Oliver star died penniless and was forced to move back in with father after losing fortune

When beloved musical Oliver! was released in 1968 the young cast had the world at their feet. While Mark Lester, who played the titular character, won huge acclaim, it was then 16-year-old Jack Wild who played the rougish Artful Dodger, who appeared destined for staggering heights. His performance as the charismatic street urchin saw him nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar, becoming the fourth-youngest nominee in the category. He also received BAFTA Award and Golden Globe Award nominations for the role.

Needless to say, Hollywood sat up and took notice, and he was soon hugely in demand with numerous lucrative offers. However, despite the fame and fortune of his youth, the star ended up living with his retired father and dying penniless. Years of alcoholism cost him his career, his looks, his fortune and eventually his voice as he suffered from oral cancer. He was unable to speak for the last two years of his life after an operation to remove his vocal cords and part of his tongue.

It was a huge fall from grace for the star, who had been discovered by theatrical agent June Collins, the mother of Phil Collins, while playing football with his brother Arthur in the park.

In 1964, both he and his brother landed roles in the West End production of Lionel Bart's Oliver! Ironically Arthur landed the title role while Jack was cast as as Charley Bates, a member of Fagin's gang. Flash forward four years and Jack was chosen to play the role that would make his name while Arthur didn't even feature in the film.

His post Oliver! career got off to a flying start when he was cast in the lead role of Jimmy in H.R. Pufnstuf in 1969. Although it only lasted one season, it also generated a feature film, Pufnstuf, in 1970. The show's cancellation didn't affect his career, and he worked constantly, appearing in numerous films and TV shows. He even reunited with Oliver co-star Mark Lester for Melody and Ron Moody, who had played Fagin, in Flight of the Doves, both in 1971. He also turned his hand to a music career, releasing The Jack Wild Album for Capitol Records, which contained the single Some Beautiful. In the early 1970s, he also released the albums Everything's Coming Up Roses and Beautiful World for Buddah Records.

However, he struggled with being cast in roles far younger than his real age. In a 1999 interview, he lamented: "When I first entered the show business, of course I didn't mind playing younger roles. However, it did bug me when I would be 21 and being offered the role of a 13-year-old. I'm not saying I didn't enjoy playing these roles; I had barrels of fun, I just wanted more serious and dramatic roles; it's that simple."

By 21, he was a confirmed alcoholic, which impacted his career and depleted his fortune, eventually forcing him to move back in with his father. He suffered three cardiac arrests and numerous other health issues due to his drinking. He married his first wife, Gaynor Jones, in 1976, but she divorced him because of his alcoholism in 1985. He admitted that during the mid-1980s, he often drank three to four bottles of vodka a week, and typically drank half a bottle of vodka and two bottles of wine every day.

He made attempts to dry out, even attending a clinic for drug addicts and alcoholics, run by Pete Townshend of The Who. However, after six weeks sober, he bought a bottle of champagne to celebrate that he had stopped drinking. He eventually embraced sobriety in 1989.

Sadly, it was too late to reignite his career. He did return to the big screen in a few minor roles, such as in the Kevin Costner film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves in 1991, but he would never again reach the dizzying heights he had known or achieve financial security. He was diagnosed with oral cancer in 2001 and blamed the disease on his drinking and smoking habits. He underwent chemotherapy and had his tongue and voice box removed in July 2004, leaving him unable to speak.

The disease killed him at the age of 53 on 1 March 2006. He was buried in Toddington Parish Cemetery, Bedfordshire. At the time of his death, he and his second wife Claire Harding, who he married in 2005, had been working on his autobiography. The book, It's a Dodger's Life, was published posthumously in 2016.