Rainn Wilson Biography

Rainn Wilson is an American actor, scriptwriter and producer. This biography provides detailed information on his childhood, life, works, achievements & timeline.

Quick Facts

Birthday: January 20, 1966

Nationality: American

Famous: Actors American Men

Age: 53 Years, 53 Year Old Males

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Also Known As: Rainn Dietrich Wilson

Born in: Seattle, Washington, U.S

Famous as: Actor, Director, Writer, Art Collector

Height: 6'2" (188 cm), 6'2" Males

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Holiday Reinhorn (m. 1995)

father: Robert G. Wilson

mother: Shay Cooper

children: Walter McKenzie Wilson

U.S. State: Washington

City: Seattle, Washington

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education: Tisch School of the Arts, Shorecrest High School, University of Washington, New York University, New Trier High School, Tufts University

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Rainn Dietrich Wilson is an American television and movie actor, director, scriptwriter and producer. He became a household name in 2005 with his brilliant portrayal of the miserably weird bully ‘Dwight Schrute’ in the US version of the popular British sitcom ‘The Office’. After struggling for a decade to get a proper platform to prove his talent and working his way through small roles in television series like ‘Six Feet Under’, ‘Law & Order’, ‘CSI: Crime Scene Investigation’, ‘Entourage’, etc. and movies like ‘House of 1000 Corpses’, ‘Almost Famous’, ‘America’s Sweethearts’, etc., Wilson was finally recognized for his quirky style of acting and his distinctive screen presence. He has also directed three episodes of The Office: the sixth season's ‘The Cover-Up’, the seventh season's ‘Classy Christmas’, and the eighth season's ‘Get the Girl. After ‘The Office’, Wilson got more opportunities to render his talent on screen with projects like, lead role in Peter Cattaneo’s comedy ‘The Rocker’, voiced the alien villain, Gallaxhar in the 2009 film Monsters vs. Aliens, co-wrote and co-produced ‘Bonzai Shadowhands’, etc. He is currently cast in the Fox Crime Drama ‘Backstrom’, starring in the lead role as ‘Everett Backstrom’.

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Rainn Wilson

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Childhood & Early Life

Wilson was born in Washington to Shay Cooper and Robert G. Wilson. His father was an author, artist and business consultant; he wrote a science fiction novel titled ‘Tentacles of Dawn’. His mother was a yoga teacher and an actress.
He was enrolled in the Central Middle School and Shorecrest High School. He played the Clarinet and bassoon in band in high school. He describes his adolescence as ‘geeky’ and says that it was spent playing ‘Dungeons & Dragons’.
By the time he graduated, his passion for acting had taken a full form and he made efforts to pursue it. He went to the Tufts University and the University of Washington where he learnt acting.
He has an MFA from New York University's Graduate Acting Program at the Tisch School of the Arts and was also a member of The Acting Company, a foundation that many prestigious actors were a part of.
Quotes: Like
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Career

Wilson struggled at the start of his career and lack of opportunities forced him to do odd jobs to support himself. His struggle came to an end when he got a recurring role in ‘One Life to Live’ in 1997.
Wilson continued to get small roles in high profile movies like, ‘Galaxy Quest (1999)’, ‘Almost Famous ‘(2000)’, ‘America’s Sweethearts (2001)’, etc. Around this time he also landed some smalltime roles in television, like: ‘Charmed’ and ‘CSI: Crime Scene Investigation’.
It was with Rob Zombie’s ‘House of 1000 Corpses’ in 2001, starring Chris Hardwick and Sheri Moon Zombie, that Wilson established himself as an actor for the first time. He was noticed for his inventive and quirky style.
Wilson’s quirky, eccentric and distinctive style and acting technique brought him to the notice of producer Greg Daniels, who was looking for a perfect cast for an American adaptation of the popular British sitcom ‘The Office’.
He was hired for the project, for the role of the confrontational and toady ‘Dwight Schrute’ in 2005, along with Steve Carell and John Krasinski. The first five seasons won four Primetime Emmy Awards and the series ran until 2013.
Towards the late 2000s, he kept appearing in movies like, ‘Sahara (2005)’ starring Matthew McConaughey , ‘My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006)’ starring Uma Thurman, ‘The Last Mimzy (2007)’, ‘Juno (2007)’ starring Ellen Page, Jason Bateman, etc.
In 2007, owing to the success of ‘The Office’ and popularity ‘Dwight Schrute’, Wilson was cast in a lead role in Peter Cattaneo’s comedy ‘The Rocker’. The film received mixed reviews and was a disappointment at the box office.
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He gave the voice over for the villainous alien overlord ‘Gallaxhar’ in the DreamWorks Animation film ‘Monsters vs. Aliens’ in 2009, starring Seth Rogen and Reese Witherspoon. He also co-wrote and co-produced ‘Bonzai Shadowhands’ in the same year.
In 2014, Wilson was cast in ‘Backstrom’, in the lead as ‘Everett Backstrom’, a self disparaging detective who is part of a bunch of unconventional criminologists. The series is based on Leif G. W. Persson's Swedish book series.
Quotes: Think

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Major Works

The breakthrough work of Wilson’s career is his celebrated role of ‘Dwight Schrute’ in the US version of British sitcom ‘The Office’. Before this critically acclaimed role, he struggled very hard to make a place for himself in the showbiz.

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Personal Life & Legacy

Wilson met his wife Holiday Reinhorn, a writer, in an acting class in his college. The couple got married on the Kalama River in Washington in 1995. They have a son together named Walter Mckenzie.

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Trivia

Wilson currently resides in Agoura Hills, California with his family.
He and his father are both art collectors by hobby and they buy and sell fine art.
He founded the website SoulPancake in 2009 and it was featured on Oprah Winfrey’s Satellite Radio Show.
He and his family follow the Baha’I Faith.
He is writing and co-producing ‘Renaissance Men’.
He likes to play chess.