Comment on Appreciation: In Gene Wilder's madcap roles, a magical mania

In Gene Wilder's madcap roles, a magical mania Often playing opposite enormous, big performers like Zero Mostel and Richard Pryor, Wilder was a straight man who often wound up in a straight jacket. Wilder died Sunday in Stamford, Connecticut, from complications of Alzheimer's disease at age 83. With wild, Harpo-like hair, a melancholy face and a mad glint in his eye, Wilder was an earthquake of neuroses that tremored with blinks and sweat before cracking and quivering in hysteria. Born Jerome Silberman in Milwaukee, Wilder first began performing for his mother, who was badly marred by a heart attack when Wilder was six, as a way to entertain and cheer her up. In Mel Brooks' "Young Frankenstein," in which he plays Dr.