Jack Wild - wikipedia Jack Wild Jack Wild Jack Wild, 1970 ( 1952 - 09 - 30 ) 30 September 1952 Royton, Lancashire, England 1 March 2006 ( 2006 - 03 - 01 ) ( aged 53 ) Tebworth, Bedfordshire, England Occupation Actor, singer Years active 1964 -- 2006 Spouse ( s ) Gaynor Jones ( 1976 -- 1985 ) Claire Harding ( 2005 -- 2006 his death ) Jack Wild ( 30 September 1952 -- 1 March 2006 ) was an English actor and singer, known for his teenage performances as the Artful Dodger in Oliver !, ( 1968 ) and as Jimmy in the NBC children 's television series H.R. Pufnstuf ( 1969 ) and accompanying 1970 feature film. He played Much the Miller 's Son in Robin Hood : Prince of Thieves ( 1991 ). The film of Lionel Bart 's musical, Oliver ! earned him Golden Globe Award and BAFTA Award nominations, plus a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. As Jimmy, he was the protagonist of the television series and feature film about a boy befriended by a friendly dragon named H.R. Pufnstuf, produced by Sid and Marty Krofft. Jack Wild ( right ) with Oliver ! co-star Mark Lester at the 41st Annual Academy Awards, 14 April 1969. Contents 1 Early life 2 Entertainment career 3 Challenges 4 Career restarts 5 Death 6 Autobiography 7 Filmography 8 Discography 8.1 Albums 8.2 Singles 9 See also 10 References 11 Bibliography 12 External links Early life Wild was born into a working class family in a small town in Lancashire ( now Greater Manchester ), called Royton, near Oldham. Wild moved to Hounslow, in Middlesex, with his parents and his older brother Arthur in 1960 at the age of eight, where he got a job helping the milkman, which paid about five shillings. He was discovered whilst playing football with his brother in the park by theatrical agent June Collins, mother of Phil Collins. Collins enrolled both Jack and Arthur at the Barbara Speake Stage School, an independent school in Acton in West London. Entertainment career Wild with the title character in the NBC children 's series H.R. Pufnstuf, 1969 The Wild brothers sought acting roles to supplement their parents ' income and, in the autumn of 1964, both were cast in a West End theatre production of Lionel Bart 's Oliver !, Arthur in the title role, and Jack as a member of Fagin 's gang, Charley Bates. Although Jack auditioned as The Artful Dodger for several subsequent stage productions of Oliver !, he was always turned down because he was too short. He stayed with the show until the spring of 1966, when he left to make the film serial Danny the Dragon for the Children 's Film Foundation. Wild 's first speaking roles on TV were an episode of Out of the Unknown, and the third part of the BBC 's version of the Wesker Trilogy, I 'm Talking About Jerusalem. By the time Wild was chosen to portray the Artful Dodger for the 1968 movie version of Oliver ! he had also appeared in episodes of Z - Cars, The Newcomers and George and the Dragon. He received critical acclaim and several nominations for his appearance as the Artful Dodger : Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer It was at the 1968 premiere of Oliver ! that 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 this American family television series that launched in 1969. He was to be paid $1,000,000 to play `` Jimmy '', a boy washed up on `` Living Island '' ( a magic island ) with his best friend Freddy, a talking flute, although Jack stated in 2001 that he never received the money. He starred in the movie Pufnstuf ( 1970 ). 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 !. Wild also embarked on a recording career, cutting one album for Capitol Records - containing the single `` Some Beautiful '' that received a lot of airplay on Radio Luxembourg, but did n't chart very highly - and two for Buddah Records in the early 1970s. The three albums were called The Jack Wild Album, Everything 's Coming Up Roses and Beautiful World. At the height of his acting career, Jack usually acted younger than he was. For H.R. Pufnstuf Wild was a seventeen - year - old playing a boy who was eleven. `` When I first entered in the show business, '' Wild said in 1999, '' Of course I did n'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 did n'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 `` one of the world 's teen heartthrobs, '' alongside David Cassidy and Barry Williams. With large hazel eyes, a somewhat pug nose and freckles, Jack was loved and adored by many girls across the globe. `` I received roughly 2,000 fan letters a week, '' he stated in 1989. `` I never left any one of them blank. I always answered, even if I was exhausted. I really thought it was one of the most important things. '' While Jack and Arthur were at Barbara Speake stage school, Jack met Welsh - born actress Gaynor Jones when they were around twelve years old. After he left the school in 1966, he did n't see her again until Christmas of 1970, when she was hosting a Christmas party. Then, after seeing her for the first time in four years, he got her telephone number and they were soon dating. They married on Valentine 's Day 1976 ; Wild was 23 years old and Jones was 22. Afterwards, they celebrated with a honeymoon to Paris. After they returned they bought a home a few weeks later in the wealthy suburb of Richmond in London. Challenges Wild struggled to make the transition to adult stardom. He had begun smoking at the age of 12, and by age 17 was drinking heavily. At age 21 he was already an alcoholic and a diabetic. This did not help him find acting work, and by 1976 his film career was badly stalled. In 1981 he was supposed to star with Suzi Quatro in a series about a modern - day Bonnie and Clyde for British television, but it was cancelled at the last minute. His alcoholism ruined both his career and marriage to Gaynor Jones, who left him in 1985 because of his excessive drinking. After exhausting his remaining fortune, Wild lived with his retired father for a few years. His alcoholism caused three cardiac arrests and resulted in several hospital stays until he stopped drinking in 1989. Wild later admitted his alcoholism was so debilitating during this period that from the late 1970s until he went sober, he was incapable of doing any kind of work. Career restarts Wild unsuccessfully attempted various alcoholism rehabilitation programmes and finally gave up drinking on 6 March 1989 after joining Alcoholics Victorious. 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, Wild 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. For his final film appearance, Wild had a minor role in Moussaka & Chips ( 2000 ), where he once again worked with Ron Moody. Death Wild died on 1 March 2006 at age 53 after a long battle with mouth cancer, which he blamed on his drinking and / or smoking. Diagnosed with the disease in 2000, he initially underwent chemotherapy, but later had part of his tongue and both vocal cords removed in July 2004. Because of this surgery, he had lost his speech and had to communicate through his second wife, Claire Harding, whom he met when they were appearing in Jack and the Beanstalk in Worthing. Wild was reportedly working on his autobiography, but died before it could be completed. Wild was interred in Toddington Parish Cemetery, Bedfordshire. Autobiography At the time of his death, Wild and his widow, Claire Harding, had been working on his autobiography. It was completed by Claire, who explained : ' 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. ' In 2016, his autobiography, It 's a Dodger 's Life was finally published by Fantom Films ( ISBN 978 - 1 - 78196 - 266 - 4 ) with a foreword by Pufnstuf co-star Billie Hayes, an afterword by Clive Francis, and an epilogue by Claire Harding. Filmography List of acting performances in film and television Title Year Alternate titles Role Notes Oliver ! 1968 The Artful Dodger 1st film to co-star with Mark Lester 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 The Banana Splits Adventure Hour 1969 Jimmy TV series, 1 Season, 30 Episodes ( Segment : H.R. Pufnstuf ) H.R. Pufnstuf 1969 Jimmy TV series Pufnstuf 1970 Pufnstuf Zaps the World Jimmy Melody 1971 S.W.A.L.K. Ornshaw 2nd and last film to co-star with Mark Lester. Flight of the Doves 1971 Finn Dove 2nd film to co-star with Ron Moody. Pied Piper, The The Pied Piper 1972 Gavin 14, The 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 Alicja 1982 Mock Turtle Robin Hood : Prince of Thieves 1991 Much the Miller 's Son Basil 1998 Peddler Moussaka & Chips 2005 Durgen Fleece 3rd and last film to co-star with Ron Moody. Last film Discography Albums The Jack Wild Album ( 1970 ) Everything 's Coming Up Roses ( 1971 ) A Beautiful World ( 1972 ) Singles List of singles, with selected chart positions Title Year Peak chart positions UK US `` Some Beautiful '' 1970 46 92 `` Wait For Summer '' 1970 -- 115 `` ( Holy Moses ! ) Everything 's Coming Up Roses '' 1971 -- 107 `` -- '' denotes releases that did not chart. See also List of oldest and youngest Academy Award winners and nominees References ^ Jump up to : `` Jack Wild ''. The Independent. 3 March 2006. ^ Jump up to : `` Jack Wild - Biography ''. IMDb. Amazon.com. Retrieved 24 December 2013. Jump up ^ `` Official Jack Wild Website - Theatre Work ''. Jump up ^ `` Jack Wild : Albums ''. CMT.com. MTV Networks. Retrieved 5 September 2010. ^ Jump up to : `` Jack Wild ''. The Daily Telegraph. London. 3 March 2006. ISSN 0307 - 1235. OCLC 49632006. Retrieved 5 September 2010. ^ Jump up to : Ian Wylie ( 29 December 2004 ). `` Jack 's Wild life Manchester Evening News ''. menmedia.co.uk. Retrieved 30 April 2012. Jump up ^ `` My lifestyle caused my mouth cancer ''. BBC News, Health. BBC. 16 November 2005. Retrieved 5 September 2010. Jump up ^ `` Oliver ! star Jack Wild dies at 53 ''. BBC. 2006 - 03 - 02. Retrieved 2016 - 04 - 10. Jump up ^ `` Jack Wild ( 1952 - 2006 ) ''. Find A Grave. 2 March 2006. Retrieved 5 September 2010. Jump up ^ Wild, Jack ( 2016 ). It 's a Dodger 's Life. Fantom Publishing. ISBN 978 - 1 - 78196 - 266 - 4. Jump up ^ Published by Fantom Films ( ISBN 978 - 1 - 78196 - 266 - 4 ) Jump up ^ Roberts, David ( 2006 ). British Hit Singles & Albums ( 19th ed. ). London : Guinness World Records Limited. p. 601. ISBN 1 - 904994 - 10 - 5. This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( March 2009 ) 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. Dye, David. Child and Youth Actors : Filmography of Their Entire Careers, 1914 - 1985. Jefferson, NC : McFarland & Co., 1988, p. 239. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jack Wild. Jack Wild Official Website VIAF : 34669634 LCCN : n91086654 ISNI : 0000 0001 2127 5896 GND : 143093649 SUDOC : 14314443X BNF : cb14239104h ( data ) MusicBrainz : 326f9dd2 - 8cff - 4907 - afbd - b404326f1594 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jack_Wild&oldid=812658925 '' Categories : 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 Manchester 20th - century English male actors Hidden categories : Use British English from March 2014 Use dmy dates from March 2014 Articles with hCards All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from November 2017 Articles needing additional references from March 2009 All articles needing additional references Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català Cymraeg Dansk Deutsch فارسی Français 한국어 Italiano עברית Nederlands 日本 語 Português Русский Suomi Svenska Tagalog Edit links This page was last edited on 29 November 2017, at 03 : 21. 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Question: who played the artful dodger in oliver in 1967
Answer: Jack Wild