Jack Wild (30 September 1952 – 1 March 2006) was an English actor who achieved fame for his roles in both stage and screen productions of the Lionel Bart musical Oliver! with Ron Moody, Shani Wallis and Oliver Reed. For the latter performance (playing the Artful Dodger), he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the age of 16, but the Oscar went to Jack Albertson for his performance in The Subject Was Roses. Jack Wild appeared with actor Mark Lester in two films: Oliver! (1968) and Melody (1971).
Wild was born into a working-class family in Royton, Lancashire, and moved south with his parents when he was still an infant. He was discovered whilst playing football, by June, mother of Genesis member Phil Collins. He was asked if he wanted a job, and told her he already had one, that he worked for the milkman. He was educated at the independent Barbara Speake Stage School in Acton, London, and had to supplement his parents' modest incomes by working on a stage production of Oliver!, in order to pay his school fees.
It was at the premiere of the 1968 film version of Oliver! that he met brothers Sid and Marty Krofft, who thought Wild would make a good lead for a show they were developing called H.R. Pufnstuf. Wild starred in this American family TV series that launched in 1969, and he was paid one million dollars to play 'Jimmy', a boy washed up on 'Living Island' (a magic island) with his best friend, a talking flute. He was also in the movie Pufnstuf. As well as embarking on a recording career, cutting one album for Capitol Records and two for Buddah Records in the early 1970s, the three albums were called 'The Jack Wild Album', 'Everythings Coming Up Roses' and 'Beautiful World'. On top of this he became a favourite for teen magazines of the times and was often featured in interviews, articles and pull-out-posters.
Excessive drinking at an early age quickly derailed Wild's career. Some observers believe that Wild was the inspiration for Little Man, What Now? (song) on Morrissey's first solo album Viva Hate. The song wistfully laments an un-named, forgotten child star of Wild's approximate age.
Sobering up in 1988, he returned to the big screen in a few minor roles, such as in the 1991 Kevin Costner film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. He was also reported to be developing a TV situation comedy with Suzi Quatro around the same time, but those plans never materialised in an actual series. For the most part, though, Wild spent the remainder of his career working in theatre.
Wild died on 1 March 2006, aged 53, after a long battle with oral cancer, which he claims was caused by his alcoholism and smoking. Diagnosed with the disease in 2000, he underwent surgery in July 2004 and had part of his tongue and both vocal cords removed. Because of this surgery, he had lost his speech and had to communicate through his wife, Clare Harding, whom he had met in a stage production of Cinderella; Jack played one of the ugly stepsisters.
