Rainn Wilson
| Rainn Wilson | |
|---|---|
 Wilson at the Heroes for Autism event, Hollywood, California, 2010 |
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| Born | Rainn Dietrich Wilson January 20, 1966 [1] Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Spouse | Holiday Reinhorn (1995–present) |
Rainn Dietrich Wilson (born January 20, 1966)[2] is an American actor. He is primarily known for his roles as the egomaniacal Dwight Schrute on the American version of the television comedy The Office, the leading role in the 2008 comedy The Rocker, and assistant mortician Arthur Martin in HBO's Six Feet Under.
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Early life
Wilson was born in Seattle, Washington, the son of Shay Cooper, a yoga teacher and actress, and Robert G. Wilson, a novel writer and business consultant. He attended Central Middle School and Shorecrest High School in Shoreline, Washington, where he played the clarinet and bassoon in the band.[3] He transferred to and graduated from New Trier High School after his family moved to Wilmette, Illinois to serve at the Bahá'í National Center.[4] Wilson has a theatre background from Tufts University and the University of Washington, and has taught acting classes. He holds an MFA from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and was a member of The Acting Company.[5] While acting in theatrical productions in New York, he drove a moving van to make ends meet.[6]
Career
In addition to his starring role on The Office, Wilson has appeared as the eccentric Arthur Martin, the intern at Fisher & Diaz Funeral Home on HBO's Six Feet Under. He has appeared in Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, CSI, NUMB3RS, and Entourage, in the latter portraying a sleazy entertainment journalist based on Harry Knowles of Ain't It Cool News. Wilson guest-starred as a murderous baseball fan in an episode of Monk entitled "Mr. Monk Goes to the Ballgame". He appeared in the "Coyote Piper" episode of Charmed as an alchemist named Kierkan. 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". Wilson has made a guest appearance in two episodes of the Cartoon Network's Adult Swim-bloc series Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job. Wilson has appeared on Reno 911.
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), and My Super Ex-Girlfriend.
Wilson starred in the Fox Atomic comedy The Rocker, released on August 20, 2008.[7] His 2009 films include Bonzai Shadowhands, which he co-wrote and co-produced;[6] Renaissance Men, which he wrote and is co-producing;[8] the DreamWorks Animation film Monsters vs. Aliens, for which he voiced the villainous alien overlord Gallaxhar;[9] the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, in which he played a university professor.[10]
Wilson wrote in character as Dwight on his NBC blog, "Schrute-Space".[11] In June 2008, Wilson confirmed that he no longer writes the blog.[12]
SoulPancake
Wilson founded the website SoulPancake. Since its launch in March 2009, it has had over 1 million visits, and has been featured on Oprah Winfrey's Satellite Radio Show.[13]
Personal life
Wilson is married to writer Holiday Reinhorn. They met in an acting class in college and married on the Kalama River. The couple have a son, Walter Mckenzie, born in 2004, and they currently reside in Agoura Hills, California. He and his family are members of the Bahá'í Faith.[14][15][16]
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.[17]
Wilson and his father, both art collectors, buy and sell fine art and represent contemporary artists on their website, www.rrwilsonart.com.[1]
Filmography
Films
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Galaxy Quest | Lahnk | |
| 2000 | Almost Famous | David Felton | |
| 2001 | America's Sweethearts | Dave O'Hanlon | |
| 2002 | Full Frontal | Brian | |
| 2003 | House of 1000 Corpses | Bill Hudley | |
| BAADASSSSS! | Bill Harris | ||
| 2005 | The Life Coach | Dr. Watson Newmark | |
| Sahara | Rudi Gunn | ||
| 2006 | My Super Ex-Girlfriend | Vaughn Haige | |
| 2007 | The Last Mimzy | Larry White | |
| Juno | Rollo | ||
| 2008 | The Rocker | Robert 'Fish' Fishman | |
| 2009 | Monsters vs. Aliens | Gallaxhar | Voice only |
| Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen | Professor Colan | ||
| 2010 | Hesher | Paul Forney | |
| Peep World | Joel | Post-Production | |
| Super | Frank D'Arbo / The Crimson Bolt | Post-Production |
Television
| Year | Show | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | One Life to Live | Casey Keegan | Several episodes |
| 2001 | Charmed | Kierkan | Single episode |
| When Billie Beat Bobby | Dennis Van De Meer | Television film | |
| Dark Angel | Phil | Single episode | |
| CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Guy in Supermarket | Single episode | |
| 2002 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Janitor | Single episode |
| 2003 | Monk | Walker Browning | Single episode |
| 2003-2005 | Six Feet Under | Arthur Martin | Thirteen episodes |
| 2005 | Numb3rs | Martin Grolsch | Single episode |
| Entourage | R.J. Spencer | Single episode | |
| 2008 | Tim and Eric Nite Live! | The Psychic | Single episode |
| Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! | Bobby Stoan | Three episodes | |
| 2009 | Reno 911! | Calvin Robin Tomlinson | Single episode |
| 2005-Present | The Office | Dwight Schrute | Every episode |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "RainnWilson.net". http://www.rainnwilson.net/articles/Biography.aspx.
- ↑ is best friends with Tanner Hughes, Paris Hilton, Chris Gaines, and Scott Hill Biography Rainn Wilson Fan Site
- ↑ http://www.myspace.com/rainnwilson
- ↑ Estudillo, Terry (May 22, 2006). "From Shorecrest "loser" to "The Office" poser". The Seattle Times. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/television/2003006650_rainnwilson22.html.
- ↑ Television Without Pity: "The B.J. Novak Interview" Accessed March 16, 2007.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 MSNBC.com: "Rainn Wilson leaves cubicle for the big screen" (unbylined) March 23, 2007 Accessed March 25, 2007.
- ↑ The Rocker
- ↑ http://www.cinematical.com/2007/08/25/rainn-wilson-and-matt-ross-are-renaissance-men/
- ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0892782/
- ↑ "Rainn Wilson Transforms Into a Professor = Just Jared". 2008-05-29. http://justjared.buzznet.com/2008/05/29/megan-fox-rainn-wilson-transformers-2/.
- ↑ Schrute-Space
- ↑ "Rainn Wilson Moves From 'The Office' to the Big Screen". AOL. August 20, 2008. http://entertainment.aol.ca/article/rainn-wilson-moves-from-the-office-to-the-big-screen/319272/. Retrieved 2008-08-25.
- ↑ Rainn Wilson on Oprah's Radio Show - March 9 2009
- ↑ "Rainn Wilson". Time Magazine. March 8, 2007. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1597537,00.html. Retrieved 2008-08-24. "Did being of the Baha'i faith help you understand the spirituality? As a Baha'i, I believe in all the spiritual beliefs: Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity."
- ↑ http://newteevee.com/2009/03/11/rainn-wilson-feeds-the-internet-soul-pancakes
- ↑ Bahai.org: "Rainn Wilson talks about Hollywood, his family and the Bahá'í Faith"
- ↑ MSNBC.com: "Charity's work aligns with Rainn Wilson's faith" (Q&A interview), January 3, 2008
External links
- Rainn Wilson at the Internet Movie Database
- Rainn Wilson at the Internet Broadway Database
- Rainn Wilson at the Internet Off-Broadway Database