Yvonne Wilder

Yvonne Wilder (born Yvonne Othon, September 21, 1937 – November 24, 2021) was an American actress, comedian, writer, and artist. She appeared in West Side Story on stage and in the 1961 film, and had a busy career in American television from the 1960s into the 1990s.

Yvonne Wilder
A young fair-skinned woman, with short dark hair and dark eyes
Othon (later Wilder), from a 1962 newspaper
Born
Yvonne Othon

September 21, 1937
New York City, New York, U.S.
DiedNovember 24, 2021 (aged 84)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1959–1993

Early life

Yvonne Othon was born in the Bronx, New York City. Her parents were from Cuba and Puerto Rico, but Othon did not learn to speak Spanish as a child.[1] She attended the High School for Performing Arts, with further training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.[2]

Career

As a young actress and dancer, Yvonne Othon appeared in shows starring Imogene Coca[3] and Carol Burnett. While she was studying in London, Othon appeared in a West End production of West Side Story,[4] and later played Anita in the first international touring company of the show.[5] Othon's first screen credit was as Consuelo in West Side Story (1961).[6][7][8] She and Rita Moreno were among the few Puerto Rican performers playing Puerto Rican characters in the film,[9] and they both worked with Natalie Wood on her accent as Maria.[10] She attended some reunion events related to West Side Story.[9] "She was a worldly, wiseass New Yorker, intelligent and very funny," recalled her friend and fellow dancer from West Side Story, actress Nobuko Miyamoto.[4]

Wilder was also known for roles in the vampire film, The Return of Count Yorga (1971), which she co-wrote;[11] and in Silent Movie (1976), Bloodbrothers (1978), Why Not Stay for Breakfast? (1979), The Last Married Couple in America (1980), and Seems Like Old Times (1980).[2]

Most of Wilder's work was in television, including roles in Hennesey (1962),[5] CBS Workshop (1964), Hey, Landlord (1967), Bracken's World (1969), Room 222 (1969–1970), The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1972), The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1972), The Partridge Family (1971–1972), The Girl with Something Extra (1973), Death Sentence (1974), On the Rocks (1975–1976), The Practice (1976), Police Story (1977), Operation Petticoat (1977–1978),[12] The Tenth Month (1979), One Day at a Time (1979), Archie Bunker's Place (1981–1982), Mama's Family (1983), Gimme a Break! (1986–1987), 227 (1988), The Equalizer (1986–1989), and Full House (1988–1991).[2]

Wilder was also half of a comedy duo with Jack Colvin.[13][14] Later in life, she was a painter and sculptor,[2] and wrote a play, Weehawken, performed in Los Angeles in 1988.[15]

Personal life

Wilder married five times. Her third husband was Bob Kelljan (Robert Kelluchian). Her fifth husband was Zach Kleiman. She had one son, Chris.[12] She died at home in Los Angeles on November 24, 2021, at the age of 84.[2]

References
  1. "Yvonne Wilder: 'I've Always Been Funny'". The Pittsburgh Press. May 28, 1978. p. 153. Retrieved December 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. Littleton, Cynthia (December 3, 2021). "Yvonne Wilder, Actor Known for 'West Side Story' and 'Seems Like Old Times,' Dies at 84". Variety. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  3. Wallace, Kenneth G. (July 28, 1959). "Imogene Coca Tops Tappan Zee Musical". The Record. p. 31. Retrieved December 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. Miyamoto, Nobuko (June 15, 2021). Not Yo' Butterfly: My Long Song of Relocation, Race, Love, and Revolution. Univ of California Press. pp. 73–74. ISBN 978-0-520-38065-3.
  5. "Admiral is No Big Shot to Yvonne Othon". Jefferson City Post-Tribune. March 16, 1962. p. 14. Retrieved December 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. Lenker, Maureen Lee (May 6, 2021). "The cheekiest line from this iconic 'West Side Story' song was actually improvised". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  7. Blum, Daniel (1962). Screen World 1962. Biblo & Tannen Publishers. p. 97. ISBN 978-0-8196-0303-6.
  8. Chakiris, George (March 1, 2021). My West Side Story: A Memoir. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 70. ISBN 978-1-4930-5548-7.
  9. Yamamoto, J. K. (December 15, 2011). "Still One of the Sharks: Nobuko Miyamoto Looks Back at 'West Side Story' 50 Years Later". Rafu Shimpo. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  10. Barrios, Richard (June 30, 2020). West Side Story: The Jets, the Sharks, and the Making of a Classic. Running Press. ISBN 978-0-7624-6946-8.
  11. "Drama Roles Aided Quarry". The Leaf-Chronicle. September 26, 1971. p. 37. Retrieved December 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. Kleiner, Dick (November 11, 1977). "Viewers Wild Over Wilder". Fort Lauderdale News. p. 118. Retrieved December 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. Thompson, Ruth (May 28, 1966). "'Hamlet' Proves Good Luck Piece for Colvin & Wilder". The Brattleboro Reformer. p. 10. Retrieved December 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. Brown, Vivian (July 21, 1966). "Comedy Team Tells Teens to Laugh". The Shreveport Journal. p. 12. Retrieved December 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. Arkatov, Janice (April 17, 1988). "Modern Notions of Love in 'Weehawken' at Tiffany". Los Angeles Times. p. 52 – via ProQuest.
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