Ever since his big screen breakthrough as phobia ridden accountant Leo Bloom in The Producers, Gene Wilder has been one of America's most beloved comic actors. For five decades, Wilder has entertained audiences in some of the funniest films ever made, including Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, and Stir Crazy.Brian Scott Mednick's fascinating new biography Gene Wilder: Funny and Sad (BearManor Media) reveals a very serious and private side to Wilder that audiences don't get to see. The book traces Wilder's humble beginnings in 1930s Milwaukee as a shy child who learned early on that being funny got him attention."Gene Wilder is one of the great comic actors of the last half-century -and he is also a fascinating figure offscreen. Brian Scott Mednick has done a four-star job of capturing his life and times."- Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times