Rainn Wilson
Rainn Wilson is an American actor best known for his iconic role as Dwight Schrute in the NBC sitcom *The Office*, which aired from 2005 to 2013. Born on January 20, 1966, in Seattle, Washington, Wilson grew up in various locations, including Illinois, where he completed his high school education. He pursued a degree in drama from the University of Washington and later earned a master of fine arts in acting from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.
Wilson's career began in theater, with appearances in notable off-Broadway and Broadway productions. After transitioning to television and film, he gained significant recognition for his role in HBO's *Six Feet Under* before landing his breakout character in *The Office*, which earned him three Emmy nominations. Following the show's success, Wilson continued to act in both film and television, taking on diverse roles and projects, including voicing characters in animated films and starring in independent films.
In addition to his acting career, Wilson co-founded the media company SoulPancake, which focuses on meaningful and uplifting content. He remains active in the industry, recently hosting the travel show *Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss*, where he explores happiness around the world. Wilson is also known for his unique comedic style that brings depth to the quirky characters he portrays. He is married to novelist Holiday Reinhorn and has a son, Walter.
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Subject Terms
Rainn Wilson
Actor
- Born: January 20, 1966
- Place of Birth: Seattle, Washington
Contribution: Rainn Wilson is an Emmy Award-nominated American actor who gained fame for his role as Dwight Schrute in the NBC sitcom The Office (2005–13). Wilson starred in several movies and television shows after the conclusion of The Office. He became the host of Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss in 2023.
Background
Rainn Wilson was born on January 20, 1966, in Seattle, Washington, to Robert Wilson and Shay Cooper. He grew up in Lake Forest Park and attended Shorecrest High School in Shoreline, Washington, before moving with his family to Winnetka, Illinois, where he attended New Trier High School for two years.
Wilson later studied at the University of Washington in Seattle, from which he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in drama in 1986. He then enrolled at Tufts University before transferring to New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where he earned his master of fine arts in acting in 1989.
Wilson began acting in off-Broadway productions of various plays, appearing in William Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus, Twelfth Night, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In 1995, he made his Broadway debut at the Broadhurst Theatre in a production of The Tempest, directed by George C. Wolfe. In 1995 and 1996, he was nominated for the Helen Hayes Award for outstanding supporting actor in a resident play for his performances in The Revengers’ Comedies and Long Day’s Journey into Night, respectively. In 1997, he performed in a Broadway production of the comedy London Assurance. During this time, Wilson drove a moving van to supplement his income.
Career
In 1997, Wilson made his television debut with a role in the daytime soap opera One Life to Live. When more roles failed to come his way, Wilson moved to Los Angeles. In 1999, he acted in the pilot episode of the NBC sitcom The Expendables, which was not picked up, and also played a small part in the comedy Galaxy Quest. He made his second film appearance in Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous (2000), in which he portrays Rolling Stone editor David Felton.
After acting in several additional small roles in comedy films, Wilson turned to television for work. He began making appearances in shows such as Charmed, Dark Angel, and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. More film work followed, with Wilson playing minor roles in Full Frontal (2002) and House of 1000 Corpses (2003).
Wilson made a significant television breakthrough when he was cast as the recurring character Arthur Martin in the hit HBO comedy-drama Six Feet Under (2001–5). Arthur is an intern at the Fisher and Sons Funeral Home. Wilson’s portrayal of the strange, offbeat Arthur was acclaimed by critics, and in 2004, Wilson and the rest of the show’s cast shared a Screen Actors Guild Award for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series. Wilson played Arthur from 2003 until the show ended in 2005.
The prominence that Wilson gained from Six Feet Under propelled him to more high-profile films and television shows. In 2005, he acted in the adventure film Sahara, starring Matthew McConaughey, and appeared in the crime drama Numb3rs and the HBO series Entourage.
In 2004, Wilson received the role that would catapult him to stardom. He was cast as a main character in the NBC (National Broadcasting Company) sitcom The Office, an American adaptation of the BBC Two series of the same name (2001–3). The show revolves around the day-to-day lives of the employees of the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Wilson’s character of Dwight Schrute is an egotistical, power-hungry salesman who jumps at every opportunity to assert superiority over his coworkers.
The Office premiered in March 2005 to lukewarm reviews, as many critics thought it paled in comparison to the English original. Nevertheless, NBC renewed the show for a second season, and the series eventually found a substantial and loyal audience, becoming one of the network’s most popular and highly reviewed sitcoms. The Office remained on the air for nine seasons, ending in 2013. In recognition of his performance, Wilson was nominated for three consecutive Emmy Awards for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series.
The enormous national attention that The Office generated as its viewership picked up earned the show’s actors opportunities to perform in mainstream films. In 2006, Wilson played a supporting role in the comedy My Super Ex-Girlfriend. On February 24, 2007, Wilson hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live and participated in several of its sketches, to positive reviews.
In 2007, Wilson continued his work in film with supporting roles in the fantasy film The Last Mimzy and the comedy-drama Juno. He had his first starring role in the 2008 comedy film The Rocker, in which he portrays a washed-up rock musician. He voiced the character of Gallaxhar in the 2009 animated film Monsters vs. Aliens and played a small part in the science-fiction action film Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009). The next year, he starred in the independent superhero film Super and played a supporting role in the drama film Hesher. Wilson finished off the 2000s with guest appearances in episodes of Reno 911! and Family Guy.
In March 2009, Wilson, Joshua Homnick, and Devon Gundry cofounded the website SoulPancake, which featured articles, interviews, discussion forums, and videos on spirituality that encouraged readers to “chew on life’s big questions,” according to the website’s tagline at the time. SoulPancake gradually evolved into a crossplatform media and entertainment company slash creative agency that produced meaningful and ultimately uplifting video web series and social campaigns, such as Kid President (2014), the award-winning documentary series My Last Days (2018–2019), How to Connect with Anyone, Truth or Myth, and It's Not That Funny. Acquired in 2016 by Participant Media, producers of Academy Award-winning films Spotlight and An Inconvenient Truth, SoulPancake's Youtube channel had 3.27 million subscribers in 2019. Its 2018 series for Panera Bread, Food Interrupted, was nominated for a 2019 Daytime Emmy Award.
Wilson continued to work on other television and film projects in the 2010s. He starred with Elijah Wood and Alison Pill in Cooties (2014) and was nominated for several awards for his performance as teacher Wade Johnson. He went on to star in the films The Boy (2015), Shimmer Lake (2017), Permanent (2017), and Thom Pain (2017). Wilson also notably played an updated version of the classic Star Trek villain Harry Mudd in two episodes of Star Trek: Discovery in 2017 and in a Star Trek: Short Treks short in 2019.
More film and television roles came in the 2020s, with WIlson playing Michael Sterns in eight episodes of the Amazon original series Utopia (2020) and making appearances in such other shows as Mom (2019-2021), Dark Winds (2022), and Lessons in Chemistry (2023). On the silver screen, he appeared in movies like Don't Tell a Soul (2020) and Jerry and Marge Go Large (2022) and most notably played cult favorite radio disc jockey Dr. Demento in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022). Beginning in 2023, he became the host and featured traveler of Rainn Wilson and the Geography Bliss in which he searched for the happiest places on Earth.
Impact
Wilson’s foremost power as an actor lies in his deadpan style and spot-on comedic timing. He is adept at portraying unusual, creepy, and offbeat characters, yet he manages to render these characters instantly recognizable and relatable despite their quirks.
Personal Life
Wilson married novelist Holiday Reinhorn in 1995. They have a son, Walter, who was born in 2004.
Bibliography
Brunner, Jeryl. "How Rainn Wilson Built SoulPancake into One of the Coolest Digital Entertainment Companies." Forbes, 31 Jan. 2018, www.forbes.com/sites/jerylbrunner/2018/01/31/how-rainn-wilson-built-soulpancake-into-one-of-the-coolest-digital-entertainment-companies/#713cfb64701c. Accessed 19 Sept. 2024.
Estudillo, Terry. “From Shorecrest ‘Loser’ to ‘The Office’ Poser.” Seattle Times. Seattle Times Company, 22 May 2006. Web. 28 Aug. 2013.
Raftery, Liz. “Pilot Season: Rainn Wilson Lands Lead in CBS Drama from Bones Creator.” TV Guide. CBS Interactive, 17 May 2013. Web. 28 Aug. 2013.
"Rainn Wilson." IMDb, 2024, www.imdb.com/name/nm0933988. Accessed 19 Sept. 2024.
Scarborough, Joe. “Rainn Wilson Leaves Cubicle for the Big Screen.” NBC News. NBCNews.com, 23 Mar. 2007. Web. 28 Aug. 2013.
Spangler, Todd. "Rainn Wilson and SoulPancake Shine Light on Mental Health With Funny Or Die Documentary, Other Programming (EXCLUSIVE)." Variety, 8 May 2019, variety.com/2019/digital/news/rainn-wilson-soulpancake-funny-or-die-mental-health-documentary-1203207921. Accessed 19 Sept. 2024.
Syme, Rachel. “Rainn Wilson Has the Last Laugh.” New York Post. NYP Holdings, 10 Aug. 2008. Web. 28 Aug. 2013.
Wilson, Rainn. Interview by Steve Heisler. TimeOut Chicago. Time Out Chicago Partners, 21 July 2008. Web. 28 Aug. 2013.