Peter Ostrum
Encyclopedia
Peter Gardner Ostrum is an American
large animal veterinarian and former child actor
whose only film role was Charlie Bucket in the 1971
motion picture Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
. A native of Cleveland, Ostrum practices and lives in Lowville, New York
with his wife Loretta (née Lepkowski), and two children: his son Leif and daughter Helenka. Described as "the most famous man in Lowville", the village's video store
has twice worn out their VHS
copy of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.
children's theatre, when he was noticed by talent agent
s who were searching nationwide for the actor to portray Charlie Bucket in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
. The agents took Polaroid photo
s of Ostrum and recorded him reading from the original novel
before they returned to New York
. Two months later Ostrum was called to New York for a screen test
where he sang "My Country, 'Tis of Thee
", and a month after that he was contacted and given ten days to prepare to leave for filming.
In 2000, Ostrum recalled that shooting Willy Wonka in Munich
was "sort of like being an exchange student for five months." Fond memories of his five months in West Germany
included watching the construction of Olympiapark, Munich
for the 1972 Summer Olympics
, and working with Gene Wilder
and Jack Albertson
. Though in his audition he had been assured that his singing would probably be cut and dubbed
, it was Ostrum's own singing voice that made it to the screen—albeit significantly cut. In a 2011 interview, Ostrum told the story of how director Mel Stuart
gave him a clapperboard
from the film, and then forgot he had done so; it is Ostrum's only souvenir from the set. After he finished shooting Willy Wonka, the then-13 year old Ostrum declined the offer of a three-film contract, later recalling that "[e]verybody thinks that acting is such a glamorous profession, but it's a difficult profession."
of high school, Ostrum was involved in film class and, at the interest of one of his instructors, looked back into theatre and acting. After auditioning for, but not landing, several roles (including Equus
on Broadway
), Ostrum declined to pursue it further. After putting his short film career behind him, Ostrum eschewed reporters and interviews, preferring not to speak on the subject; "I wanted people to judge me on who I was, not what I’d done". For some time, Ostrum even lied and told people that his brother, and not he, had starred in the film. It took Ostrum years after moving to Lowville before he told anybody there about his one-time stardom; even his wife Loretta didn't know about his role until he warned her about it just before she met his mother.
In 1990, he was invited to speak to students at Lowville Academy by teacher Carol Reed, and has since spoken to students there once a year—on the last day of school, as a special treat—about his experience with Willy Wonka as well as his work in veterinary medicine. About the film, the students chiefly ask about the special effects, and Ostrum describes to them "what happened to Veruca, how did Violet blow up like a blueberry, how did Charlie fly with Grandpa Joe, all those types of questions." In October 2000, Ostrum and some of his co-stars from the film were scheduled to record an audio commentary
for a special edition DVD
. In a 2010 interview, Wonka co-star Denise Nickerson
(Violet Beauregarde) revealed that Ostrum had agreed to join her and Paris Themmen
(Wonkas Mike Teevee) for a reunion commemorating the 40th anniversary of the film's release in 2011.
In the run-up to the release of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
in 2005, Ostrum garnered a spate of attention that included seeing the film in New York City
with NPR
as well as being included in VH1
's list of "100 Greatest Kid Stars" (placing 78th). The media attention on him was so pervasive that Ostrum stopped answering his phone, and requested "please, no more interviews."
In January 2009, Ostrum teamed up with Dunkin' Donuts
to hand out free rides on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
(MBTA) at South Station
in Boston
, Massachusetts
; Ostrum's participation connected the MBTA's CharlieCard
s he was handing out with his portrayal of Charlie Bucket in Willy Wonka. The promotion also gave out one "golden ticket", worth unlimited rides on MBTA and unlimited Dunkin' Donuts coffee for 2009.
and college
, Ostrum groomed horses and worked at the Delaware Equine Center in Pennsylvania
. Ostrum contemplated a return to Hollywood, and even visited California
for a week to "test the waters" there. He ultimately decided to pursue a degree in veterinary medicine
instead, feeling that he would forever berate himself if he didn't. In 1984, Peter Ostrum received his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine
.
, Dr. Ostrum worked out of the Countryside Veterinary Clinic in Lowville, New York
. He has twice been followed on the job by Pfizer
's video series Veterinarians on Call, highlighting the work of large animal veterinarians.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
large animal veterinarian and former child actor
Child actor
The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor...
whose only film role was Charlie Bucket in the 1971
1971 in film
The year 1971 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*February 8 - Bob Dylan's hour long documentary film, Eat the Document, premieres at New York's Academy of Music...
motion picture Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is a 1971 musical film adaptation of the 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, directed by Mel Stuart, and starring Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka. The film tells the story of Charlie Bucket as he receives a golden ticket and visits Willy...
. A native of Cleveland, Ostrum practices and lives in Lowville, New York
Lowville (village), New York
Lowville is a village in Lewis County, New York, United States. The Village is nestled in the Black River Valley, between the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains and the Tug Hill Plateau, and is located in the eastern part of the Town of Lowville....
with his wife Loretta (née Lepkowski), and two children: his son Leif and daughter Helenka. Described as "the most famous man in Lowville", the village's video store
Rental shop
A rental shop, also known as a video library, is a business that allows a consumer to temporarily obtain a reusable good or product for a specified period of time in exchange for payment, a process known as renting...
has twice worn out their VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
copy of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.
Acting career
Ostrum was in the sixth grade and performing at the Cleveland Play HouseCleveland Play House
The Cleveland Play House is a professional regional theater company located in Cleveland, OH. As of 2005, the artistic director is Michael Bloom, the eighth artistic director since its inception. In 2011 they moved operations to the Allen Theatre in Playhouse Square Center.Founded in 1915,...
children's theatre, when he was noticed by talent agent
Talent agent
A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds jobs for actors, authors, film directors, musicians, models, producers, professional athletes, writers and other people in various entertainment businesses. Having an agent is not required, but does help the artist in getting jobs...
s who were searching nationwide for the actor to portray Charlie Bucket in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is a 1971 musical film adaptation of the 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, directed by Mel Stuart, and starring Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka. The film tells the story of Charlie Bucket as he receives a golden ticket and visits Willy...
. The agents took Polaroid photo
Instant camera
The instant camera is a type of camera that generates a developed film image. The most popular types to use self-developing film were formerly made by Polaroid Corporation....
s of Ostrum and recorded him reading from the original novel
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a 1964 children's book by British author Roald Dahl. The story features the adventures of young Charlie Bucket inside the chocolate factory of the eccentric chocolatier, Willy Wonka....
before they returned to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Two months later Ostrum was called to New York for a screen test
Screen test
A screen test is a method of determining the suitability of an actor or actress for performing on film and/or in a particular role. The performer is generally given a scene, or selected lines and actions, and instructed to perform in front of a camera to see if they are suitable...
where he sang "My Country, 'Tis of Thee
My Country, 'Tis of Thee
"My Country, 'Tis of Thee", also known as "America", is an American patriotic song, whose lyrics were written by Samuel Francis Smith. The melody derived from Muzio Clementi's Symphony No. 3, and is shared with "God Save the Queen," used by many members of the Commonwealth of Nations...
", and a month after that he was contacted and given ten days to prepare to leave for filming.
In 2000, Ostrum recalled that shooting Willy Wonka in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
was "sort of like being an exchange student for five months." Fond memories of his five months in West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
included watching the construction of Olympiapark, Munich
Olympiapark, Munich
The Olympiapark in Munich, Germany, is an Olympic Park which was constructed for the 1972 Summer Olympics. Found in the area of Munich known as the "Oberwiesenfeld" , the Park continues to serve as a venue for cultural, social, and religious events such as events of worship...
for the 1972 Summer Olympics
1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
, and working with Gene Wilder
Gene Wilder
Gene Wilder is an American stage and screen actor, director, screenwriter, and author.Wilder began his career on stage, making his screen debut in the film Bonnie and Clyde in 1967. His first major role was as Leopold Bloom in the 1968 film The Producers...
and Jack Albertson
Jack Albertson
Jack Albertson was an American character actor dating to vaudeville. A comedian, dancer, singer, and musician, Albertson is perhaps best known for his roles as Manny Rosen in The Poseidon Adventure , Grandpa Joe in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Amos Slade in the 1981 animated film The Fox...
. Though in his audition he had been assured that his singing would probably be cut and dubbed
Dubbing (filmmaking)
Dubbing is the post-production process of recording and replacing voices on a motion picture or television soundtrack subsequent to the original shooting. The term most commonly refers to the substitution of the voices of the actors shown on the screen by those of different performers, who may be...
, it was Ostrum's own singing voice that made it to the screen—albeit significantly cut. In a 2011 interview, Ostrum told the story of how director Mel Stuart
Mel Stuart
Mel Stuart is an American film director and producer.Stuart directed the fantasy-musical Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory...
gave him a clapperboard
Clapperboard
A clapperboard is a device used in filmmaking and video production to assist in the synchronizing of picture and sound, and to designate and mark particular scenes and takes recorded during a production...
from the film, and then forgot he had done so; it is Ostrum's only souvenir from the set. After he finished shooting Willy Wonka, the then-13 year old Ostrum declined the offer of a three-film contract, later recalling that "[e]verybody thinks that acting is such a glamorous profession, but it's a difficult profession."
Lasting effect
In his senior yearSenior (education)
Senior is a term used in the United States to describe a student in the 4th year of study .-High school:...
of high school, Ostrum was involved in film class and, at the interest of one of his instructors, looked back into theatre and acting. After auditioning for, but not landing, several roles (including Equus
Equus (play)
Equus is a play by Peter Shaffer written in 1973, telling the story of a psychiatrist who attempts to treat a young man who has a pathological religious fascination with horses....
on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
), Ostrum declined to pursue it further. After putting his short film career behind him, Ostrum eschewed reporters and interviews, preferring not to speak on the subject; "I wanted people to judge me on who I was, not what I’d done". For some time, Ostrum even lied and told people that his brother, and not he, had starred in the film. It took Ostrum years after moving to Lowville before he told anybody there about his one-time stardom; even his wife Loretta didn't know about his role until he warned her about it just before she met his mother.
In 1990, he was invited to speak to students at Lowville Academy by teacher Carol Reed, and has since spoken to students there once a year—on the last day of school, as a special treat—about his experience with Willy Wonka as well as his work in veterinary medicine. About the film, the students chiefly ask about the special effects, and Ostrum describes to them "what happened to Veruca, how did Violet blow up like a blueberry, how did Charlie fly with Grandpa Joe, all those types of questions." In October 2000, Ostrum and some of his co-stars from the film were scheduled to record an audio commentary
Audio commentary
On disc-based video formats, an audio commentary is an additional audio track consisting of a lecture or comments by one or more speakers, that plays in real time with video...
for a special edition DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
. In a 2010 interview, Wonka co-star Denise Nickerson
Denise Nickerson
Denise Nickerson is an American former child actress best known for her roles as the gum-chewing Violet Beauregarde in the 1971 movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory and Amy Jennings in the soap opera Dark Shadows.-Career:...
(Violet Beauregarde) revealed that Ostrum had agreed to join her and Paris Themmen
Paris Themmen
Paris Themmen is an American actor who played Mike Teevee in the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, when he was 11 years old. 40 years later, on 4 May 2011 he appeared on the ITV Breakfast programme, Daybreak alongside the four other people who played the golden ticket finder lucky...
(Wonkas Mike Teevee) for a reunion commemorating the 40th anniversary of the film's release in 2011.
In the run-up to the release of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (film)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a 2005 film adaptation of the 1964 book of the same name by Roald Dahl. The film was directed by Tim Burton. The film stars Freddie Highmore as Charlie Bucket and Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka...
in 2005, Ostrum garnered a spate of attention that included seeing the film in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
as well as being included in VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's list of "100 Greatest Kid Stars" (placing 78th). The media attention on him was so pervasive that Ostrum stopped answering his phone, and requested "please, no more interviews."
In January 2009, Ostrum teamed up with Dunkin' Donuts
Dunkin' Donuts
Dunkin' Donuts is an international doughnut and coffee retailer founded in 1950 by William Rosenberg in Quincy, Massachusetts; it is now headquartered in Canton...
to hand out free rides on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, often referred to as the MBTA or simply The T, is the public operator of most bus, subway, commuter rail and ferry systems in the greater Boston, Massachusetts, area. Officially a "body politic and corporate, and a political subdivision" of the...
(MBTA) at South Station
South Station
South Station, New England's second-largest transportation center , located at the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and Summer Street in Dewey Square, Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest train station and intercity bus terminal in Greater Boston, a prominent train station in the northeastern...
in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
; Ostrum's participation connected the MBTA's CharlieCard
CharlieCard
The CharlieCard is a MIFARE-based, contactless, stored value smart card used for electronic ticketing as part of the Automated Fare Collection system installed by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority at its stations and on its vehicles...
s he was handing out with his portrayal of Charlie Bucket in Willy Wonka. The promotion also gave out one "golden ticket", worth unlimited rides on MBTA and unlimited Dunkin' Donuts coffee for 2009.
Veterinary career
Soon after Ostrum returned home from filming Willy Wonka, his family acquired a horse; while the teenaged Ostrum was interested in the horse, it was the animal's veterinarian that left a lasting impression on him. Taking a hiatus from school between high schoolHigh school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
and college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
, Ostrum groomed horses and worked at the Delaware Equine Center in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. Ostrum contemplated a return to Hollywood, and even visited California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
for a week to "test the waters" there. He ultimately decided to pursue a degree in veterinary medicine
Veterinary medicine
Veterinary Medicine is the branch of science that deals with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, disorder and injury in non-human animals...
instead, feeling that he would forever berate himself if he didn't. In 1984, Peter Ostrum received his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine
Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine
The New York State College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University was founded in 1894. It was the first statutory college in New York. Before the creation of the college, instruction in veterinary medicine had been part of Cornell's curriculum since the university's founding...
.
, Dr. Ostrum worked out of the Countryside Veterinary Clinic in Lowville, New York
Lowville, New York
Lowville, New York may refer to:*Lowville , New York, located in Lewis County*Lowville , New York, located within the Town of Lowville...
. He has twice been followed on the job by Pfizer
Pfizer
Pfizer, Inc. is an American multinational pharmaceutical corporation. The company is based in New York City, New York with its research headquarters in Groton, Connecticut, United States...
's video series Veterinarians on Call, highlighting the work of large animal veterinarians.