Jack Wild

At the time of his death, he and his wife, Claire, had been working on his autobiography. She said: 'All the material was there when Jack died, it just needed rearranging, editing, and, in certain sections, writing out from transcripts Jack and I made as we recorded him talking about his life.' The book, It's a Dodger's Life was published in 2016 with a foreword by Pufnstuf co-star Billie Hayes, an afterword by Clive Francis, and an epilogue by his wife.

Jack died after a long battle with cancer on March 1, 2006. He is buried in Toddington Parish Cemetery, Bedfordshire.

In 2000, Wild was diagnosed with oral cancer, blaming the disease on his drinking and smoking habits. He underwent chemotherapy immediately and had a piece of his tongue and both vocal cords removed in July 2004, leaving him unable to speak. Wild had to communicate through his second wife, Claire L. Harding, for the rest of his life. The two met when he was working with her in Jack and the Beanstalk in Worthing. They married in Bedford in September 2005.

However, by now Wild was becoming tired of being typecast in younger roles. He was 17 years old when he played the 11 year-old lead in H.R. Pufnstuf. In 1999, Wild lamented, "When I first entered in the show business, of course I didn't mind playing younger roles. However it did bug me when I would be twenty-one being offered the role of a thirteen-year-old. I'm not saying I didn't enjoy playing these roles; I had barrels of fun, I just wanted more serious and dramatic roles; it's that simple."

He returned to the big screen in a few minor roles, such as in the 1991 Kevin Costner film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and as a peddler in Basil (1998). For the most part, he spent the remainder of his career working in theatre. His last major appearance was as the male lead, "Mouse", in Tayla Goodman's rock musical Virus. The show ran for two weeks at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham. For his final film appearance, he had a minor role in Moussaka & Chips (2000), where he once again worked with Ron Moody.

Wild eventually became sober on 6 March 1989 after joining the support group, Alcoholics Victorious.

Wild first met Welsh-born actress Gaynor Jones when they were around 12 years old at the Barbara Speake stage school. After he left in 1966, he did not see her again until Christmas of 1970. They married on 14 February 1976. She left him in 1985 because of his chronic drinking.

By 1973, aged 21, he was an alcoholic and diabetic. After exhausting his remaining fortune, Wild lived with his retired father for a few years. His alcoholism caused three cardiac arrests and resulted in numerous hospital stays. In 1981 he was supposed to star with Suzi Quatro in a series about a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde for British television, but it was cancelled at the last minute. His alcoholism ruined both his career and marriage to Gaynor Jones, who left him in 1985 because of his excessive drinking. He later admitted his alcoholism was so debilitating that he was incapable of performing any kind of work.

Other roles followed, including the films Melody (1971) (with Oliver! co-star Mark Lester) and Flight of the Doves (1971). The latter film reunited him with Ron Moody, who had played Fagin in Oliver!. In 1972, Wild appeared as a stowaway in an episode of the BBC TV's The Onedin Line. In 1973 he played Reg in The 14, a film directed by David Hemmings about children in London's East End orphaned by the death of their mother.

Wild also embarked on a recording career, releasing The Jack Wild Album for Capitol Records containing the single "Some Beautiful" that received considerable exposure on Radio Luxembourg but did not chart well. Wild also released the albums Everything's Coming Up Roses and Beautiful World for Buddah Records in the early 1970s.

During the early 1970s, Wild was considered a teen heartthrob, alongside David Cassidy and Barry Williams.

Wild is also known for his roles as Jimmy in the NBC children's television series H.R. Pufnstuf (1969) and in the accompanying 1970 feature film as well as Much the Miller's Son in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991).

Wild was chosen to play the Artful Dodger for the 1968 movie version of Oliver!. His performance received critical acclaim and several nominations:

It was at the 1968 premiere of Oliver! that Wild met brothers Sid and Marty Krofft, who thought he would make a good lead for a show they were developing called H.R. Pufnstuf. Wild starred in this American family television series that launched in 1969. H.R. Pufnstuf was also a segment in the second (and final) season of The Banana Splits Adventure Hour, despite two episodes remaining unaired until 2018. Wild also starred in the film Pufnstuf (1970), filmed shortly after production on the television show had concluded.

In the spring of 1966, Wild left the stage show of Oliver! to make the film serial Danny the Dragon for the Children's Film Foundation.

The Wild brothers sought acting roles to supplement their parents' income. In the autumn of 1964 the pair were cast in the West End theatre production of Lionel Bart's Oliver!. Arthur in the title role and Jack as Charley Bates, a member of Fagin's gang.

Wild was born into a working class family in Royton, Lancashire. In 1960, at the age of eight, with his parents and his older brother Arthur, he moved to Hounslow, in Middlesex, where he got a job helping the milkman, which paid about five shillings.

Jack Wild (30 September 1952 – 1 March 2006) was an English actor and singer, best known for his debut role as the Artful Dodger in Oliver! (1968), for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor as well as Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations.