Wilder book details life, fame

NEW YORK, March 28 (UPI) -- Actor Gene Wilder says his new book, "Kiss Me like a Stranger: My Search for Love and Art," is constructed as a dialogue with his therapist.

Wilder, star of "Blazing Saddles," "Young Frankenstein," and the original "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," said the only way he could grapple with some of the more painful details of his life was with the help of his psychiatrist, Dr. Marjorie Wallis, the New York Daily News reported Monday.

"I wanted the book to be honest," he said, "yet with some tender stuff, and maybe reveal some things about me people would like."

The actor, born Jerry Silberman, wrote about the religious delusions and guilt that plagued his Milwaukee childhood, his life at a California military academy, his rise to fame, and his rocky relationship with deceased wife Gilda Radner.

Wilder said the book is "autobiographical, not an autobiography," because it is as much about his profession as it is about his life.