JACK WILD - WILD SIGNED UP FOR NEW MOVIE BEFORE HIS DEATH

British actor JACK WILD was so determined to keep working up until his death he signed up for a new movie just days before losing his battle with cancer. The star, who was Oscar nominated for his role as ARTFUL DODGER in the 1968 movie OLIVER!, died of mouth cancer last month (01MAR06) aged 53. But he refused to let the cancer, and even the loss of his tongue and subsequently his voice, stop him working. His widow CLAIRE reveals, "He still had work lined up when he died. A friend had adapted the classic THREE MEN AND A BOAT for Jack as a voiceless actor and the script was approved the very day Jack died."