Mary Joan Schutz-the ex-wife of American actor Gene Wilder! Know about her relationship and daughter Katharine Wilder!

Updated On March 18, 2024 | Published By: shahid | In Death , Divorce , Relationship

Mary Joan Schutz is the ex-wife of Gene Wilder. He was an actor, producer, director, author, and screenwriter. He was also good at singing. But Gene expired on 29 August 2016 at his home in Stamford Connecticut.

He had complications of Alzheimer’s disease which was diagnosed in 2013. Gene had kept this diagnosis a secret since he did not want to sadden the fans of his shows.

His nephew Jordan Walker-Pearlman said:

“The decision to wait until this time to disclose his condition wasn’t vanity, but more so than the countless young children that would smile or call out to him ‘there’s Willy Wonka,’ would not have to be then exposed to an adult referencing illness or trouble and causing delight to travel to worry, disappointment, or confusion. He simply couldn’t bear the idea of one less smile in the world.”

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Gene Wilder and Mary Joan Schutz-the relationship

Gene Wilder began dating Mary Joan Schutz a few months after he divorced his first wife, Mary Mercier (married from 1960 to 1965). Mary was the friend of Gene’s sister. And Mary was previously married and additionally had a daughter named Katharine from this previous relationship.

Katharine began to call Gene’s dad and hence he decided to go ahead and marry Mary Joan Schutz. They married on 27 October 1967. The same year, Gene also legally adopted Katharine.

But after seven years of married life, problems erupted in the couple’s relationship. Hence they divorced in 1974. The reason was the suspicion that Gene was dating his co-star of Young Frankenstein, Madeline Kahn.

After the divorce and when Gene began forming new relationships, he became estranged from Katharine.

About Katharine Wilder

Katharine’s birth name is not known but after Gene legally adopted her, her name was changed to Katharine Wilder. There is no information about Katharine’s age, date of birth or biological father’s name. She holds an American nationality. As regards her education, the search draws a blank.

Katharine had appeared in Murder on the Orient Express, Branagh Theatre Live: Romeo and Juliet, and Frontier. She is gorgeous with a pair of lovely blue eyes and light brown hair. More information about her body measurements is missing. She seems to be not on social media.

Her grandparents were Jeanne Baer Silberman (from Illinois) and William J. Silberman. She has an aunt named Corinne Silberman-Pearlman. She has a cousin named Jordan Walker-Pearlman.

Also, read Who is Jason Backe? Know about his age, married life with Ted Gibson

About Mary Joan Schutz

Mary Joan who is the real mother of Katharine Wilder separated from her husband Gene Wilder in 1974. There is no data related to her age, birth, parents, siblings, education, and ethnicity.

She had a friend in Gene’s sister who was Corinne. But it is not known whether Mary was into an independent career of her own.

Also, what she did for a living after she split from Gene is also known. Did Gene pay her spouse and child support? What were the terms and conditions of the divorce settlement? Was she still talking to Gene when he died? We have no answers to any of the above questions.

It is also not known where Mary now resides and how she is healthwise.

Source: Wikipedia, show biz post

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