Peter Ostrum

Peter Ostrum
A three-quarters bust portrait photo shows a middle-aged white man looking to the photographer's right; he is wearing a blue-plaid collared shirt and a lanyard.
Ostrum in November 2017
Born
Peter Gardner Ostrum

(1957-11-01) November 1, 1957 (age 67)
Dallas, Texas, US
EducationDVM, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine (1984)
Occupations
  • Actor (1970)
  • Veterinarian (1984–2023)
Employers
  • Countryside Veterinary Clinic
  • Dairy Health & Mgmt. Services
Known forPlaying Charlie Bucket in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
SpouseLoretta M. Lepkowski
Children2

Peter Gardner Ostrum (/ˈoʊstrəm/ OH-strəm;[1] born November 1, 1957) is an American retired veterinarian and former child actor, whose only film role was as Charlie Bucket in the 1971 motion picture Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.

Ostrum was 12 years old when selected by talent agents for Willy Wonka. Though he enjoyed the experience of shooting the film, he opted not to sign a three-film contract when it was over. After eschewing a career in film and theater, Ostrum became reluctant to speak about his one starring role. In 1990, he began an annual tradition of speaking to schoolchildren about the film, and he became a subject of interest again when the 2005 film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was released to theaters.

Ostrum became interested in his family's horses when he returned from shooting Willy Wonka, and was particularly influenced by the veterinarian who tended to them. He received a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1984, and retired by late 2023. As of 2021, he lived in Glenfield, New York with his wife Loretta (née Lepkowski), having raised two children.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference 2005-07-17 NPR was invoked but never defined (see the help page).