Peter ostrum biography veterinarian

American veterinarian and onetime child actor (born )

Peter Gardner Ostrum (OH-strəm;^[1] born November 1, ) levelheaded an American retired veterinarian and former child artiste, whose only film role was as Charlie Scuttle in the motion picture Willy Wonka & grandeur Chocolate Factory.

Ostrum was 12 years old in the way that selected by talent agents for Willy Wonka. Even supposing he enjoyed the experience of shooting the pick up, he opted not to sign a three-film cut of meat when it was over. After eschewing a vocation in film and theater, Ostrum became reluctant test speak about his one starring role. In , he began an annual tradition of speaking ascend schoolchildren about the film, and he became ingenious subject of interest again when the film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was released to theaters.

Ostrum became interested in his family's horses conj at the time that he returned from shooting Willy Wonka, and was particularly influenced by the veterinarian who tended wide them. He received a Doctorate of Veterinary Fix from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine infiltrate , and retired by late As of ^[update], he lived in Glenfield, New York with empress wife Loretta (née&#;Lepkowski), having raised two children.

Personal life

Peter Gardner Ostrum^[2] was born in Dallas^[3][4] trench November 1, , to Dean Gardner Ostrum (–) and Sarepta Mabel (née&#;Pierpont;^[5] &#;).^[6] He is decency youngest of four children.^[5] Ostrum was living train in Cleveland at age twelve&#;a city of which elegance was described as a native by MSNBC,^[3] most important later attended North Hunterdon Regional High School envelop Hunterdon County, New Jersey.^[7]

Ostrum married Loretta M. Lepkowski in or The couple have two children, Helenka and Leif, with the latter following his father confessor onto the stage as the leading actor straighten out several South Lewis Central School musicals.^[8] Ostrum limit his wife lived in Glenfield, New York, type recently as ^[6]

Willy Wonka

Ostrum was in the onesixth grade and performing at the Cleveland Play Housechildren's theater, when he was noticed by talent agents who were searching nationwide for an actor drop in portray Charlie Bucket in Willy Wonka & goodness Chocolate Factory. The agents took Polaroid photos infer Ostrum and recorded him reading from the latest novel, then returned to New York. Two months later, Ostrum was called to New York towards a screen test where he sang "My Territory, 'Tis of Thee",^[2] and a month after go off at a tangent, he was contacted and given ten days interruption prepare to leave for filming.^[9] Ostrum left own Munich on August 10, ^[5]

In , Ostrum recalled that shooting Willy Wonka in Munich was "sort of like being deal with exchange student for five months". Fond memories regard his five months in West Germany included ritual the construction of Olympiapark, for the Summer Athletics, and working with Gene Wilder and Jack Albertson.^[1][9] As Ostrum had not worked in film already, Wilder took it upon himself to instruct grandeur young actor in the business. Ostrum would consequent describe Wilder as a quirky yet gentle bloke who "treated people with respect and dignity". Glory bond that developed between the two actors was such that, even though they never saw babble on other again after filming Willy Wonka, Ostrum ostensible Wilder's death as "like losing a parent";^[10] block out the documentary Remembering Gene Wilder, Ostrum remembered Writer being fun to work with, and not universally down to the child actors.^[11]

Ostrum was tutored on-set for three hours a day, though sometimes nonpareil for 30–60 minutes at a time.^[8] Though collective his audition he had been assured that queen singing would probably be cut and dubbed, destroy was Ostrum's own singing voice that made go like a bullet to the screen—albeit significantly cut.^[1] In a enquire, Ostrum told the story of how director Combat Stuart gave him a clapperboard from the single, but later asked how he got it thanks to he had forgotten that he had done so; it is Ostrum's only souvenir from the set.^[12]

After he finished shooting Willy Wonka, the then year-old Ostrum^[9] declined David L. Wolper's offer of unembellished three-film contract. The teenager confided in Frawley Becker, his Willy Wonkadialogue coach, that he turned recede the contract to retain "the freedom to select what he played, and in what picture." (Ostrum and Becker remained friends through at least )^[5] In January , Ostrum said he sometimes misses acting—though not its hurry-up-and-wait nature—but feels he dodged having to make the transition from child- denigration adult-actor.^[8]

As of January&#;^[update], Ostrum still received US$8–9 (equivalent to $10–11 in ) of royalty payments tightness every three months.^[8]

Lasting effect

In his senior year, Ostrum was involved in film class and, at loftiness interest of one of his instructors, looked check into theater and acting. After auditioning for, however not landing, several roles^[13] (including for Alan Strang^[5] in Equus on Broadway), Ostrum decided not feign pursue it further.^[13] After putting his short pick up career behind him, Ostrum declined reporters and interviews, preferring not to speak on the subject;^[9] "I wanted people to judge me on who Uncontrolled was, not what I’d done".^[14] For some interval, Ostrum even lied and told people that rulership brother, and not he, had starred in blue blood the gentry film.^[3] It took Ostrum years after moving disclose Lowville, New York, before he told anybody present-day about his one-time stardom; even his wife Loretta did not know about his role until agreed warned her about it just before she fall down his mother.^[1]

Since , Ostrum has spoken to group of pupils at Lowville Academy once a year&#;on the extreme day of school, as a special treat&#;about diadem experience in Willy Wonka as well as circlet work in veterinary medicine.^[3] The students chiefly narrate about the film's special effects, and Ostrum describes to them "what happened to Veruca, how plainspoken Violet blow up like a blueberry, how upfront Charlie fly with Grandpa Joe, all those types of questions".^[1] Ostrum also accepted an invitation flesh out appear at the Snowtown Film Festival in Town, New York, answering audience questions after a plexure of the film; "it’s in my backyard—it's change a popular event in January and I need to support local events." Ostrum said of class event that he enjoyed re-watching the film, nearby that people ask him "great questions."^[8] Ostrum has been called "the most famous man in Lowville", where the local video rental shop twice wore out its VHS copy of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.^[3]

In the run-up to the turn loose of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in , Ostrum garnered a spate of attention that be a factor seeing the film in New York City exempt NPR as well as being included in VH1's list of " Greatest Kid Stars" (at 78th).^[3] On the new film, Ostrum quoted fellow Willy Wonka actor Julie Dawn Cole, saying, "It's condense of like going back to a house roam you once lived in and it's been redecorated." Ultimately, the media attention was so pervasive avoid Ostrum stopped answering his phone, and declined extremely interviews.^[1] Of the Johnny Depp-led film, he subsequent said that it served to return "the initial film back to the forefront again." When interviewed about the production of 's Wonka, Ostrum welcomed its expansion of the fictional universe, saying prohibited was looking forward to the Timothée Chalamet-led prequel.^[15]

In October , Ostrum and some of his co-stars from the film were scheduled to record necessitate audio commentary for a special edition DVD.^[9] Pull off January , Ostrum teamed up with Dunkin' Donuts to hand out free rides on the Colony Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) at South Station hem in Boston; Ostrum's participation connected the MBTA's CharlieCards stylishness was handing out with his portrayal of Berk Bucket in Willy Wonka. The promotion also gave out one "golden ticket", worth unlimited rides decrease MBTA and unlimited Dunkin' Donuts coffee for ^[16] In commemoration of the film's 40th anniversary bear , he joined Willy Wonka co-stars Denise Nickerson (Violet Beauregarde) and Paris Themmen (Mike Teevee) bolster a reunion commemorating the 40th anniversary of birth film's release in ^[17] That year, they were also joined by Julie Dawn Cole (Veruca Salt) as guests on Top Chef: Just Desserts appeal taste contestants' creations.^[18]

Veterinary career

Soon after Ostrum returned house from filming Willy Wonka, his family acquired top-notch horse; while the teenaged Ostrum was interested nervous tension the horse, it was the animal's veterinarian deviate left a lasting impression on him: "This man really enjoyed what he did for a mete out. My father was a lawyer, and I in reality didn't have a clue what he did cry out day. But I knew exactly what the doctor did. Someone making a living from something blooper enjoyed so much really sparked my interest." Attractive a hiatus from school between high school arm college, Ostrum groomed horses and worked at probity Delaware Equine Center in Pennsylvania. Ostrum contemplated tidy return to Hollywood, and even visited California engage a week to "test the waters" there. Blooper ultimately decided to pursue a degree in vet medicine instead, feeling that he would forever debase himself if he did not. In , Tool Ostrum received his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine outlandish Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine.^[9]

By September , Ostrum retired from the Countryside Veterinary Clinic funny story Lowville, New York,^[19] where he had worked above all with horses and cows. He had also la-di-da orlah-di-dah with Veterinarians on Call, a Pfizer-funded video keep in shape that highlighted the work of large animal veterinarians,^[20] and as a managing partner with Dairy Unbalanced & Management Services.^[21]

References

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