Rainn Wilson
American actor, comedian, producer, and writer (born 1966) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rainn Percival Dietrich Wilson (born January 20, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, podcaster, producer, writer, and director. He starred as Dwight Schrute on NBC's American adaptation of The Office from 2005 to 2013, and received three consecutive Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for the role.
Rainn Wilson | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Wilson at GalaxyCon Richmond in 2025 | |
| Born | Rainn Percival Dietrich Wilson January 20, 1966 Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Other names | Rainnfall Heat Wave Rising Sea Levels Wilson (social media) |
| Education | Tufts University University of Washington (BFA) New York University (MFA) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1993–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
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.
Wilson's 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). From 2018 to 2021, he had a recurring role as Trevor on seasons 6–8 of the CBS sitcom Mom. He is also the voice of Lex Luthor in the DC Animated Movie Universe. Outside of acting, Wilson published his autobiography, The Bassoon King, in 2015, and cofounded the digital media company SoulPancake in 2008.
Early life and education
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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
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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. 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.
In 2017, Wilson voiced Gargamel in the 2017 animated reboot of Smurfs: The Lost Village for Sony Pictures Animation.[25] He also starred in the independent comedy film Permanent, 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 episode "The Escape Artist".[28] He has voiced Lex Luthor in various DC animated films, including The Death of Superman, Reign of the Supermen, Batman: Hush, and Justice League Dark: Apokolips War.[citation needed]
In 2019, Wilson appeared in the independent drama Blackbird, and in 2020 starred in the independent thriller Don't Tell a Soul.[29] In 2020, he was also a series regular in the 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.
Wilson played Trevor Wells, the recurring therapist to Bonnie (Allison Janney) on nine episodes of the CBS sitcom Mom.[32] He was also cast in mystery series Dark Winds on AMC.[33] In 2023, Wilson appeared in four episodes of Lessons in Chemistry on Apple TV.[34]
Wilson presented the travel series Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss in 2023 for Peacock.[35] Wilson's other streaming credits include a role in Jerry & Marge Go Large for Paramount+,[36] and a loose depiction of Dr. Demento in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.[37] Wilson is set to play a lead role in Code 3, a buddy comedy film.[38]
In February 2025, Wilson is set to portray Caldwell B. Cladwell in Urinetown at New York City Center as a part of their Encores! series.[39]
Other ventures
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Wilson co-founded the website and YouTube channel SoulPancake with Joshua Homnick and Devon Gundry in 2008.[40] As of February 20, 2019, the channel had over 3 million subscribers and 557 million video views. The channel was featured on Oprah Winfrey's Satellite Radio Show and Super Soul Sunday[41] and 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.[42] In 2016 the channel was purchased by Participant Media.[43]
Wilson co-wrote the New York Times bestseller SoulPancake: Chew on Life's Big Questions (2010). In 2015, he published The Bassoon King, a humorous memoir of his personal life, career and faith.[44]
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 web docuseries The Idiot’s Guide to Climate Change for SoulPancake's YouTube channel.[45]
In 2021, Wilson voiced the title character in the comedy audio series Dark Air with Terry Carnation. 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.[46]
In 2024, Wilson launched a long-form interview podcast on YouTube titled Soul Boom w/ Rainn Wilson.
Personal life
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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;[47] two Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs, Snortington and Amy; a donkey named Chili Beans; and a zonkey named Derek.[48][49]
Wilson and his family are members of the Baháʼí Faith.[50][51][52] The website Baháʼí Blog, which is popular in the Bahá’í community, hosts Wilson's podcast, the Baháʼí Blogcast, for which he interviews notable people[example needed] about the intersection of their faith and work.[53]
On Bill Maher's Real Time, Wilson described himself as a diverse independent, having voted for Republican, Green and Democratic candidates.[54] In 2008, he said he regretted the statement: "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."[54] Wilson does, however, vote.[54]
Wilson's charitable works include fundraising for the Mona Foundation, a Bahá’í-inspired charity operating in developing countries.[55] In 2013, he co-founded Lidè Haiti, an educational initiative that uses the arts and literacy to empower adolescent girls in rural Haiti.[56] As of 2024, the group works in 13 locations with over 500 girls, providing scholarships to many of them.[57]
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 change his legal name).[58][59]
Filmography
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| † | Denotes works that have not yet been released |
Film
| Year | Title | 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 |
| Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen | Professor Colan | Cameo | |
| 2010 | The New Recruits | Narrator | |
| Super | Frank Darbo / The Crimson Bolt | Also executive producer | |
| Hesher | Paul Forney | ||
| Peep World | Joel Meyerwitz | ||
| 2013 | The Stream | Adult Ernest | |
| 2014 | Cooties | Wade Johnson | |
| 2015 | Uncanny | Castle | |
| The Boy | William Colby | Also executive producer Nominated – Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Best Supporting Actor | |
| 2016 | Army of One | Agent Simons | |
| 2017 | Permanent | Jim Dixon | |
| Smurfs: The Lost Village | Gargamel | Voice | |
| Shimmer Lake | Andy Sikes | ||
| 2018 | The Death of Superman | Lex Luthor | Voice |
| The Meg | Jack Morris | ||
| Where in the Hell is the Lavender House? | Executive producer Documentary of Longmont Potion Castle | ||
| 2019 | Reign of the Supermen | Lex Luthor | Voice |
| Brightburn | Frank Darbo / The Crimson Bolt | Cameo (photograph only) | |
| Batman: Hush | Lex Luthor[60] | Voice | |
| Blackbird | Michael | ||
| 2020 | Justice League Dark: Apokolips War | Lex Luthor | Voice |
| Don't Tell a Soul | Hamby | ||
| Don't Look Back | George Reed | Cameo Also known as Good Samaritan | |
| 2022 | Jerry & Marge Go Large | Bill | |
| Weird: The Al Yankovic Story | Dr. Demento | ||
| 2023 | Ezra | Nick | |
| 2024 | Empire Waist | Mark | |
| Hitpig! | Leapin' Lord of the Leotard | Voice[61] | |
| TBA | At the Sea † | TBA | Filming |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | One Life to Live | Casey Keegan | |
| 1999 | The Expendables | Newman | Television film |
| 2000 | Road Rules: Maximum Velocity Tour | Roadmaster | Uncredited |
| 2001 | Charmed | Kierkan | Episode: "Coyote Piper" |
| When Billie Beat Bobby | Dennis Van De Meer | Television film | |
| Dark Angel | Phil | Episode: "I and I Am a Camera" | |
| CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Guy in Supermarket | Episode: "The Strip Strangler" | |
| 2002 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Janitor | Episode: "Waste" |
| 2003 | Monk | Walker Browning | Episode: "Mr. Monk Goes to the Ballgame" |
| 2003–2005 | Six Feet Under | Arthur Martin | 13 episodes |
| 2005 | Numb3rs | Martin Grolsch | Episode: "Vector" |
| Entourage | R. J. Spencer | Episode: "I Love You Too" | |
| 2005–2013 | The Office | Dwight Schrute | 201 episodes |
| 2007 | Saturday Night Live | Host | Episode: "Rainn Wilson/Arcade Fire" |
| 2008 | Tim and Eric Nite Live! | The Psychic | Episode: "1.8" |
| 2008; 2010 | Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! | Various | 5 episodes |
| 2009 | Reno 911! | Calvin Robin Tomlinson | Episode: "Digging with the Murderer" |
| 2010 | Family Guy | Dwight Schrute | Voice, episode: "Excellence in Broadcasting" |
| 2012 | Rove LA | Himself | Episode: "Rainn Wilson/Sarah Wayne/The Miz" |
| 2013 | The High Fructose Adventures of Annoying Orange | Dr. Po | Voice, episode: "Orange James Orange" |
| Comedy Bang! Bang! | Himself | Episode: "Rainn Wilson Wears a Short Sleeved Plaid Shirt & Colorful Sneakers" | |
| Arcade Fire in Here Comes The Night Time | Greeter; stage crew member | NBC special | |
| 2014–2018 | Adventure Time | Rattleballs / Peacemaster | Voice, 4 episodes |
| 2015 | Backstrom | Detective Everett Backstrom | 13 episodes |
| 2016 | Roadies | Bryce Newman | Episode: "The Bryce Newman Letter" |
| 2017 | Star Trek: Discovery | Harry Mudd | Guest role (2 episodes) |
| 2018 | Room 104 | Jim Herbers | Episode: "Mr. Mulvahill" |
| 2019 | Star Trek: Short Treks | Harry Mudd / Harry Mudd (androids) | Also director; Episode: "The Escape Artist" |
| Transparent | Arthur | Episode: "Transparent Musicale Finale" | |
| 2019–21 | Mom | Dr. Trevor Wells | 9 episodes |
| 2020 | Solar Opposites | Mouse Milk Farmer | Voice, episode: "Terry and Korvo Steal a Bear" |
| Home Movie: The Princess Bride[62] | Vizzini | Episode: "Chapter Two: The Shrieking Eels" | |
| Utopia | Michael Stearns | 8 episodes | |
| We Are the Champions | Narrator | Also executive producer | |
| 2021 | The Rookie[63] | Himself | Episode: "True Crime" |
| Explained | Narrator | Episode: "Chess" | |
| 2022 | Dark Winds | Devoted Dan | 3 episodes |
| 2023 | Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss | Himself | Main role |
| StoryBots: Answer Time | Cosmic Caller | Episode: "Fractions" | |
| Lessons in Chemistry | Phil Lebensmal | Recurring role (4 episodes) |
Theatre
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Titus Andronicus | Martius | Shakespeare in the Park |
| Twelfth Night or What You Will | Ensemble | ||
| 1995 | The Tempest | Kuroko | New York Shakespeare Festival |
| 1996 | Venus | Father | The Joseph Papp Public Theater |
| 1997 | London Assurance | Charles Courtly | Criterion Center Stage Right |
| 2016 | Thom Pain (based on nothing) | Thom Pain | Gaffen Playhouse |
| 2024 | Waiting for Godot | Vladimir | Gaffen Playhouse |
| 2025 | Urinetown | Caldwell B. Cladwell | New York City Center |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Monsters vs. Aliens | Gallaxhar |
Awards and nominations
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
External links
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