Owen Wilson Biography

He was born as the middle son of advertising executive Robert Andrew Wilson and photographer Laura Cunningham. He has two brothers, Andrew and Luke who are also involved in filmmaking. He is of Irish descent.

He went to the St. Mark’s School of Texas from where he was expelled for misbehavior. He then graduated from Thomas Jefferson School before going to the military academy in New Mexico.

He enrolled at the University of Texas to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in English. There he met Wes Anderson who became his long-term friend and business collaborator.

Along with Anderson, he co-wrote the script for the film ‘Bottle Rocket’. It was based on a short film directed by Anderson a couple of years ago. The full-length film was released in 1996. In spite of being a commercial failure, it got positive reviews.

Ben Stiller, a fan of the movie ‘Bottle Rocket’ offered a minor role to Owen in his directorial venture ‘The Cable Guy’ (1996) which also starred Jim Carrey.

He played the drug addict Nicky in ‘Permanent Midnight’, a comedy-drama based on the eponymous book by Jerry Stahl in 1998. The film failed at the box office in spite of being critically acclaimed.

He found his big break in 2000 when he was cast as Roy O'Bannon in the martial arts comedy ‘Shanghai Noon’. The film was a huge commercial success. He reprised this role in ‘Shanghai Knights’ in 2003.

He co-wrote the script for the comedy-drama ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ (2001) which was directed by his friend Anderson. The film was a critical success and was nominated for several awards including an Academy Award for the screenplay.

2004 was a very productive year for the actor and he acted in five films, the most notable of which was the comedy-drama ‘The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou’ which was both a parody of and homage to French diving pioneer Jacques-Yves Cousteau.

He appeared as John Beckwith, a bachelor attorney in the 2005 movie ‘Wedding Crashers’. The romantic comedy was an immediate hit and was also reviewed positively by the critics.

He co-produced and starred in the comedy film ‘You, Me, and Dupree’ in 2006 and appeared as John Grogan in ‘Marley & Me’ in 2008.

In 2011, he appeared in the romantic comedy ‘Midnight in Paris’, a movie that explores the themes of nostalgia and modernism.

In addition to films, he has also appeared in episodes of television shows like ‘Community’ and ‘Drunk History’.

He went on to star in films like ‘The Internship,’ ‘Free Birds,’ ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel,’ ‘Inherent Vice,’ ‘Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb,’ ‘She's Funny That Way,’ and ‘No Escape.’

In 2016, he reprised his role as ‘Hansel McDonald’ in the American action comedy film ‘Zoolander 2.’ The film was a sequel to the 2001 film ‘Zoolander’ and received mostly negative reviews from critics. That same year, he also starred in the crime comedy film ‘Masterminds’ directed by Jared Hess. The film was met with mixed critical reception and grossed over $29.7 million on a $25 million budget.

He continued to star in films such as ‘Lost in London,’ ‘Cars 3,’ ‘Wonder,’ ‘Father Figures,’ ‘Bliss,’ and ‘The French Dispatch.’ In 2021, he joined the cast of the television series ‘Loki’ as ‘Mobius M. Mobius.’ The series garnered praise from critics and came out with a second season in October 2023.

He was next seen in ‘Marry Me,’ ‘Secret Headquarters,’ ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,’ and ‘Paint.’ He played the role of ‘Kent’ in the American supernatural horror comedy film ‘Haunted Mansion.’ The film received a mixed response from critics and was a commercial failure.

His film ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ is his best-known work which made him famous in Hollywood. He co-wrote and starred in the comedy-drama which follows the life of three gifted siblings. The movie was ranked as the 159th greatest film ever made by the ‘Empire’ in 2008.

The movie ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

He shared the MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo with Vince Vaughn for the movie ‘Wedding Crashers’ in 2006.

He once dated the singer Sheryl Crow and the actress Kate Hudson.

He has a baby with his former girlfriend Jade Duell. In 2014, he fathered a son with his personal trainer and then-girlfriend Caroline Lindqvist. He also has a daughter with his former girlfriend, Varunie Vongsvirates.

His crooked nose is the result of injuries he got as a result of a fight and an accident.

He was once treated for depression and for attempting suicide.