Kiss Me Like a Stranger
Tickets $10 on sale at Pages Books & Magazines, 256 Queen St West, Toronto; and the Bloor Cinema, 506 Bloor St West.
An evening with Gene Wilder, in celebration of his new memoir Kiss Me Like a Stranger. Presented by This Is Not A Reading Series, H.B. Fenn & Co., and NOW Magazine.
“Pure Gene Wilder! Uproarishly funny and at times very moving. It made me want to go out and see every Gene Wilder movie again.” — Mel Brooks, on Kiss Me Like a Stranger
“I always knew Gene Wilder was a remarkable person, but I didn’t know how remarkable until I read this brave, riveting book.” Charles Grodin, on Kiss Me Like a Stranger
This Is Not A Reading Series and H.B Fenn & Co. invite you to celebrate the publication of Kiss Me Like a Stranger, the new memoir from acclaimed actor, director and writer Gene Wilder. You loved Gene Wilder in films like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Silver Streak, Young Frankenstein, The Producers and Blazing Saddles. Now you can see him live on stage in an intimate interview with veteran broadcaster Ralph Benmergui. Accompanied by clips from many of his feature films, Gene Wilder will talk about his life, loves and career. Hear him speak about his early days as a struggling stage actor, about his first big break in the Hollywood feature Bonnie and Clyde, about his marriage to the late Gilda Radner and his struggle to find love again, and about working with brilliant talents like Mel Brooks, Sydney Poitier, Zero Mostel, Richard Pryor and Madeline Kahn. Come, hear Gene Wilder talk about his life, then purchase a copy of Kiss Me Like a Stranger and get it signed by the man himself! (Mr Wilder will not be signing other memorabilia.)
Also, purchase your copy of Kiss Me Like a Stranger at this event, or at Pages Books & Magazines (with your event ticket), and you could be one of three lucky people to take away a prize pack of books, dvds and gift certificates!
In this personal book from the star of many beloved and classic film comedies, Gene Wilder writes about a side of his life the public hasn’t seen on the screen. Kiss Me Like a Stranger is not an autobiography in the usual sense of the word, and it’s certainly not another celebrity “tell-all.” Instead, Wilder has chosen to write about resonant moments in his life, events that led him to an understanding of the art of acting, and — more important — to an understanding of how to give love to and receive love from a woman. In this book, he talks about everything from his experiences in psychoanalysis to why he got into acting and later comedy (his first goal was to be a Shakespearean actor), and how a Midwestern childhood with a sick mother changed him. Wilder explains why he became an actor and writer, and about the funny, wonderful movies he made with Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, Richard Pryor, and Harrison Ford, among many others. He candidly reveals his failures in love, and writes about the overwhelming experience of marrying comedienne Gilda Radner, as well as what finally had to happen for him to make a true and lasting commitment to another woman.
Gene Wilder has been acting since he was thirteen. After a small role in Bonnie and Clyde pulled him away from a career onstage, he was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor for his role as Leo Bloom in The Producers, which led to Blazing Saddles and then to another Academy nomination, this time for writing Young Frankenstein. Wilder has appeared in twenty-five feature films and a number of stage productions. He lives in Connecticut with his wife, Karen.
Ralph Benmergui is host of Benmergui in the Morning on JAZZ.FM91. The four-time Gemini Award-nominee has hosted Benmergui Live and Not Just The News on CBC Newsworld as well as CBC Radio Noon and CBC-TV’s Midday and Friday Night! He has interviewed personalities from heads of state including Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu and Pakistan’s Benazir Bhutto to Hollywood stars such as Robin Williams and John Travolta. Executive-producer of the award-winning CBC television show Nerve, Benmergui has also appeared in films, television and on stage with guest appearances on Street Legal, Made In Canada and performances at the Just For Laughs comedy festival. Benmergui was born in Tangiers, Morocco, and raised in Toronto.
