Free Republic

Jack Wild, who died on Wednesday night of oral cancer aged 53, was a classic case of a child actor who found success too early; aged 16 he won an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of The Artful Dodger in the Lionel Bart/Carol Reed film Oliver! (1968), but within a few years he had begun a downward spiral into depression and alcoholism. Discovered by the theatrical agent June Collins while kicking a football in a London park with her son, the future rock star Phil Collins, Wild was enrolled in the Barbara Speake Stage School and...

LONDON -- Jack Wild, the actor appeared who in the movie musical "Oliver!" as the irrepressible Artful Dodger, has died, his agent said Thursday. He was 53. Wild died Wednesday after a battle with mouth cancer, agent Alex Jay said. As a child actor, Wild appeared in a London stage production of "Oliver!", Lionel Bart's adaptation of Charles Dickens' "Oliver Twist." He was cast in the film as cheeky pickpocket the Artful Dodger, earning an Academy Award nomination at the age of 16. He was known to a generation of children as the hero of "HR Pufnstuf," a U.S. television...