Peter Ostrum was 12 when he played Charlie Bucket, and he stopped acting after the film. Peter Ostrum as Charlie Bucket (left) and in 2014 (right). Paramount Pictures; Steve Granitz/WireImage/Getty ImagesPeter Ostrum was scouted for the role of Charlie at 12 while he was participating in a local children's theater. No script existed at that point, so his audition consisted of him reading from Roald Dahl's novel "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." Before retiring, he worked as a vet at New York's Countryside Veterinary Clinic, mainly working with dairy cows.

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Persons: Peter Ostrum, Charlie Bucket, Steve Granitz, Charlie, Roald Dahl's, Willy Wonka Organizations: Paramount Pictures, American Veterinary Medical Association, Cornell University, Veterinary Clinic