Sirrich3
03-02-2006, 08:55 PM
LONDON (Mar. 2) - Actor Jack Wild, best known for playing the Artful Dodger as a teenager in the 1968 film "Oliver!," has died from cancer at age 53.
Nominated for an Oscar for his "Oliver!" role when he was just 16, Wild 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 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."
http://articles.news.aol.com/movies/article.adp?id=20060302063509990017&ncid=NWS00010000000001
Nominated for an Oscar for his "Oliver!" role when he was just 16, Wild 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 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."
http://articles.news.aol.com/movies/article.adp?id=20060302063509990017&ncid=NWS00010000000001