Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Artful Dodger dies
Jack Wild, star of the hit musical 'Oliver!', passed away last night following a battle with cancer.
Mar 1 2006
Actor Jack Wild, who shot to fame playing 'The Artful Dodger' in the 1968 film 'Oliver!', died last night following a battle with cancer. He was 53.
Wild's agent Alex Jay said the actor 'died peacefully at midnight last night after a long battle with oral cancer.'
Wild was discovered by talent scout June Collins while playing football with his friends, and following a spell at stage school, he landed the role of Oliver in the London production of the musical.
When director Carol Reed was casting for the film version of the show, Wild auditioned for and won the role of famous pickpocket 'The Artful Dodger'.
The performance won him an Oscar nomination and a role in the brilliant, if slightly bonkers, US children's series 'HR Pufnstuf'.
He went on to star in a 'Pufnstuf' film as well as the 1971 features 'The Pied Piper' and 'Flight of the Doves', before both his career and his personal life hit the rocks and he became an alcoholic.
He was diagnosed with cancer in 2000, and after chemotherapy and radiotherapy, Wild had surgery to have his voice box and tongue removed, yet despite not being able to speak, he nevertheless continued to perform in panto, with his wife speaking and lip-reading for the actor.
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Our verdict on Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones
Peter Jackson ends a triumphant decade with a sentimental misfire with this lush Alice Sebold adaptation
On the set of Ken Loach's 'Route Irish'
Dave Calhoun meets Ken Loach on the set of his forthcoming Iraq war movie
Stephen Poliakoff discusses 'Glorious 39'
Stephen Poliakoff’s ‘Glorious 39’ is his first film for cinema since ‘Food of Love’ in 1997. Dave Calhoun met him
Is 'Paranormal Activity' the new 'Blair Witch'?
How does a film go from DIY experiment to box-office smash? 'Paranormal Activity' director Oren Peli explains
Steven Soderbergh on 'The Informant!' and 'The Girlfriend Experience'
We talk to Steven Soderbergh about his two forthcoming films: one featuring a porn star, the other a chubby Matt Damon
A gateway to all things 'New Moon'
In anticipation of 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon', Time Out is offering the chance to pick up a limited edition pack with three exclusive magazines and a free poster.
London Children's Film Festival
Read our exclusive reviews of films playing at the 2009 London Children’s Film Festival
The films that deserve a TV spin-off
With Roland Emmerich suggesting he'd like to make a '2012' TV spin-off, we propose some more movie-to-TV serialisations
The Coen brothers discuss 'A Serious Man'
Masters of contrary comedy, Joel and Ethan Coen have struck gold again with their latest, ‘A Serious Man’
Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam
In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations












What do you think?
Post your comment now