<Tr> <Th> Spouse (s) </Th> <Td> Loretta Lepkowski </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Children </Th> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <P> Peter Gardner Ostrum (/ ˈpiːtər ˈoʊstrəm /; born November 1957) is an American veterinarian and former child actor whose only film role was as Charlie Bucket in the 1971 motion picture Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory . </P> <P> A native of Cleveland, 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 theatre, 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 2005's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was released in theaters . </P>

Who played charlie in charlie and chocolate factory