Gene Wilder listening to one of his favorite songs, a rendition of "Over the Rainbow" sung by Ella Fitzgerald. Gene Wilder Jerome Silberman (June 11, 1933 – August 29, 2016), known professionally as Gene Wilder, was an American actor, screenwriter, director, producer, singer-songwriter and author. Wilder began his career on stage, and made his screen debut in an episode of the TV series "The Play of the Week" in 1961. Although his first film role was portraying a hostage in the 1967 motion picture "Bonnie and Clyde", Wilder's first major role was as Leopold Bloom in the 1967 film "The Producers" for
Serge Silberman a number of films, starting with the 1964 film "Diary of a Chambermaid". Silberman produced most of Buñuel's late films, including the Academy Award winner "The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie" in 1972 and the director's very last film "That Obscure Object of Desire" in 1977. Silberman had founded his own production company, Greenwich Film Productions, in 1966. The company was responsible for the production of over 15 films. In 1981, Silberman produced his most financially successful film, Jean-Jacques Beineix's "Diva". The film was not well received in the country of its origin, France, but became a box-office hit abroad.