Comic performer Gene Wilder kept his serious side off camera

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Revered as a comedic and storytelling genius by Hollywood's top entertainers, Gene Wilder was a humble man who downplayed his comic gifts, was a serious director and remained deferential to his longtime collaborator, Mel Brooks."I am him in fantasy," Wilder once said of playing the lead in Brooks' films.After Wilder's death was announced Monday, Brooks called his colleague "one of the truly great talents of our time." "He blessed every film we did together with his special ma