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.

The couple have two children, Helenka and Leif, with the latter following his father onto the stage as the leading actor in several South Lewis Central School musicals.

[6] Ostrum was in the sixth grade and performing at the Cleveland Play House children's theater, when he was noticed by talent agents who were searching nationwide for an actor to portray Charlie Bucket in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.

Fond memories of his five months in West Germany included watching the construction of Olympiapark, for the 1972 Summer Olympics, and working with Gene Wilder and Jack Albertson.

The teenager confided in Frawley Becker, his Willy Wonka dialogue coach, that he turned down the contract to retain "the freedom to choose what he played, and in what picture."

[13] After putting his short film career behind him, Ostrum declined reporters and interviews, preferring not to speak on the subject;[9] "I wanted people to judge me on who I was, not what I’d done".

[3] It took Ostrum years after moving to Lowville, New York, before he told anybody there about his one-time stardom; even his wife Loretta did not know about his role until he warned her about it just before she met his mother.

[1] Since 1990, Ostrum has spoken to students at Lowville Academy once a year—on the last day of school, as a special treat—about his experience in Willy Wonka as well as his work in veterinary medicine.

[3] The students chiefly ask about the film's special effects, and Ostrum describes to them "what happened to Veruca, how did Violet blow up like a blueberry, how did Charlie fly with Grandpa Joe, all those types of questions".

"[8] Ostrum has been called "the most famous man in Lowville", where the local video rental shop twice wore out its VHS copy of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.

[3] On the new film, Ostrum quoted fellow Willy Wonka actor Julie Dawn Cole, saying, "It's sort of like going back to a house that you once lived in and it's been redecorated."

When interviewed about the production of 2023's Wonka, Ostrum welcomed its expansion of the fictional universe, saying he was looking forward to the Timothée Chalamet-led prequel.

[17] That year, they were also joined by Julie Dawn Cole (Veruca Salt) as guests on Top Chef: Just Desserts to taste contestants' creations.