Karen Boyer is the wife of a deceased American actor. singer and director Gene Wilder. He is known for his role as Willie Wonka in the hit movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971). In addition, his other work includes The producers, Young Frankenstein, and Silver Stripe.
Unlike other famous husbands, Karen has made a name for herself. She is a costume designer and is known for her work in Ava’s belongings (2015), Brightest star (2013), and The drowning (2016).
The couple was married for over 25 years until Gene’s death. However, there is not much information about Karen’s life before she met her husband. So, what was her early life like? Who are her parents?
Don’t worry because this article will give you all the answers you could possibly need about Karen Boyer. Today we will take a look at her career, relationship, net worth and more!
Who is Karen Boyer? Information about her early life and age
Karen Boyer is, as we said earlier, the wife of the late actor Gene Wilder. She was born on May 25, 1942, in Idaho, USA. She is the daughter of Elsie Boyer and Ira Boyer. Karen is 80 years old as of 2023 and her zodiac sign is Gemini.
The famous woman spent most of her childhood in her hometown next to her sister Nada Boyer but later moved to Montana where she attended Butte High School.
Karen with her family on her parents’ wedding day.As for her ethnicity, Karen belongs to white ancestry and is an American by nationality.
On the other hand, her old husband was born June 11, 1933to Jeanne Silberman and William J. Silberman.
Karen Boyer has had quite a few career paths
Gene Wilder’s wife used to work as a speech consultant and supervisor for the New York League for the Hard of Hearing. In addition to speech pathologist, Karen has also had the privilege of working in the entertainment industry. She has worked as a wardrobe supervisor and costume designer for many movies and TV series.
She is a costume designer and former speech consultant.Her first work as a wardrobe supervisor was in film The broken tower (2011). Likewise, a year later, she got the chance to work in two movies as a costume supervisor, Hell blenders and The letter. Her other work includes Baby girl (2013), Night of the Wolf (2014), and Ten thousand saints (2015).
In addition to all these, Karen received the most recognition for her work in Brightest stars (2013), Ava’s belongings (2015), and The drowning (2016).
Karen Boyer and Gene Wilder were together for over twenty five years, their long lasting marriage
The lovebirds became husband and wife On September 8, 1991. The couple had an incredible private wedding in Stamford Connecticut surrounded by their closest friends and relatives. According to Gene’s cousin, Jordan Walker-Pearlman, they spent their days playing tennis, writing and painting. Karen was by the actor’s side when he passed away in 2016.
The couple was together for more than 25 years.Speaking of their first meeting, the future husband and wife met in a clinic where Karen worked as a supervisor. Gene, on the other hand, visited the clinic while preparing for his role as a deaf person in the movie See no evil, hear no evil. Karen taught him the art of lip-reading. The duo later got back together and that’s how their love story began.
Despite being married for over 25 years, the couple had no children. However, Karen has a son named Kevin Webb from her previous relationship. He was born in November 1970 and is 52 years old as of 2023.
On the other hand, Wilder had adopted a daughter named Katharine Widler after marrying his ex-wife Maria-Joan Schutz. The father-daughter duo had a beautiful relationship, but it all changed after Katharine suspected he was having an affair with his co-star Madeline Kan.
Karen became the primary caregiver for her husband who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease
She was there for her actor hubby until his last day. Karen first noticed a change in Gene’s behavior after he yelled at their grandson and after the diagnosis came back the results claiming he had Alzheimer’s disease. It is a disease where the brain slowly starts to forget things to the point where one simply forgets how to breathe.
The actor died of complications from Alzheimer’s disease.Karen was there for him for the next six years, keeping a close eye on the actor. It was quite difficult and painful she explained,
“Agonizing. Every day and every time. I was with him as much as possible. Every time I saw him slipping away from me, it would affect my feeling. It was real – it made me feel sick because I was so sad.
Likewise, the actor’s wife to whom he had been married for 25 years also said that Gene had not spoken a word, but on the night he died, he looked her straight in the eye and said “I Trust You” three times in a row.
Karen Boyer’s husband died from complications of Alzheimer’s disease
Famous actor and director Gene Wilder lost his life to complications from Alzheimer’s disease August 29, 2016. He was then 83 years old. The actor was diagnosed with the disease three years earlier but decided to keep it away from his fans. Similarly, his cousin said during an interview:
“The decision to wait until this moment to disclose his condition was not vanity, but more so that the countless young children who would smile or call out to him ‘there’s Willy Wonka’ wouldn’t have to be exposed to a reference from an adult. illness or problems and causing wanderlust to lead to worry, disappointment or confusion. He just couldn’t bear the idea of one less smile in the world.”
Did Karen Boyer Marry After Her Husband’s Death?
No, Karen Boyer didn’t get married after Gene Wilder’s death. She lives a peaceful life by herself in her beautiful home in Stamford, Connecticut.
On the other hand, her late husband previously married three different women. The actor walked down the aisle with Mary Mercier On July 22, 1960but it didn’t work out and the couple divorced in 1965.
Likewise, he married Maria-Joan Schutz On October 27, 1967divorced in 1980. He later married Gilda Radner On September 14, 1984but Gilda died in May 1989 of ovarian cancer.
What is Karen Boyer doing these days?
Since the death of her beloved husband, Karen has been working day and night with the nonprofit Alzheimer’s Association to spread awareness and search for ways to cure the disease. Similarly, The Gates Foundation also announced that they would donate $100 million towards Alzheimer’s research and help eradicate the disease.
She is working with a non-profit organization to find a cure for the disease.In addition, Boyer was honored with the Hope Prize at the Alzheimer’s Association Gala for her hard work and dedication to the cause. According to her, she would proudly continue to use her late husband’s name until it brought in money for the organization.
Karen Boyer’s Net Worth; Is she as rich as her late husband?
The celebrity husband has made a name for himself in the entertainment field as a costume designer and is a former speech consultant. Karen has a total net worth of $1.5 million.
On the other hand, her late partner Gene Wilder had a total net worth of $20 million. He had made his fortune from his career as an actor, singer, director and writer.
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