Jack Wild

Jack Wild was a compact dark-haired English juvenile lead of the late 1960s and early 70s. An enthusiastic singer and hoofer, Wild gained international notice as The Artful Dodger opposite Mark Lester's wan blond Oliver Twist in "Oliver!" (1968), Carol Reed's lavish film version of Lionel Bart's musical take on the Charles Dickens story. Wild's lively rendition of the showstopper "Consider Yourself" helped him net an Oscar nomination. Moving to Hollywood to exploit his new teen idol status, Wild was showcased in the campy and crypto-druggie kid's show, "H. R. Pufnstuf" (NBC, 1969-71; ABC, 1972-73). This Sid and Marty Krofft production featured Wild amid a gaggle of puppets and folks in elaborate costumes as a boy who is marooned with his magic talking flute in an enchanted land presided over by Mayor Pufnstuf, a friendly dragon, and bedeviled by the evil Witchiepoo, who schemes to steal the flute for herself. Wild reprised this role for a feature version, "Pufnstuf" (1970).

Wild re-teamed with Lester for "Melody" (1971) to play a pair of teens who rebel against the adult establishment. He was pursued by an evil Ron Moody in the cloying but diverting "Flight of the Doves" (1971), but was demoted to supporting status for "The Pied Piper" (1972), Jacques Demy's dark and unsettling children's story. By 1976, he was co-starring in a British "adult" feature, "Keep It Up Downstairs," playing one Peregrine Cockshute. Wild returned to familiar territory in a supporting role in "Our Mutual Friend," a "Masterpiece Theatre" (PBS, 1978) miniseries adaptation of the Dickens novel and returned to the big screen with a small role in the Kevin Costner vehicle "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" (1991).