Born in Rayton, Manchester, Lancashire, England. Compact dark-haired English juvenile lead of the late 1960s and early 70s. An enthusiatic singer and hoofer, Wild gained international notice as The Artful Dodger opposite Mark Lester's wan blond Oliver Twist in OLIVER! (1968), Carol Reed's lavish film version of Lionel Bart's musical based on the Charles Dickens story. Wild's lively rendition of the showstopper "Consider Yourself" helped him net an Oscar nomination. Moving to Hollywood to exploit his new teen idol status, Wild was showcased in the campy and crypto-druggie kid's show "H.R. Pufnstuf" (NBC, 1969-71; ABC, 1972-73). This Sid and Marty Krofft production featured Wild amid a gaggle of puppets and folks in elaborate costumes as a boy who is marooned with his magic talking flute in an enchanted land presided over by Mayor Pufnstuf, a friendly dragon, and bedeviled by the evil Witchipoo, who schemes to steal the flute for herself. Wild reprised this role for a feature version, PUFNSTUF (1970). Wild reteamed with Lester for MELODY (1971) to play a pair of teens who rebel against the adult establishment. He was pursued by an evil Ron Moody in the cloying but diverting FLIGHT OF THE DOVES (1971), but was demoted to supporting status for THE PIED PIPER (1972), Jacques Demy's dark and unsettling children's story. By 1976, he was co-starring in a British "adult" feature, KEEP IT UP DOWNSTAIRS, playing one Peregrine Cockshute. Wild returned to familiar territory in a supporting role in OUR MUTUAL FRIEND, a "Masterpiece Theatre" (PBS, 1978) miniseries adaptation of the Dickens novel, and returned to the big screen with a small role in the Kevin Costner vehicle ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THIEVES (1991), and he played the part of a peddler in BASIL (1999). Diagnosed with mouth cancer in 2000, surgery, chemotherapy and radiotheraphy left him unable to speak. The actor blamed his cancer on years of heavy drinking and smoking. "My lifestyle had made me a walking time bomb," he said in 2005. Wild died March 2, 2006, from complications of his cancer.  Nominated for Supporting Actor 1968: OLIVER! 1 nomination