Jack Wild was born on September 30, 1952, in Royton, near Oldham, England. He was discovered by talent agent June Collins, mother of rock star Phil Collins, and his breakthrough came when he landed the role of Oliver in the London stage production of "Oliver!".
When it came to casting the film adaptation, Wild was cast as the Artful Dodger, a role that earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Following this success, he was offered the lead role in the American television series "H.R. Pufnstuf" (1969),a production by Sid Krofft and Marty Krofft featuring Wild as a boy marooned in an enchanted land with puppets and actors in elaborate costumes.
The success of the program led to Wild reprising the role for the film version, "Pufnstuf" (1970). He went on to appear in other roles, including "Melody" (1971) and "Flight of the Doves" (1971). Around the same time, Wild released three albums: "The Jack Wild Album", "Everything's Coming up Roses", and "Beautiful World", featuring several cover numbers and a couple of new songs written by up-and-coming songwriter Lynsey de Paul.
By 1972, however, Wild's career began to decline, and he was demoted to supporting roles in films like "The Pied Piper" (1972). He also appeared in "Our Mutual Friend" (1976). Wild returned to films in the 1990s, with small roles in "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" (1991) and "Basil" (1998).
In July 2004, Wild underwent surgery for oral cancer, and had some vocal cords and part of his tongue removed. Unfortunately, the cancer proved untreatable, and he passed away on March 1, 2006.
