Michael Böllner Explained

Michael Böllner
Birth Date:14 September 1958[1]
Birth Place:Munich, West Germany
Occupation:Actor, tax accountant
Years Active:1971
Known For:Augustus Gloop in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Michael Böllner (born September 14, 1958) is a German former child actor known for playing Augustus Gloop in the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. He was one of two child actors from the film who never acted in another production afterwards, the other being Peter Ostrum who played Charlie Bucket.

Life and career

Böllner grew up in Munich, West Germany, where he was cast for Willy Wonka and where many scenes in the movie were filmed.[2] [3] He was the only one of the five main child actors to be German, and did not speak much English at the time of filming.[2] [4] Böllner did not have a dressing room, as the film was mainly shot in Germany (and just a few minutes drive from his home), he just went back and forth to his home and dressed in his normal attire.[5]

After Willy Wonka was completed, Böllner had a few minor roles on German television, but his father decided that education should be a priority.[6] [7] He subsequently gave up acting and became a tax accountant in Munich.[8] By 2005, Böllner had been married and divorced.[9]

With Willy Wonka being rarely shown in Germany, Böllner was unaware of the cultural impact the film had until the mid-1990s, when the cast reconnected for the first time.[10] Other cast members got in touch with Böllner by placing an advertisement in a German newspaper that read "Augustus, Show a Sign".[10] Böllner has since regularly appeared with other cast members at fan conventions.[11] Following the 2016 death of co-star Gene Wilder, who played Willy Wonka, Böllner expressed regret that he had not talked with him more as an adult after his English improved.[4]

Michael runs a tax office in Munich, and every few years shows his employees the film. The film isn't as popular in Germany, and he admits that most of his employees didn't even know he was a former child actor.[12]

Böllner to date has not had any film roles besides Willy Wonka. He most recently appeared as himself in a TV show called Bizarre Transmissions from the Bermuda Triangle, which aired in 2015.[13] [14]

In 2023, after publishers removed the term "fat" to describe Augustus Gloop in the Roald Dahl Charlie and the Chocolate Factory book on which Willy Wonka was based, Böllner publicly defended the original text and called the change unnecessary.[15]

Filmography

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Michael Böllner: Movies, TV, and Bio . Amazon.com . 2024-02-13 . 2024-02-15 . 2024-02-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240215193250/https://www.amazon.com/prime-video/actor/Michael-B%C3%B6llner/amzn1.dv.gti.effd3912-b2d0-40b1-8581-d4a963a12c87/ . live .
  2. Web site: The stars of 'Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory' look back as the film turns 50 . WBAL (Associated Press) . 2021-06-30 . 2024-02-15 . 2024-02-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240215190148/https://www.wbaltv.com/article/the-stars-of-willy-wonka-and-the-chocolate-factory-look-back-as-the-film-turns-50/36891498 . live .
  3. Web site: In search of the perfect Willy Wonka . BFI . Lucy . Mangan . 2016-05-13 . 2024-02-15 . 2023-10-09 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231009161519/https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/search-perfect-willy-wonka . live .
  4. Web site: Wonka kids pay tribute to Gene Wilder . BBC News . Patrick . Evans . 2016-08-30 . 2024-02-15.
  5. After They Were Famous - Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory . 2016-07-09 . Dec Cart . 2024-12-04 . YouTube.
  6. Book: Stuart, Mel . Young . Josh . Pure Imagination . St. Martin's Press . 2001 . 978-5-559-10649-6 . 2024-02-15 . 126.
  7. Web site: Simon . Bland . Ben . Arnold . What happened to the kids from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory? . Yahoo Movies . 7 December 2023 . 2024-02-15 . 2024-02-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240215190148/https://uk.movies.yahoo.com/what-happened-kids-willy-wonka-chocolate-factory-141049322.html . live .
  8. Web site: What happened to the 'Willy Wonka' kids? . Kate . Torgovnick . CNN.com . 2010-01-13 . 2024-02-15 . 2024-02-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240215190148/http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/13/willy.wonka.movie.kids/index.html . live .
  9. Web site: Sweet Memories – Vol. 64 No. 5 . People. 2005-08-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170319062749/http://people.com/archive/sweet-memories-vol-64-no-5/ . 2017-03-19 . dead . 2024-02-15.
  10. Web site: Juneau . Jen . Original Willy Wonka Cast Reunites After 50 Years: We 'Kept a Couple of Golden Tickets!' . Peoplemag . 2021-06-29 . 2024-02-15.
  11. Web site: Reed . Ryan . Watch 'Willy Wonka' Cast Reunite for Film's 44th Anniversary . Rolling Stone . 2015-11-11 . 2024-02-18.
  12. Web site: Radish . Christina . 2021-07-10 . The Kids From 'Willy Wonka' Reflect on the Making of the Film and Whether Any of the Candy Was Real . 2024-12-04 . Collider . en.
  13. Web site: Bianco . Julia . What The Willy Wonka Kids Look Like Today . Looper . 2017-08-14 . 2024-02-15 . 2024-02-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240215190148/https://www.looper.com/49267/kids-willy-wonka-look-like-today/ . live .
  14. Web site: Michael Böllner . The A.V. Club . 2024-02-15.
  15. Web site: Roald Dahl controversy: Augustus Gloop actor Michael Bollner defends author’s story amid censorship row . Paul . Revoir . Rob . Hyde . PerthNow . 2023-02-21 . 2024-02-15.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Michael Böllner".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2025, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.