, Böllner had a few minor roles on German television, but his father decided that education should be a priority. He subsequently gave up acting and became a

tax accountant An accountant is a practitioner of accounting or accountancy. Accountants who have demonstrated competency through their professional associations' certification exams are certified to use titles such as Chartered Accountant, Chartered Certifi ...

in Munich. By 2005, Böllner had been married and divorced. With ''Willy Wonka'' being rarely shown in Germany, Böllner was unaware of the cultural impact the film had until the mid-1990s, when the cast reconnected for the first time. Other cast members got in touch with Böllner by placing an advertisement in a German newspaper that read "Augustus, Show a Sign". Böllner has since regularly appeared with other cast members at

fan conventions A fan convention (also known as a con or fan meeting) is an event in which fans of a particular topic gather to participate and hold programs and other events, and to meet experts, famous personalities, and each other. Some also incorporate comm ...

. Following the 2016 death of co-star

Gene Wilder Gene Wilder (born Jerome Silberman; June 11, 1933 – August 29, 2016) was an American actor, comedian, writer, and filmmaker. He was mainly known for his comedic roles, including his portrayal of Willy Wonka in ''Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Fa ...

, who played Willy Wonka, Böllner expressed regret that he had not talked with him more as an adult after his English improved. Böllner to date has not had any film roles besides ''Willy Wonka''. He most recently appeared as himself in a TV show called ''Bizarre Transmissions from the Bermuda Triangle'', which aired in 2015. In 2023, after publishers removed the term "fat" to describe Augustus Gloop in the

Roald Dahl Roald Dahl (13 September 1916 – 23 November 1990) was a British author of popular children's literature and short stories, a poet, screenwriter and a wartime Flying ace, fighter ace. His books have sold more than 300 million copies ...

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' is a 1964 children's novel by British author Roald Dahl. The story features the adventures of young Charlie Bucket inside the chocolate factory of eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka. The story was origina ...

'' book on which ''Willy Wonka'' was based, Böllner publicly defended the original text and called the change unnecessary.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Böllner, Michael 1958 births 20th-century German male actors Living people Male actors from Munich German accountants German male child actors German male film actors