Rainn Dietrich Wilson (/reɪn ˈdiËtrɪk ˈwɪlsÉ™n/; born January 20, 1966) is an American actor. He is best known for his Emmy Award-nominated role as the egomaniac Dwight Schrute on the American version of the television comedy The Office. Wilson also voiced the alien villain, Gallaxhar in Monsters vs. Aliens (2009) and starred in the police procedural Backstrom.
Early life and education
Wilson was born in Seattle, Washington, the son of Shay Cooper, a yoga teacher and actress, and Robert G. Wilson, a novelist, artist, and business consultant who wrote the science fiction novel Tentacles of Dawn. Wilson has English and Norwegian ancestry. He attended Central Middle School and Shorecrest High School in Shoreline, Washington, where he played the clarinet and bassoon in the band. He transferred to and graduated from New Trier High School after his family moved to Winnetka, Illinois, to serve at the Bahá'à National Center. Wilson has a theatre background from Tufts University and the University of Washington, and he has taught acting classes.
Wilson holds an MFA from New York University's Graduate Acting Program at the Tisch School of the Arts and was a member of The Acting Company. While acting in theatrical productions in New York City, he drove a moving van to make ends meet.
Career
Wilson starred in The Office as Dwight Schrute, appeared as the eccentric Arthur Martinâ€"the intern at Fisher & Diaz Funeral Homeâ€"on HBO's Six Feet Under, and has appeared in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, CSI, Entourage, Monk, NUMB3RS, Charmed, Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job, and Reno 911.
On February 24, 2007, Wilson hosted Saturday Night Live, becoming the second cast member from The Office to host (after Steve Carell). During the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup, Wilson appeared in ads for the 2007 United States women's national soccer team as public relations manager "Jim Mike."
In August 2010 Wilson appeared in the music video for Ferraby Lionheart's "Harry and Bess." Wilson was also in the music video for Andy Grammer's "Keep Your Head Up" as the "creepy elevator guy." and made the final cut for the role of Gob in Arrested Development, but was beaten out by Will Arnett for it.
His film credits include Almost Famous, America's Sweethearts, BAADASSSSS!, Galaxy Quest, House of 1000 Corpses, Sahara, The Last Mimzy, Juno (in which he played convenience store clerk Rollo), The Rocker, and My Super Ex-Girlfriend. Wilson starred in the Fox Atomic comedy The Rocker, released on August 20, 2008. His 2009 films include Bonzai Shadowhands, which he co-wrote and co-produced; Renaissance Men, which he co-wrote and co-produced; the DreamWorks Animation film Monsters vs. Aliens, as the voice of the villainous alien overlord Gallaxhar, and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, in which he played a university professor. In 2011, he played the lead role as the unhinged protagonist in Super.
Wilson wrote in-character as Dwight Schrute on his NBC blog, "Schrute-Space". In June 2008, Wilson confirmed that he no longer writes the blog.
In 2015, Wilson had the lead role in the Fox crime-drama Backstrom, based on Leif G. W. Persson's Swedish book series of the same name. He plays Evert Backstrom, an offensive, self-destructive detective who is part of a team of eccentric criminologists. Wilson also serves as the show's producer. In the same year starred in a leading role in The Boy, which premiered at SXSW.
SoulPancake
Wilson founded the website and YouTube channel SoulPancake. As of April 24, 2014, the channel has over 1,190,000 subscribers, and over 139,000,000 video views. Soul Pancake has been featured on Oprah Winfrey's Satellite Radio Show and Super Soul Sunday.
Personal life
Wilson is married to writer Holiday Reinhorn. They met in an acting class in college and married on the Kalama River in Washington. The couple have a son, Walter Mckenzie, born in 2004, and reside in Agoura Hills, California. They have a home outside of Sisters, Oregon. They have three pit bulls, Oona, Barry, and Pilot. He and his family are members of the Baha'i Faith. A short film inspired by his character in The Office was selected and shown at the 2009 Dawn Breakers International Film Festival in Zurich.
On Bill Maher's Real Time, Wilson described himself as a diverse independent, voting for Republican, Green Party, and Democratic candidates. Wilson's charitable works include fundraising for the educational organization The Mona Foundation. Wilson and his father, both art collectors, buy and sell fine art and represent contemporary artists.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
- Rainn Wilson at the Internet Movie Database
- Rainn Wilson on Twitter
- Rainn Wilson at the Internet Broadway Database
- Rainn Wilson at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
- SoulPancake.com
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIAKBrMfWt8
