AN ACTOR who appeared in the original Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory has suffered a stroke and is currently in critical condition according to her family.

TMZ first reported that actor Denise Nickerson, 61, known for her role as Violet Beauregarde in the 1971 film, is currently in the intensive care unit (ICU), with her family turning to crowd-funding in an effort to relieve some of the medical bills.

A Facebook fundraiser page titled “Raising money for Jasmine and Josh Nickerson hospital fees and general” has been created, which revealed the actor, who also had roles in The Brady Bunch, Dark Shadows and The Electric Company, suffered a stroke in late June.

In addition to offering updates on the star’s health, it offered autographed merchandise in exchange for donations to take some of burden off of her family while she recovers, which her family expects her to do. However, TMZ reports that a pacemaker was put in and she needs to be fed through a feeding tube.

At the time of writing, the fundraiser had closed after reaching $US2492 ($A3380) of its initial $US1500 ($A2000) goal.

In Willy Wonka, Nickerson played one of the spoiled children who wins a tour of the chocolate factory. An avid gum-chewer, she steals an experimental piece from Wonka’s factory that leads to her blowing up like a giant blueberry. She left acting in 1978 and became a nurse.