Rainn_Wilson

Rainn Wilson

Rainn Wilson

American actor, comedian, producer, and writer (born 1966)

Rainn Percival Dietrich Wilson (born January 20, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, podcaster, producer, writer, and director best known for his role as Dwight Schrute on the NBC sitcom The Office (2005–2013), for which he received three consecutive Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

Quick Facts Born, Education ...

Born in Seattle, Wilson began acting at the University of Washington. Following his 1986 graduation, he worked in theatre in New York City. He made his film debut in Galaxy Quest (1999), followed by supporting parts in Almost Famous (2000), Steven Soderbergh's Full Frontal (2002), and House of 1000 Corpses (2003). He also had a recurring part as Arthur Martin in the HBO series Six Feet Under from 2003 to 2005. From 2018 to 2021, he starred as Trevor on the CBS sitcom Mom.

Wilson was cast as Dwight Schrute in The Office in 2005, a role which he played until the show's conclusion in 2013. His other film credits include lead roles in the comedies The Rocker (2008) and Super (2010), and supporting roles in the horror films Cooties (2014) and The Boy (2015). In 2009, he was heard in the animated science fiction film Monsters vs. Aliens as the villain Gallaxhar, and voiced Gargamel in Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017). He has had the guest-starring role of Harry Mudd on Star Trek: Discovery (2017) and Star Trek: Short Treks (2018), and a supporting role in The Meg (2018). He is also the voice of Lex Luthor in the DC Animated Movie Universe.

Wilson published his autobiography, The Bassoon King, in 2015, and cofounded the digital media company SoulPancake in 2008.

Early life and education

Wilson was born on January 20, 1966,[1] at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, Washington,[2] the son of Shay Cooper, a yoga teacher and actress, and Robert G. Wilson (1941–2020), a novelist, artist and business consultant who wrote the science fiction novel Tentacles of Dawn.[3][4] Wilson is of part Norwegian ancestry.[5][6] From ages three to five, he lived with his father and stepmother, Kristin, in Nicaragua before they returned to Seattle after their divorce.[7] He attended Kellogg Middle School and Shorecrest High School in Shoreline, Washington, where he played the clarinet and bassoon in the school band.[8] He transferred to and graduated from New Trier High School after his family moved to Wilmette, Illinois, to serve at the Baháʼí National Center.[2]

Wilson attended Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, before transferring to the University of Washington in Seattle, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in drama in 1986.[2] He then enrolled in New York University's Graduate Acting Program at the Tisch School of the Arts where he graduated with an MFA in acting[9] and was a member of The Acting Company.[10] Between acting jobs in New York City, he drove a moving van to make ends meet.[11]

Wilson worked extensively in the theater early in his career, performing with The Public Theater, the Ensemble Studio Theatre, Playwrights Horizons, the Roundabout, and the Guthrie Theater, among others. He played one of the eight chorus members in Richard Foreman's 1996 production of Suzan-Lori Parks' Venus,[12] and was nominated for three Helen Hayes Awards for Best Supporting Actor for his work at the Arena Stage.

Career

1997–2004: Early roles

Wilson first appeared onscreen in 1997 in an episode of the soap opera One Life to Live, followed by a supporting role in the television film The Expendables (1999).[13] He made his feature film debut in Galaxy Quest (1999), followed by a minor supporting role in Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous (2000). In 2001, he played Dennis Van De Meer in When Billie Beat Bobby.[14] In 2002, he was cast in a lead role in Rob Zombie's horror film House of 1000 Corpses (2003).[15] Beginning in 2003, Wilson played Arthur Martin, an intern at Fisher & Diaz Funeral Home in HBO's Six Feet Under, earning a Screen Actors Guild award for best drama ensemble for the series. He also had minor roles in America's Sweethearts (2001) and the Melvin van Peebles biopic Baadasssss! (2003). He guest-starred in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Entourage,[16] Monk, Numbers, Charmed, Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job, and Reno 911!.

2005–2013: The Office and recognition

In 2005, Wilson appeared in the comedy film Sahara[17] and in the independent mockumentary film The Life Coach.

Wilson in 2008

The same year, he was cast as neurotic assistant manager Dwight Schrute in the network series The Office,[18] for which he was nominated for Emmy Awards for Best Supporting Actor in 2007, 2008 and 2009, and won two SAG awards as part of Best Comedy Ensemble on the series. As well as acting on the series, he directed three episodes: "The Cover-Up" (season 6), "Classy Christmas" (season 7) and "Get the Girl" (season 8).[citation needed]

On February 24, 2007, Wilson hosted Saturday Night Live, becoming the second The Office cast member 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, he appeared in the music video for Ferraby Lionheart's "Harry and Bess" and Andy Grammer's "Keep Your Head Up" as the "creepy elevator guy".

Wilson starred in the Fox Atomic comedy The Rocker (2008).[19] In 2009 he joined the voice cast of DreamWorks Animation film Monsters vs. Aliens as villainous alien overlord Gallaxhar; and was featured in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, playing a university professor. In 2010, he had the lead role of the unhinged protagonist in Super. Critic Roger Ebert faulted the script, but praised Wilson's performance: "[Wilson] never seems to be trying to be funny, and that's a strength."[20]

For his role of Paul, the bereft father, in Hesher (2011), Roger Ebert said of Wilson's work: “He has that rare quality in an actor, an uncanny presence. There are a few like him (Jack Nicholson, Christopher Walken, Bill Murray) who need only to look at something to establish an attitude toward it. Yes, they can get worked up, they can operate on high, but their passive essence is the point: dubious, wise, sadly knowledgable [sic], at an angle to the throughline. Other actors could sit on a sofa and watch TV, but Rainn Wilson makes it a statement. A statement of … nothing, which is the point."[21]

2014–present: continued film and television

In 2014, Wilson had roles in the independent horror comedy Cooties and the thriller The Boy (2015).[22] In the Fox crime-drama series Backstrom, he played Everett Backstrom, an offensive, self-destructive detective, based on Leif G. W. Persson's Swedish book series of the same name.[23] Wilson was also one of the show's producers. It was cancelled by Fox after 13 episodes.[24] In 2016, Wilson appeared as a guest star on the TV series Roadies.

Wilson in 2016

In 2017, Wilson voiced Gargamel in the 2017 animated reboot of The Smurfs: The Lost Village for Sony Pictures Animation.[25] He also starred in the independent comedy film Permanent as loving and funny father Jim Dickson alongside Patricia Arquette and Kira McLean, directed by Colette Burson and produced by 2929 Entertainment.[26] Wilson starred in Shimmer Lake (2017) for Netflix and The Meg (2018) for Warner Brothers.[27]

Wilson was cast in the guest role of Harry Mudd in Star Trek: Discovery, and directed the Star Trek: Short Treks The Escape Artist.[28] He has voiced Lex Luthor in various DC animated films, including The Death of Superman, Reign of the Supermen, and Batman: Hush.[citation needed]

In 2019, Wilson appeared in the independent drama Blackbird opposite Susan Sarandon and Kate Winslet, and in 2020 starred in the independent thriller Don't Tell a Soul, opposite Jack Dylan Grazer and Fionn Whitehead.[29] That year, he was also a series regular opposite John Cusack and Sasha Lane in the new Amazon Original Series Utopia, as virologist Dr. Michael Sterns.[citation needed] On October 10, 2019, he was featured in the 30-minute YouTube documentary Laughing Matters, created by SoulPancake in collaboration with Funny or Die, wherein a variety of comedians discuss mental health.[30] Wilson was cast as the villain in the upcoming animated film Hitpig.[31] In 2020, he executive-produced and narrated the Netflix documentary series We Are the Champions.

Other ventures

Wilson founded the website and YouTube channel SoulPancake; as of February 20, 2019, it had over 3 million subscribers and over 557 million video views. The channel, which was featured on Oprah Winfrey's Satellite Radio Show and Super Soul Sunday,[32] was named one of Fast Company's 10 Most Innovative Companies in Video for 2015.[1] In 2015, it was ranked No. 114 on the Inc. 500 Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America List.[33] In 2016 it was purchased by Participant Media.[34]

Wilson co-wrote the New York Times bestseller SoulPancake: Chew on Life's Big Questions; and The Bassoon King, a humorous memoir of his personal life, career and faith, published in November 2015.[35]

Wilson is a climate-change activist; he visited Greenland in 2019 with Arctic Basecamp, whose Advisory Board he also serves on. During the trip he shot the documentary The Idiot’s Guide to Climate Change, which is available to stream online.

In 2021, Wilson starred in the comedy audio series Dark Air with Terry Carnation, where he also voiced the title character. The podcast series is based on his character Terry Carnation from the Radio Rental podcast, created by Payne Lindsey. Wilson also competed in Chess.com's PogChamps 3 chess competition, finishing in second place after a tiebreaker game with French streamer Sardoche [fr].[36]

Personal life

Wilson is married to writer Holiday Reinhorn, whom he met in an acting class at the University of Washington.[2] They married on the Kalama River in Washington in 1995, and have a son, Walter, born in 2004. They have a home outside of Sisters, Oregon, and a house in Los Angeles. They have two pit bulls, Pilot and Diamond;[37] two Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs, Snortington and Amy; a donkey named Chili Beans; and a zonkey named Derek.[38][39]

Wilson and his family are members of the Baháʼí Faith.[40][41][42] The website Baháʼí Blog, which is popular in the Bahá’í community, hosts Wilson's podcast, the Baháʼí Blogcast, where he interviews notable people about the intersection of their faith and work.[43]

On Bill Maher's Real Time, Wilson described himself as a diverse independent, having voted for Republican, Green and Democratic candidates.[44] In 2008, he said he regretted the statement, saying "It was kind of a mistake, I don’t want to talk politics. [...] The process of politics is so deeply corrupt on so many levels. Even the greatest candidate in the world couldn’t really make that much of a difference. But people with compassionate hearts can make the world a better place."[44] Wilson does, however, vote.[44]

Wilson's charitable works include fundraising for the Mona Foundation, a Bahá’í-inspired charity operating in developing countries.[45] In 2013, along with Dr. Kathryn Adams, he co-founded Lidè Haiti, an educational initiative that uses the arts and literacy to empower adolescent girls in rural Haiti. They currently work in 13 locations with over 500 girls, providing scholarships to many of them.[46]

On November 10, 2022, Wilson changed his name on social media to Rainnfall Heat Wave Rising Sea Levels Wilson in an effort to raise awareness about climate change, though he did not legally change his name.[47][48]

Filmography

Key
† Denotes works that have not yet been released

Film

More information Year, Title ...

Television

More information Year, Title ...

Video games

More information Year, Title ...

Written publications

  • Rainn Wilson. Soul Pancake. 2010. Hachette Books, ISBN 978-1401310332
  • Rainn Wilson. The Bassoon King. 2016. Dutton, ISBN 978-0-525-95453-8
  • Rainn Wilson. Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution. 2023. Hachette Books, ISBN 978-0-306-82827-0

References

  1. [1]
    Rose, Mike (January 20, 2023). "Today's famous birthdays list for January 20, 2023 includes celebrities Questlove, Rainn Wilson". Cleveland.com. Archived from the original on January 20, 2023. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  2. [2]
    Estudillo, Terry (May 22, 2006). "From Shorecrest "loser" to "The Office" poser". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on March 22, 2016. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  3. [3]
    Rainn showed the book and read from it on Jimmy Kimmel Live! March 22, 2011.
  4. [4]
    Robbins, Jefferson (July 8, 2020). "Wenatchee Valley artist Robert Wilson dies at 78". ncwlife.com. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  5. [5]
    "Rainn Wilson: 32 Facts About the Actor Behind Everyone's Favorite Office Suck-Up - Hollywood Insider". March 30, 2021. Archived from the original on October 1, 2022. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  6. [6]
    "Rainn Wilson on Jay Leno". OfficeTally.com. March 19, 2011. Archived from the original on November 25, 2014. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
  7. [7]
    Wilson, Rainn (November 7, 2011). "Episode #225". WTF Podcast (Interview). Interviewed by Marc Maron.
  8. [8]
    "Rainn Wilson on Myspace". Myspace.com. Retrieved March 23, 2011.[permanent dead link]
  9. [9]
    "NYU Graduate Acting Alumni". 2011. Archived from the original on July 5, 2012. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
  10. [10]
    Chung, Wing (March 1, 2006). "The B.J. Novak Interview". Television Without Pity. Archived from the original on May 18, 2011.
  11. [11]
    "Rainn Wilson leaves cubicle for the big screen". NBC News. Retrieved November 2, 2010.
  12. [12]
    Evans, Greg (May 3, 1996). "Venus Joseph Papp Public Theater's Martinson Hall, N.Y.; 195 Seats; $30". Variety. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  13. [13]
    "Rainn Storm". The Chicago Tribune. March 23, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  14. [14]
    "When Billie Beat Bobby (TV Movie 2001) - IMDb". IMDb.
  15. [15]
    Locker, Melissa (July 18, 2013). "Five Fun Facts About Rob Zombie's House of 1000 Corpses". IFC.com. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
  16. [16]
    "Rainn Wilsons Talks About Entourage!". Entourage The Blog. July 17, 2008.
  17. [17]
    "Story Notes for Sahara". AMC.com. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  18. [18]
    Berg, Katie Wilson (November 9, 2015). "Rainn Wilson on Art, Faith and Keeping Dwight Schrute Alive (Q&A)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  19. [19]
    Adler, Shawn (May 28, 2008). "Rainn Wilson Says He'd Trade Acting For Drumming In 'A Heartbeat'". MTV. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  20. [20]
    Ebert, Roger (April 6, 2011). "Super Movie Review". The Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  21. [21]
    Ebert, Roger. "Hesher Movie Review & Film Summary (2011) | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
  22. [22]
    "The Boy". Dread Central. March 2013.
  23. [23]
    "Rainn Wilson's Next Show is a CBS Crime-Drama Called Backstrom". Vulture. March 18, 2013.
  24. [24]
    Petski, Denise (May 8, 2015). "'Backstrom' Cancelled By Fox". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 7, 2016. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  25. [25]
    Gettell, Oliver (June 15, 2015). "Demi Lovato, Rainn Wilson to 'Get Smurfy' in Sony reboot". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
  26. [26]
    "Permanent". Magnolia Pictures International.
  27. [27]
    Pedersen, Erik (August 18, 2016). "Rainn Wilson Joins Jason Statham In Prehistoric-Shark Tale 'Meg'". Deadline. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  28. [28]
    Britt, Ryan (January 3, 2019). "Rainn Wilson reveals details behind that character twist in his Star Trek short 'The Escape Artist'". SYFY WIRE.
  29. [29]
    N'Duka, Amanda (January 11, 2019). "Rainn Wilson, Mena Suvari, Fionn Whitehead, Jack Dylan Grazer Topline 'Don't Tell A Soul' Thriller". Deadline. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  30. [30]
    Comedians Tackling Depression & Anxiety Makes Us Feel Seen | Laughing Matters | Documentary, archived from the original on October 30, 2021, retrieved October 30, 2019
  31. [31]
    Wiseman, Andreas (October 22, 2020). "'Hitpig': Peter Dinklage, Lilly Singh, Rainn Wilson, RuPaul, Hannah Gadsby & Dany Boon To Voice Animated Movie". Deadline.
  32. [32]
    "Rainn Wilson on Oprah's Radio Show". Oprah.com. March 9, 2009.
  33. [33]
    "SoulPancake: Number 114 on the 2015 Inc. 5000". Inc.com. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  34. [34]
    Rainey, James (October 13, 2016). "Participant Media Acquires Rainn Wilson's SoulPancake". Variety. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  35. [35]
    Villarreal, Yvonne (November 12, 2015). "Rainn Wilson gets spiritual in his memoir 'The Bassoon King,' and Dwight Schrute has something to say about it". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  36. [36]
    Dave (February 28, 2021). "Over $150,000 Raised For Charity As Sardoche Wins PogChamps 3". Chess.com. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  37. [37]
    "Rainn Wilson on Instagram: "Meet Diamond. She's what we call a "foster fail". Me & @HolidayReinhorn were going to temporarily host her until we found a home for her…"". Instagram. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021.
  38. [38]
    "Rainn Wilson Imagines Dwight in a Pandemic". YouTube. The Late Late Show with James Corden. Archived from the original on October 30, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  39. [39]
    "From A Weirdo Nerd To A Guy Who Plays One On TV". NPR.org. npr.com. November 27, 2015. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  40. [40]
    Winters Keegan, Rebecca (March 8, 2007). "Rainn Wilson". Time Magazine. Archived from the original on March 16, 2007. Retrieved August 24, 2008. Did being of the Baháʼí faith help you understand the spirituality? As a Baháʼí, I believe in all the spiritual beliefs: Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity.
  41. [41]
    "Rainn Wilson Feeds The Internet Soul Pancakes: Online Video News «". Newteevee.com. March 11, 2009. Archived from the original on August 29, 2012. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  42. [42]
    "Rainn Wilson talks about Hollywood, his family and the Bahaʼi Faith". Bahá’í World News Service. May 24, 2007.
  43. [43]
    "Introducing Baha'i Blog's New Podcast: The Baha'i Blogcast with Rainn Wilson". Baha'i Blog. Half Light Media. June 26, 2016. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  44. [44]
    Rothstein, Betsy (September 24, 2008). "Don't Rainn on his anti-political parade". The Hill. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  45. [45]
    "Charity's work aligns with Rainn Wilson's faith". NBC News. January 3, 2008. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  46. [46]
    Zumberge, Marianne (December 10, 2014). "Rainn Wilson Pays It Forward With Haitian Arts Program". Variety. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  47. [47]
    Singh, Simrin (November 10, 2022). "Rainn Wilson "changes" his name to raise awareness for climate change". www.cbsnews.com. CBS News. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  48. [48]
    "Rainn Wilson announces name change to raise climate change awareness". CNN. November 11, 2022.
  49. [49]
    Vejvoda, Jim (March 27, 2019). "Batman: Hush Movie – Exclusive First Look Photo and Voice Cast News". IGN. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  50. [50]
    Wiseman, Andreas (October 22, 2020). "'Hitpig': Peter Dinklage, Lilly Singh, Rainn Wilson, RuPaul, Hannah Gadsby & Dany Boon To Voice Animated Movie". Deadline. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  51. [51]
    Starner, Nina (June 26, 2020). "Quibi just announced a Princess Bride remake you never expected to see". Looper.com. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  52. [52]
    Flook, Ray (February 28, 2021). "The Rookie S03 Goes 'True Crime': Rainn Wilson, Celebrity Cults & More". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Rainn_Wilson, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.