Gene Wilder - Atheist [View all]

[stopbush]

Sad to see him go. He was suffering from Alzheimer's.

He came out as an atheist at a time when one could be severely ostracized for their non-belief. The man had guts.

In the book Stars of David: Prominent Jews Talk About Being Jewish (by Abigail Pogrebin) Wilder states, "Well, I'm a Jewish-Buddhist-Atheist, I guess." He was Jewish in descent and a Godless Buddhist.[1]

Wilder was the subject of a prolonged interview on "Inside the Actor's Studio." That program was cablecast during Fall of 1998 on Bravo, a US-based cable television network. The instructor-host asked the famous comic actor what heaven is. Wilder responded by saying that he is not sure if heaven exists and immediately added that everyday life can be thought of as heaven.