Now I'm really feeling old....the Artful Dodger from "Oliver" and Jimmy from
"Pufnstuf" is gone at age 53.
Scott
MoPo List Owner
LONDON (Reuters) - Actor Jack Wild, best known for playing the Artful Dodger
as a teenager in the 1968 film "Oliver!," has died from cancer aged 53.
Nominated for an Oscar for that role aged just 16, he went on to star in the
U.S. television series "H.R. Pufnstuf" and in several films before his
career began to derail, in part because of excessive drinking from an early
age.
"Jack died peacefully at midnight last night after a long battle with oral
cancer," his agent Alex Jay said on Thursday.
"He always said he was an entertainer. He wanted 'The Entertainer' to be
played at his funeral," Jay added, referring to the Scott Joplin tune used
for the film "The Sting."
Wild, also a heavy smoker, was diagnosed with cancer in 2001 and underwent
an operation in 2004 to remove part of his tongue and several vocal cords.
As a result he lost his speech, but appeared on stage after the surgery
miming his part in a pantomime.
Wild married his long-term partner Claire last
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