Rainn Wilson Biography
Rainn Wilson is an American award-winning actor best known for starring in The Boy (2015), Backstrom (2015), Cooties (2014) and Hesher (2011). He rose to fame after starring in the TV series The Office (2005–2013).
Rainn Wilson Career
Before enrolling at the University of Washington in Seattle, Wilson studied at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. In 1986, he completed his undergraduate studies in drama at the University of Washington. After that, he enrolled in the Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Acting Program at New York University, where he earned an MFA in acting and became a member of The Acting Company. He was a moving van driver in New York City and made ends meet while performing in plays.
During his early career, Wilson was involved in a lot of theater productions. He performed with several theater companies, including the Guthrie Theater, Playwrights Horizons, The Public Theater, and the Roundabout. Venus by Suzan-Lori Parks, directed by Richard Foreman in 1996, included Wilson as one of the eight chorus members. Because of his work at the Arena Stage, he received three Helen Hayes Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor.
Wilson, who was born in Seattle, started acting at the University of Washington. After earning his degree in 1986, he went on to work in theater in New York City. After making his cinematic debut in Galaxy Quest (1999), Wilson went on to appear in supporting roles in Steven Soderbergh’s Full Frontal (2002), Almost Famous (2000), and House of 1000 Corpses (2003). In addition, from 2003 to 2005, he played Arthur Martin in an episode of Six Feet Under on HBO. He played Trevor in the CBS comedy Mom from 2018 to 2021.
Wilson joined The Office in 2005 and remained in the role until the show’s 2013 finale as Dwight Schrute. Additional film credits include supporting parts in the horror movies Cooties (2014) and The Boy (2015) and main roles in the comedy The Rocker (2008) and Super (2010). He voiced the villain Gallaxhar in the computer-animated science fiction movie Monsters vs. Aliens and Gargamel in Smurfs: The Lost Village in 2009. In Star Trek: Discovery (2017) and Star Trek: Short Treks (2018), he portrayed Harry Mudd in a brief recurring role. In The Meg (2018), he had a supporting role. Additionally, in the DC Animated Movie Universe, he provides the voice of Lex Luthor. Aside from acting, Wilson co-founded SoulPancake, a digital media company, in 2008, and released his autobiography, The Bassoon King, in 2015.
Wilson made his television debut in a 1997 episode of the serial opera One Life to Live. In 1999, he played a supporting role in the film The Expendables. Wilson debuted in a feature picture with Galaxy Quest (1999), and then he appeared in Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous (2000) in a small supporting part. He portrayed Dennis Van De Meer in the 2001 film When Billie Beat Bobby. He was chosen for the main part in Rob Zombie’s horror movie House of 1000 Corpses (2003) in 2002. In HBO’s Six Feet Under, Wilson portrayed Arthur Martin, an intern at Fisher & Diaz Funeral Home, starting in 2003. For the show, Wilson won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Drama Ensemble. Additionally, he appeared in a few supporting roles in the Melvin van Peebles biopi. (2003) and America’s Sweethearts (2001). Wilson made cameo appearances in several television shows, including Reno 911!, Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Charmed, Entourage, Monk, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Wilson starred in the thriller The Boy (2015) and the independent horror comedy Cooties in 2014. Wilson portrayed Everett Backstrom in the Fox crime thriller Backstrom, an aggressive and self-destructive detective who works with a group of strange criminologists. The show is based on the same-titled Swedish book series by Leif G. W. Persson. Wilson was the show’s producer as well. Fox decided to discontinue it after 13 episodes. He made a guest star appearance on Roadies in 2016.
Wilson provided Gargamel’s voice in the 2017 Sony Pictures Animation animated adaptation of The Smurfs: The Lost Village. Alongside Patricia Arquette and Kira McLean, he played the humorous and loving father Jim Dickson in the indie comedy film Permanent. Colette Burson directed the movie, which 2929 Entertainment produced. Wilson featured in Warner Brothers’ The Meg (2018) and Netflix’s Shimmer Lake (2017). Wilson directed the Star Trek: Short Treks The Escape Artist and was chosen to play Harry Mudd in Star Trek: Discovery. In several DC animated movies, such as Batman: Hush, Reign of the Supermen, and The Death of Superman, Wilson provided the voice of Lex Luthor.
Wilson starred in the independent thriller Don’t Tell a Soul in 2020 with Jack Dylan Grazer and Fionn Whitehead and in the drama Blackbird in 2019 with Susan Sarandon and Kate Winslet. In the same year, he starred as virologist Dr. Michael Sterns, a series regular opposite John Cusack and Sasha Lane in the brand-new Amazon Original Series Utopia. He was included in Laughing Matters, a 30-minute YouTube documentary on mental health that SoulPancake and Funny or Die produced together on October 10, 2019. The documentary has a range of comedians talking about mental health. He was chosen to play the antagonist in the next animated picture Hitpig. Wilson served as narrator and executive producer for the Netflix documentary series We Are the Champions in 2020.
Rainn Wilson Age
Wilson was born on January 20, 1966, in Seattle, Washington, United States. He is 58 years old as of 2024, and he celebrates his birthday on the 20th of January every year.
Rainn Wilson Height and Weight
Wilson stands at a height of 6 feet 2 inches tall (1.87m) and weighs 84 kgs (185 lbs).
Rainn Wilson Family
Wilson is the son of Shay Cooper, a yoga instructor and actress, and Robert G. Wilson (1941–2020), an author, artist, and business consultant who penned the science fiction book Tentacles of Dawn and was born at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, Washington. He lived in Nicaragua with his father and stepmother, Kristin, from the age of three to five. Following their divorce, they moved to Seattle. He participated in the school band at Shorecrest High School and Kellogg Middle School in Shoreline, Washington, where he played the bassoon and clarinet. His family moved to Wilmette, Illinois, so he could work at the Bahá’í National Center. He transferred to New Trier High School and completed his education there.
Rainn Wilson Wife
Wilson is married to Holiday Reinhorn who is a writer. The two became friends in an acting class at the University of Washington; Reinhorn had moved from her home Portland, Oregon, to Seattle to attend the school. In 1995, the couple tied the knot on Washington’s Kalama River, and their son Walter was born in 2004. They own a house in Los Angeles and a house outside of Sisters, Oregon. They own two Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs, named Amy and Snortington, two pit bulls, named Pilot and Diamond, a zonkey named Derek, and a donkey named Chili Beans.
Rainn Wilson Net Worth
Wilson has an estimated net worth of about $10 Million – $20 Million which he has earned through his career as an actor.
Rainn Wilson Salary
Wilson earns a salary of about $100,000-$500,000.
Rainn Wilson The Office
As he recorded the once-in-a-lifetime moment, Wilson’s Dwight repeatedly appeared on the screen. Dwight Schrute, played by Wilson, is a loyal helper to regional boss Michael Scott (Carell) in addition to being a paper salesman.
Rainn Wilson The Boy
Wilson plays William Colby, a mysterious outsider who seduces and captivates young Ted Henley. Morse is John Henley, the proprietor of a motel and the father of the youngster who will become famous in due course. Bill Sage will play the sheriff of the little town where the Henleys live. Mike Vogel and Zuleikha Robinson play a married couple who stay the night at the Henley Hotel with their kid (Aiden Lovekamp).
Rainn Wilson Cooties
Rainn Wilson plays Alison Pill’s boyfriend Wade, an annoying average gym teacher whose character Lucy was Clint’s former crush. They must battle the Cootie infection together with a handful of quirky teachers if they hope to survive. The film has a strong beginning, moving quickly into action, and Wood portrays a writer who is eager for criticism, as evidenced by his enthusiastic recommendation that his first-period students watch the first chapter of his book. Nothing particularly noteworthy about any of the other cast members’ performances or characters.
Rainn Wilson Book
In November 2015, he published The Bassoon King, a funny memoir about his life, work, and faith. He co-wrote the New York Times bestseller SoulPancake: Chew on Life’s Big Questions.
Rainn Wilson Movies and TV Shows
- StoryBots: Answer Time
- Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss
- Dark Winds
- Explained
- The Rookie
- We Are the Champions
- Utopia
- Ezra
- Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
- Jerry & Marge Go Large
- Don’t Look Back
- Don’t Tell a Soul
Rainn Wilson Social Media Platform
Wilson is very active on his Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook pages. He has 4.3M followers on Twitter 4M followers on Instagram, and 1.1M followers on Facebook.