Gene Wilder is one of the funniest and most successful comedic actors of all time. Primarily known for his partnership with Mel Brooks and his roles in some of Brooks’s many genre spoofing films. Gene Wilder has a power of making someone laugh and feel comforted at the same time, no matter how over-the-top his performance might be. He felt like someone you knew; he felt like he was there to entertain just you. While his resume is not a particularly long one, he made each and every performance he undertook really count. These are the best Gene Wilder performances, ranked!
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6 The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes’ Smarter Brother (1975)
20th Century Fox
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Smarter Brother is a 1975 satirical take on Sherlock Holmes written by, directed by, and starring Gene Wilder. What makes a great Gene Wilder performance is not only his ability to be hilarious on his own, but his skill at playing off of his co-stars. Joining Wilder for the Sherlock Holmes satire are Marty Feldman and Madeline Kahn, two hilariously funny actors in their own right who we will see again later on this list. The story follows a subverted take on your typical Sherlock Holmes mystery but is highly elevated due to the comedic performance of Gene Wilder.
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5 Stir Crazy (1980)
Columbia Pictures
Featuring a duo of real life friends and at times writing partners, Stir Crazy features a team-up of two of the hottest comedic actors of the ’70s and ’80s. Richard Pryor joins Gene Wilder in this Sidney Poitier-directed comedy classic about two wrongly convicted friends who find themselves wrapped up in the dealings of a crooked warden and a prison rodeo. While the film itself was met with mixed reviews, it is hard to discount Pryor and particularly Wilder’s performances in the film. Even a somewhat lackluster plot can be carried by a comedic giant like Wilder.
4 The Producers (1967)
Embassy Pictures Distributing
The Producers is Gene Wilder’s first mainstream comedic role and his first time working with Mel Brooks. Another example of using his costars to play off of to deliver a top-notch performance, Wilder’s character of Leopold Bloom, a nervous, and at times hysterical young accountant, plays well against the robust and over-the-top Broadway producer Max Bialystock, played by Zero Mostel. As the two set out to produce a guaranteed flop of a play in an attempt to rake in profits, we see Leopold come out of his normal reserved shell the more the scheme evolves. The Producers shows a character arc because of Wilder’s performance of Leopold while maintaining the comedy we would expect from a Mel Brooks film.
3 Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
Warner Bros.
While not the best performance of his career, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is certainly Gene Wilder’s most iconic performance. You would be hard-pressed to find someone not familiar with Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory in at least one way or another. It is a film guaranteed to bring out your inner child and satisfy your sweet tooth. What makes this a great Gene Wilder performance is his ability to shift tones in the film. At times, he can be quite menacing and scary in scenes like the boat ride down the chocolate river, chastising Charlie and Grandpa Joe, or any of the many other warped lessons he unleashes on the guests. And at other times, he uses his natural comedic ability and charm as he portrays the eccentric factory owner. It is a well-rounded and memorable performance.
2 Blazing Saddles (1974)
Blazing Saddles is widely considered to be one of the funniest movies of all time, and without a doubt, one of the best parody movies ever made. The film sees Gene Wilder paired up again with former collaborators, with actor Madeline Kahn starring in front of the camera, and Richard Pryor behind the scenes in the writers room. In a film that fits perfectly into the time period it was made, Blazing Saddles uses its irreverent comedy to play on western tropes while also subtlety commenting on racism. Wilder’s presence is felt not just on the screen as he delivers a top tier comedic performance, but also on the page in the script.
1 Young Frankenstein (1974)
While not as iconic and well-rounded as Willy Wonka, or as acclaimed as Blazing Saddles, what makes Young Frankenstein Gene Wilder’s best performance is simply because it is his gut-bustlingly funniest, and that is how we should measure a comedic actor the stature of Wilder. Paired again with Madeline Kahn and Marty Feldman, the three work together to achieve hilarity at every corner. Wilder’s ability to be outrageously funny is at in all-time high in this extremely re-watchable, quotable, and memorable Mel Brooks classic that looks and feels like an ode to itself and the genre it is spoofing. One of the funniest horror comedies ever made, Young Frankenstein could have only been pulled off with the lead performance that Gene Wilder delivered.
