Jack Wild
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Jack Wild (30 September 1952 – 1 March 2006) was an English actor and singer. He is best known for his role as the
Artful Dodger Jack Dawkins, better known as the Artful Dodger, is a character in Charles Dickens's 1838 novel ''Oliver Twist''. The Dodger is a pickpocket and his nickname refers to his skill and cunning in that occupation. In the novel, he is the leader of th ...
in the film ''
Oliver! ''Oliver!'' is a stage musical, with book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the 1838 novel ''Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens. It premiered at the Wimbledon Theatre, southwest London in 1960 before opening in the W ...
'' (1968), for which he received an
Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the age of 16, becoming the fourth-youngest nominee in the category. He also received
BAFTA Award The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs or BAFTA Awards, is an annual film award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to f ...
and
Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...
nominations for the role. Wild also starred in the television series '' H.R. Pufnstuf'' (1969) and its film adaptation '' Pufnstuf'' (1970), as well as in the films ''
Melody A melody (), also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combination of Pitch (music), pitch and rhythm, while more figurativel ...
'' (1971) and '' Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves'' (1991).


Early life and education

Wild was born into a
working-class The working class is a subset of employees who are compensated with wage or salary-based contracts, whose exact membership varies from definition to definition. Members of the working class rely primarily upon earnings from wage labour. Most c ...
family in
Royton Royton is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, with a population of 21,284 in 2011. Close to the source of the River Irk, near undulating land at the foothills of the South Pennines, it is northwest of Ol ...
,
Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...
, on 30 September 1952. In 1960, at the age of eight, with his parents and his elder brother Arthur, he moved to
Hounslow Hounslow ( ) is a large suburban district of West London, England, west-southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hounslow, and is identified in the London Plan as one of the 14 metropolitan cen ...
, in
Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...
, where he got a job helping a milkman, which paid about five
shillings The shilling is a historical coin, and the name of a unit of modern currencies formerly used in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, other British Commonwealth countries and Ireland, where they were generally equivalent to 12 pence ...
. While playing
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
with his brother in the park, he was discovered by theatrical agent June Collins, mother of
Phil Collins Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and later became the lead singer of the rock band Genesis (band), Genesis and had a successful solo career, ac ...
. June Collins enrolled both Jack and Arthur at the Barbara Speake Stage School, an
independent school A private school or independent school is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a State school, public school. Private schools are schools that are not dependent upon national or local government to finance their fina ...
in Acton, west London.


Acting career


''Oliver!''

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 West End theatre is mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres in and near the West End of London.Christopher Innes"West End"in ''The Cambridge Guide to Theatre'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998), pp. 1194–1195, ...
production of
Lionel Bart Lionel Bart (1 August 1930 – 3 April 1999) was an English writer and composer of pop music and musicals. He wrote Tommy Steele's "Rock with the Caveman" and was the sole creator of the musical ''Oliver!'' (1960). With ''Oliver!'' and his work ...
's ''Oliver!'' – Arthur in the title role and Jack as Charley Bates, a member of Fagin's gang. Wild was chosen to play the
Artful Dodger Jack Dawkins, better known as the Artful Dodger, is a character in Charles Dickens's 1838 novel ''Oliver Twist''. The Dodger is a pickpocket and his nickname refers to his skill and cunning in that occupation. In the novel, he is the leader of th ...
for the 1968 movie version of ''Oliver!'' His performance received critical acclaim and several nominations: *
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 9th Academy Awards to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in ...
– nominated at the
41st Academy Awards The 41st Academy Awards were presented on April 14, 1969, to honor the films of 1968. They were the first Oscars to be staged at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles, and the first with no host since the 20th Academy Awards. '' Oliver!'' ...
* Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer – nominated at 26th Golden Globe Awards * BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer – nominated at 22nd British Academy Film Awards


TV work

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 The Children's Film Foundation (CFF) is a non-profit organisation which makes films and other media for children in the United Kingdom. Originally it made films to be shown as part of children's Saturday morning matinée cinema programming. Th ...
. 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 ''Z-Cars'' or ''Z Cars'' (pronounced "zed cars") is a British television police procedural series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police and CID detectives in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, near Liverpool. Produced by ...
'', '' The Newcomers'', and '' George and the Dragon''.


After ''Oliver!''

At the 1968 premiere of ''Oliver!'', Wild met brothers
Sid and Marty Krofft Sid Krofft (born July 30, 1929) and Marty Krofft (April 9, 1937 – November 25, 2023), known as The Krofft Brothers and born as Cydus and Moshopopoulos Yolas, were a Canadian sibling team of television creators, writers and puppeteers. Through ...
, who thought he would make a good lead for a show they were developing called '' H.R. Pufnstuf''. Wild starred as Jimmy in Pufnstuf's only season (1969), as well as in the film '' Pufnstuf'' (1970), which was released shortly after the show was concluded. Wild then appeared in ''
Melody A melody (), also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combination of Pitch (music), pitch and rhythm, while more figurativel ...
'' (1971, with ''Oliver!'' co-star Mark Lester) and '' Flight of the Doves'' (1971, with another ''Oliver!'' co-star,
Ron Moody Ron Moody (born Ronald Moodnick; 8 January 1924 – 11 June 2015) was an English actor, composer, singer and writer. He was best known for his portrayal of Fagin in '' Oliver!'' (1968) and its 1983 Broadway revival. Moody earned a Golden Glob ...
). In 1972, Wild appeared as a stowaway in an episode of BBC TV's ''
The Onedin Line ''The Onedin Line'' is a BBC television drama series that ran from 1971 to 1980. The series was created by Cyril Abraham. The series is set in Liverpool from 1860 to 1886 and covers the rise of a fictional shipping company, the Onedin Line, nam ...
''. In 1973, he played Reg in '' The 14'', a film directed by
David Hemmings David Leslie Edward Hemmings (18 November 1941 – 3 December 2003) was an English actor, director, and producer of film and television. Originally trained as a boy soprano in operatic roles, he began appearing in films as a child actor in the ...
. On television, Wild appeared in a BBC adaptation of ''
Our Mutual Friend ''Our Mutual Friend'', published in 1864–1865, is the last novel completed by English author Charles Dickens and is one of his most sophisticated works, combining savage satire with social analysis. It centres on, in the words of critic J. ...
'' in 1976. During the early 1970s, Wild was considered a teen heartthrob, alongside
David Cassidy David Bruce Cassidy (April 12, 1950 – November 21, 2017) was an American actor and musician. He was best known for his role as Keith Partridge in the 1970s musical-sitcom ''The Partridge Family''. After completing high school, Cassidy purs ...
and Barry Williams. 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 21 being offered the role of a 13-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."
He also embarked on a recording career, releasing ''The Jack Wild Album'' for
Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...
, which contained the single "Some Beautiful". In the early 1970s, Wild also released the albums ''Everything's Coming Up Roses'' and ''Beautiful World'' for
Buddah Records Buddah Records (later known as Buddha Records) was an American record label founded in 1967 in New York City. The label was born out of Kama Sutra Records, an MGM Records-distributed label, which remained a key imprint following Buddah's foundin ...
.


Later career

Wild returned to the big screen in a few minor roles, such as in the 1991
Kevin Costner Kevin Michael Costner (born January 18, 1955) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Kevin Costner, various accolades, including two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Primeti ...
film '' Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves'' and as a peddler in ''
Basil Basil (, ; , ; ''Ocimum basilicum'' (, )), also called great basil, is a culinary herb of the family Lamiaceae (mints). It is a hardiness (plants), tender plant, and is used in cuisines worldwide. In Western cuisine, the generic term "basil" r ...
'' (1998). For the most part, he spent the remainder of his career working in theatre. Wild's 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 Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...
, 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.


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 1970. They married on 14 February 1976. She left him in 1985 because of his chronic drinking. Wild met his second wife, Claire Harding, when he was working with her in ''
Jack and the Beanstalk "Jack and the Beanstalk" is an English fairy tale with ancient origins. It appeared as "The Story of Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean" in 1734 4th edition :File:Round about our Coal Fire, or, Christmas Entertainments, 4th edn, 1734.pdf, On C ...
'' in
Worthing Worthing ( ) is a seaside town and borough in West Sussex, England, at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of Chichester. With a population of 113,094 and an area of , the borough is the second largest component of the Br ...
. They married in
Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population was 106,940. Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire and seat of the Borough of Bedford local government district. Bedford was founded at a ford (crossin ...
in September 2005. In 2001, Wild was diagnosed with
oral cancer Oral cancer, also known as oral cavity cancer, tongue cancer or mouth cancer, is a cancer of the lining of the lips, mouth, or upper throat. In the mouth, it most commonly starts as a painless red or white patch, that thickens, gets ulcerated ...
; he blamed the disease on his drinking and smoking habits. He underwent
chemotherapy Chemotherapy (often abbreviated chemo, sometimes CTX and CTx) is the type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (list of chemotherapeutic agents, chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) in a standard chemotherapy re ...
immediately, and had his
tongue The tongue is a Muscle, muscular organ (anatomy), organ in the mouth of a typical tetrapod. It manipulates food for chewing and swallowing as part of the digestive system, digestive process, and is the primary organ of taste. The tongue's upper s ...
and voice box removed in July 2004, leaving him unable to speak. Wild had to communicate through his wife for the rest of his life.


Alcoholism

By 21, Wild was an
alcoholic Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World Hea ...
. After exhausting his remaining fortune, he lived with his retired father for a few years. His alcoholism caused three
cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest (also known as sudden cardiac arrest CA is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. When the heart stops beating, blood cannot properly Circulatory system, circulate around the body and the blood flow to the ...
s and resulted in numerous hospital stays. He was diagnosed with
diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...
on 14 March 1983. His alcoholism ruined both his career and first marriage, as his wife left him in 1985 because of his drinking. During the mid-1980s, he often drank three to four bottles of
vodka Vodka ( ; is a clear distilled beverage, distilled alcoholic beverage. Its varieties originated in Poland and Russia. Vodka is composed mainly of water and ethanol but sometimes with traces of impurities and flavourings. Traditionally, it is ...
a week, and typically drank half a bottle of vodka and two bottles of wine every day. He later admitted his alcoholism was so debilitating that he was incapable of performing any kind of work. He once attended a drying-out clinic for drug addicts and alcoholics, run by
Pete Townshend Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is the co-founder, guitarist, keyboardist, second lead vocalist, principal songwriter and leader of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s an ...
, but after being "dry" for six weeks, he bought a bottle of champagne to celebrate that he had stopped drinking. Wild eventually became sober on 6 March 1989, after joining a support group, ''Alcoholics Victorious''.


Death and legacy

Wild was just 53 when he died of
oral cancer Oral cancer, also known as oral cavity cancer, tongue cancer or mouth cancer, is a cancer of the lining of the lips, mouth, or upper throat. In the mouth, it most commonly starts as a painless red or white patch, that thickens, gets ulcerated ...
on 1 March 2006. He is buried in Toddington Parish Cemetery,
Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated ''Beds'') is a Ceremonial County, ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckin ...
. He was 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. At the time of his death, he and his wife had been working on his
autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...
. 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." 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.


Filmography


Discography


Albums

* ''The Jack Wild Album'' (1970) :A1 "Sugar and Spice" :A2 " Early in the Morning" :A3 "Fish And Chips" :A4 "Some Beautiful" :A5 " A Picture of You" :B1 "Wait For Summer" :B2 " Maxwell's Silver Hammer" :B3 "Melody" :B4 "
When I'm Sixty-Four "When I'm Sixty-Four" is a song by the English rock band The Beatles, written by Paul McCartney (credited to Lennon–McCartney) and released on the 1967 album '' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''. It was one of the first songs McCartney ...
" :B5 " Lazy Sunday" * ''Everything's Coming Up Roses'' (1971) :A1 "(Holy Moses!) Everything's Coming Up Roses" :A2 " The Pushbike Song" :A3 "Cotton Candy" :A4 " Bring Yourself Back To Me" :A5 "Hello (Jack)" :B1 "The Old Man Song (Na Na Na Na)" :B2 " Apeman" :B3 "Takin' It Easy" :B4 "
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 double album ''The Beatles'' (also known as "the White Album"). It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. Following t ...
" :B5 " What Have They Done to My Song Ma" * ''A Beautiful World'' (1972) :A1 "A Beautiful World" :A2 "Punch and Judy" :A3 "Sweet Sweet Lovin'" :A4 "Bird in the Hand" :A5 "The Lord" :B1 "Beggar Boy" :B2 "Songs of Freedom" :B3 "Being With You" :B4 " E.O.I.O." :B5 "Bunny Bunny"


Singles


See also

* List of British actors * List of oldest and youngest Academy Award winners and nominees – Youngest nominees for Best Actor in a Supporting Role * List of British Academy Award nominees and winners * List of actors with Academy Award nominations


References


Bibliography

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


External links


Jack Wild Official Website

Jack Wild
at the
British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wild, Jack 1952 births 2006 deaths Deaths from cancer in England Deaths from oral cancer English male child actors English male film actors English male television actors People from Royton Male actors from Lancashire 20th-century English male actors People educated at Barbara Speake Stage School Actors from the London Borough of Hounslow People from Hounslow Actors from the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham