Who REALLY won the Golden Ticket? As Hollywood adds more cinematic sugar to Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory with a big-budget prequel, a look back at the VERY mixed fortunes of its original cast

For some it is the definitive Roald Dahl adaptation, a claim no doubt bolstered by the legendary author co-writing the screenplay from his own 1964 novel. 

Featuring Gene Wilder in what would become his best known role and an international cast of short-limbed actors as the disconcerting Oompa Loompas, Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory enthralled children and adults alike following its release in 1971. 

But 52-years after it hit cinemas, Hollywood will breathe new life into the charismatic character and his team of little helpers with the Christmas unveiling of forthcoming film Wonka. 

While any thought of a like-for like reboot will likely have purists spitting out their Snickers in dismay, fans of Dahl’s iconic book and its subsequent adaptation have nothing to fear.  

This time round Timothée Chalamet will take Wilder’s role in an origin story that traces Wonka’s eccentric character and his early days as a budding chocolatier. 

It will also veer away from Johnny Depp‘s take on Wonka in Tim Burton‘s well received 2005 release Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – a film widely viewed as closer to the original source material than its 1971 predecessor. 

But as Wonka readies itself for public consumption, what became of those who helped transform Dahl’s slender novel into a swirling cinematic carousel of colour and movement, more than a half a century ago?

MailOnline has your Golden Ticket to all the answers…  

Fifty-two years after Gene Wilder took a starring role in Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (left) Timothée Chalamet will play the character in Wonka (right), an origin story that traces his early days as a budding chocolatier

1. GENE WILDER (WILLY WONKA)

Wilder was a household name long before he agreed to play Wonka, a decision that apparently dismayed Dahl. 

The author had wanted legendary Irish comedian Spike Milligan to take the role before producers approached the American star, who accepted on one condition. 

According to legend, he said: ‘When I make my first entrance, I’d like to come out of the door carrying a cane and then walk toward the crowd with a limp. After the crowd sees Willy Wonka is a cripple, they all whisper to themselves and then become deathly quiet. 

‘As I walk toward them, my cane sinks into one of the cobblestones I’m walking on and stands straight up, by itself; but I keep on walking, until I realize that I no longer have my cane. I start to fall forward, and just before I hit the ground, I do a beautiful forward somersault and bounce back up, to great applause.’ 

When asked why, he added: ‘From that time on, no one will know if I’m lying or telling the truth.’

(L-R) Jack Albertson, Peter Ostrum and Gene Wilder in Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory

Wilder (left in 2013) Wilder won praise from fans for his flamboyant portrayal of the charismatic factory owner (right)

While Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory was a commercial disappointment, it has remained popular with fans and is still one of Wilder’s best known film roles 

Wilder was granted his wish, and the rest as they say, is history, with the actor winning praise from fans for his flamboyant portrayal of the charismatic factory owner. 

The actor would enjoy further success with the release of controversial Western spoof Blazing Saddles in 1974, followed by a productive film partnership with comedian Richard Pryor. 

The pair would co-star in a series of Hollywood comedies, among them Stir Crazy, See No Evil Hear No Evil and Another You, throughout the 1980s. 

 Wilder died in 2016 aged 83 following a three-year battle with Alzheimer’s Disease. 

2. PETER OSTRUM (CHARLIE BUCKET)

Good-natured Charlie Bucket, the blonde-haired boy who won the lucky golden ticket, is now a 66-year-old vet who lives in New York state. 

Actor Peter Ostrum traded in the acting scene to become a respected veterinarian, after getting a doctorate from prestigious American university Cornell. 

He turned down a potentially lucrative three-film deal following his success in Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory to concentrate on his studies before specializing in treating cattle and horses.

Good-natured Charlie Bucket, played by Peter Ostrum, was the blonde-haired boy who won the lucky golden ticket in Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory 

Ostrum traded in the acting scene to become a respected veterinarian, after getting a doctorate from prestigious American university Cornell (pictured left in 1971 and right in 2022)

‘I will always cherish my memories of making the movie, but I feel I won the golden ticket by becoming a vet,’ he said of his career change in 2014 

As of September 2023 Ostrum was retired from his Countryside Veterinary Clinic in Lowville, New York state 

Discussing his acting career with the Daily Express in 2014, he recalled: ‘I began acting with the Cleveland Playhouse in Ohio which had a very successful children’s theatre. They were asked to suggest children for a new movie and the next thing I know, I’m cast as Charlie Bucket. 

‘I was offered a three-picture deal with the studio, but I decided not to pursue acting. Looking back, my pay cheque was paltry, but it was during filming that I really became interested in medicine. 

‘So I bought my first horse with my earnings and that started my current career path as a vet.

‘People tell me they watched Willy Wonka so many times growing up that they wore out their VHS copy. We had no idea we were making a classic, which even coined a new phrase: “I’ve found the golden ticket.”

‘I will always cherish my memories of making the movie, but I feel I won the golden ticket by becoming a vet.’ 

As of September 2023 Ostrum was retired from his Countryside Veterinary Clinic in Lowville. 

Julie Dawn Cole is best known for her role as Veruca Salt, the spoilt brat who belligerently begs her father to get her the goose that laid the golden eggs

She’s now a qualified psychotherapist but regularly revisits her childhood role, having starred in 2010 Edinburgh Fringe show Willy Wonka Revisited: The Veruca Salt Sessions (pictured left in 1971 and right in 2017)

The 66-year old mother of two from Guildford has starred on television shows including Fat Families, Emmerdale and EastEnders and hospital drama Holby City (pictured with Willy Wonka co-star Rusty Goffe in 2022)

(L-R) Julie Dawn Cole, Roy Kinnear, Denise Nickerson, Leonard Stone, Ursula Reit, Gene Wilder, Dodo Denney, Jack Albertson, Peter Ostrum, Paris Themmen and Michael Bollner in the film 

3. JULIE DAWN COLE (VERUCA SALT)

After belligerently begging her father to get her the goose that laid the golden eggs, Julie Dawn Cole, aka Veruca Salt, did pursue a long career in acting. 

The 66-year old mother of two from Guildford starred on television shows including Fat Families long-running soap operas Emmerdale and EastEnders, and hospital drama Holby City. 

She’s now a qualified psychotherapist but regularly revisits her childhood role, having starred in 2010 Edinburgh Fringe show Willy Wonka Revisited: The Veruca Salt Sessions.

Discussing the film and her precocious character’s lasting impact with Metro in 2022, she said: ‘People do tag me on social media closer to Christmas. It starts with Halloween because there’s always somebody who wants to dress up as Veruca.

‘The year before last, Dolly Parton dressed up as me and by God, she rocked that red dress – she looked amazing! And I think Sharon Osbourne did it the following year. There’s always someone – so it starts around Halloween.

‘Then people keep messaging me… Wonka tree ornaments, and they’re like “You’re hanging on our tree this year!”‘

Denise Nickerson ballooned before our eyes as Violet Beauregarde in the film, but later admitted to developing 13 cavities in her teeth while preparing for the role

Nickerson tragically died on July 10, 2019, aged 62, after she was rushed to hospital following an overdose of prescription medication (pictured in 2016)

The late actress will forever be known for her standout role as Violet Beauregarde (pictured with the Oompa Loompas)

4. DENISE NICKERSON (VIOLET BEAUREGARDE)

A plum role in the popular children’s film came at a price for actress Denise Nickerson, who later revealed it nearly cost her her teeth.

Nickerson, who ballooned before our eyes as Violet Beauregarde in the film, admitted to developing 13 cavities in her teeth while preparing for the role. 

The former child-star claimed the damage was was caused by the high-sugared Bazooka gum she munched on in order to get into character.

Nickerson was also a regular on TV shows such as Search for Tomorrow, The Brady Bunch, Dark Shadows and The Electric Company. 

Her last role was Zero To Sixty in 1978. 

Twice married, she eventually quit acting and worked as an accountant for an engineering plant and as an office manager at a doctor’s office. 

Nickerson shakes hands with leading man Gene Wilder in a scene from the iconic 1971 film 

Nickerson was also a regular on TV shows such as Search for Tomorrow, The Brady Bunch, Dark Shadows and The Electric Company (pictured with a spoof Golden Ticket in 2014)

In 2018 she was hospitalised after suffering a stroke before submitting herself to the care of family members. 

On July 8, 2019, the former actress was again rushed to hospital following an overdose of prescription medication and died on July 10, aged 62, after developing pneumonia and slipping into a coma. 

Nickerson’s family later confirmed the news on Facebook with a message that read: ‘She’s gone’ before revealing she died in her Colorado hospital bed at approximately 10:30pm local time.

5. PARIS THEMMEN (MIKE TEAVEE)

While he didn’t fully get his dream of becoming a TV star, Paris Themmen still works in the entertainment industry.

Boston-born Themmen had acted before his role as television-mad Mike, but took an official break from acting as a teenager ‘to be a kid’.

He’s taken occasional television roles in adulthood and other careers have included flirtations with film production and commercial casting.

Now 64, Themmen also now signs autographs at movie conventions, runs a photography business, and makes sporadic appearances in commercials, plays and on TV shows.

Speaking about his time on set with Gene Wilder and his cast-mates in Munich, where the film was largely shot, he told Collider: ‘It was surprising because we were in Germany, right next to Switzerland and Holland, where they make gorgeous chocolate. 

‘And yet, they shipped Hershey bars, Almond Joys and Mounds to us from America, so that was a bit of a crime against chocolate and humanity that they did that. There were definitely things for us to eat, dummy leaves and some marzipan things. 

‘I liked the gum, which wasn’t gum. It was actually taffy. It was the three-course gum, which wasn’t gum. It was taffy, but it was very yummy. I liked that one.’ 

Themmen currently resides in Los Angeles with wife of nine-years Nikki Grillos. 

Paris Themmen plated television mad Mike Teavee in Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (pcitured left in 191 and right in 2023)

(L-R) Augustus Gloop (Michael Bollner), Violet Beauregarde (Denise Nickerson), Gene Wilder (Willy Wonka), Charlie Bucket (Peter Ostrum), Veruca Salt (Julie Dawn Cole), and Mike Teavee (Paris Themmen)

6. MICHAEL BOLLNER (AUGUSTUS GLOOP)

Bollner, who played chocolate chomping chubby Augustus Gloop. still lives in Germany, but traded acting for tax; the chubby-cheeked child star is now an accountant in Munich.

The former actor. now 62, starred in a a handful of German language films after Willy Wonka, but quit soon after because his father wanted him to finish school.

Addressing his career change with Collider, Bollner said: ‘I run a little tax office in Munich, and we spend every Christmas together with my employees. 

‘Every two or three years, I show the Wonka movie. The film is not famous in Germany and my new employees have to know what a star their boss is.’ 

In an earlier interview with This Morning, the former actor admitted he had no idea the film would become so popular. 

‘I just went down to make this movie, stayed there for a few weeks and I didn’t really know what was going on,’ he recalled. ‘I thought, “This is just a movie and it will fade away very quickly.”‘ 

Bollner’s greedy character is famously sucked into a chocolate river in one famous scene from the film, but he admitted it was less enjoyable than it looks on-sreen.   

‘It was no chocolate at all, but just stinking water lying around for more weeks,’ he told Hollywood Reporter. ‘And it was dark water. I had to jump in that water, which was just 15 centimeters deep. 

‘There was a hole about three meters [wide], and I had to hit the hole, which was not so easy as the water was very dark. So I was always afraid that I will hit my head on the ground of the river.’ 

Michael Bollner, who played chocolate chomping chubby Augustus Gloop (pictured). still lives in Germany

The chubby-cheeked child star is now an accountant in Munich after turning his back on acting in order to complete his studies (pictured in 2014)

Jack Albertson, who played Grandpa Joe (left), sadly passed away in November 1981 at the age of 74 from colorectal cancer (pictured right at the 7th annual People’s Choice Awards in 1981)

Albertson with Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory co-star Peter Ostrum take it easy between takes on the set of the 1971 film 

7. JACK ALBERTSON (GRANDPA JOE) 

Albertson who played Grandpa Joe, sadly passed away in November 1981 at the age of 74 from colorectal cancer.

Before his untimely death he had a successful career in acting, including various stints on Broadway and before Wonka he won an Academy Award For Best Supporting Actor in 1968 for his portrayal of John Cleary in The Subject Of Roses.

The seasoned actor also won a Tony Award for an earlier performance in a 1964 stage production of Roses, and was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame in 1977. 

8. RUSTY GOFFE (CHIEF OOMPA LOOMPA)

Rusty Goffe played the green-haired Chief Oompa Loompa in the 1971 film.

The British actor still appears in TV and movies and regularly updates his Twitter account, on which he once described himself as ‘Actor, Dwarf, Goblin, Basically short… but good ;)’

Later credits include Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Flash Gordon, Willow and numerous bit parts in Harry Potter films The Philosopher’s Stone, Prisoner of Azkaban, Order Of The Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows parts one and two. 

Now 75, the Kent-born star is an official member of the Grand Order of Water Rats, a fraternity of actors known for their benevolent work with associated charities. 

In 2019 he married girlfriend of 30-years Sarah on the island of Koh Samui in Thailand. 

Rusty Goffe played the green-haired Chief Oompa Loompa (pictured left in 1971 and right in 2022) 

A beloved English character actor, Roy Kinnear had already worked with The Beatles on their 1965 film Help! before starring as Henry Salt in Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (pictured)

Kinnear tragically died aged 54 on September 19 1988 after falling from a horse while filming The Return Of The Musketeers in Spain (pictured in 1988)

9. ROY KINNEAR (HENRY SALT) 

A beloved English character actor, Roy Kinnear had already worked with The Beatles on their 1965 film Help! before starring as Henry Salt in Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. 

His extensive film and TV career spanned more than 40-years and included roles in Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, The Four Musketeers, Herbie Goes To Monte Carlo and Hawk The Slayer. 

The actor welcomed three children during his 18-year marriage to actress Carmel Cryan, with two of them following their father into the entertainment industry.

Rory Kinnear would go on to become a hugely successful actor in his own right, while Kirsty would embark on a career behind the camera, as a casting director. 

The couple’s eldest daughter was a paraplegic and struggled with learning difficulties before her death in May 2020. 

Kinnear tragically died aged 54 on September 19 1988 after falling from a horse while filming The Return Of The Musketeers in Spain. 

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