THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory' over 54 years later

Peter Ostrum was scouted for the role of Charlie at 12 while he was participating in a local children's theater.

No script existed at that point, so his audition consisted of him reading from Dahl's novel "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."

"Willy Wonka" remains Ostrum's only feature-film credit.

He told the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association in 2000 that while people often think acting is "glamorous," he found it to be a rather "difficult profession."

Instead, he became a doctor of veterinary medicine in 1984 after attending Cornell University.

Before retiring, he worked as a vet at New York's Countryside Veterinary Clinic, mainly working with dairy cows.

From the moment he somersaulted out of his factory, the characters (and the audience) were captivated by Gene Wilder as the titular Willy Wonka.

Before signing on to the role, the actor was best known for movies like "Bonnie and Clyde" (1967) and "The Producers" (1967).

Wilder is still perhaps best known for "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" (1971), but he went on to an illustrious acting career after the film.

He starred in "Blazing Saddles" (1974), cowrote and starred in "Young Frankenstein" (1974), and gave a Golden Globe-nominated performance in "Silver Streak" (1976).

The actor also went on to star on the NBC sitcom "Something Wilder," and he had a two-episode arc on NBC's "Will and Grace," which earned him an Emmy. 

After 2003, he pivoted away from acting and published a few books, including his 2005 memoir, "Kiss Me Like a Stranger: My Search for Love and Art."

He died in 2016 at the age of 83 after experiencing complications from Alzheimer's disease.

Julie Dawn Cole brought bratty Veruca Salt to life in her first-ever acting role.

After "Willy Wonka," the actor largely found success on TV on shows like ITV's "And Mother Makes Three," BBC's "Angels," BBC's "Poldark," ITV's "Married for Life," and BBC's "Casualty."

In 2011, Cole published her memoir, "I Want It Now! A Memoir of Life on the Set of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory."

After 2013, she became a psychotherapist at a cancer center. She told blog From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle-Grade Authors that she switched careers because "it was time to do something more meaningful."

But she still posts about "Willy Wonka" on her Instagram.

The champion gum-chewer Violet Beauregarde was played by Denise Nickerson. 

Before joining the cast, the actor was best known for her roles on ABC's "Dark Shadows."

She went on to star on PBS' "The Electric Company," and she had a guest role on ABC's "The Brady Bunch" before her final acting role in "Zero to Sixty" (1978). 

At the age of 21, she stepped away from acting and became a receptionist. 

Nickerson died in 2019 at the age of 62 after complications from seizures and a stroke.

Paris Themmen was just under 12 when he took on his first major role in "Willy Wonka." Before that, he'd appeared in multiple television commercials and acted on Broadway. 

After working on the film, he appeared in a handful of acting projects, including an episode of UPN's "Star Trek: Voyager." He also stepped behind the camera to assistant direct "The Owner" (2012).

But he also developed a passion for traveling. Themmen backpacked through more than 30 countries by his 30th birthday, and by 2015, he'd hit 60 countries. He even cofounded a travel service. 

Since "Willy Wonka," he's worked in everything from real estate to Walt Disney Imagineering to financial consulting, and he also appeared as a contestant on "Jeopardy" in 2018.

Michael Bollner starred as Augustus Gloop, the first child to fall victim to the Wonka factory. 

It was his only acting role, and instead of pursuing more after "Willy Wonka," he went to law school.

As of 2016, he was working as a tax lawyer in Munich.

Jack Albertson took on the role of Charlie's Grandpa Joe, who accompanied him on the tour of the factory.

The actor's successful career began in the 1940s and stretched on for four decades.

He's well known for projects like NBC's " The Thin Man," "Son of Flubber" (1963), "The Subject Was Roses" (1968), NBC's "Ensign O'Toole," and ITV's "Police Surgeon."

After "Willy Wonka," he starred in "The Poseidon Adventure" (1972) and on NBC's "Chico and the Man." He also voiced a character in "The Fox and the Hound" (1981).

His final acting credit was in the TV movie "Terror at Alcatraz" (1982), but he died of cancer in 1981 at the age of 74. 

Diana Sowle appeared in the film as the hardworking (and often underappreciated) Mrs. Bucket.

It was her first film role, but she'd done some theater work in Germany before taking it on.

After "Willy Wonka," Sowle appeared in "Guarding Tess" (1994) and "Clear and Present Danger" (1994), and she voiced characters for two of the "Fall Out" video games. 

The actress was also a longtime performer in the murder-mystery play "Shear Madness."

She died in 2018 at the age of 88.

Rival candy maker Arthur Slugworth was played by German actor Günter Meisner. 

Before "Willy Wonka," he started appearing in both German and English-language films and TV series in 1957.

Among dozens of other roles, he was well known for his portrayal of Adolf Hitler on ITV's "Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years," in "Ace of Aces" (1982), and on ABC's "The Winds of War."

Meisner died of heart failure in 1994 at the age of 68.

A group of 10 actors played the Wonka factory's Oompa Loompas, including Rusty Goffe, who was heavily featured in the film. 

It was his first film role, and he went on to appear in "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope" (1977), "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" (1979), "Willow" (1988), "Fred Claus" (2007), and four of the "Harry Potter" movies. He was also on BBC's "Stupid."

Most recently, Goffe appeared in "Spidarlings" (2016). 

This story was originally published on March 20, 2021, and most recently updated on March 7, 2025.