Rainn Wilson

Early life and education

Wilson was born on January 20, 1966, at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, Washington, 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. Wilson is of part Norwegian ancestry. From ages three to five, he lived with his father and stepmother, Kristin, in Nicaragua before they returned to Seattle after their divorce. He attended Kellogg Middle School and Shorecrest High School in Shoreline, Washington, where he played the clarinet and bassoon in the school band. He transferred to and graduated from New Trier High School after his family moved to Wilmette, Illinois, to serve at the Baháʼí National Center.

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. and was a member of The Acting Company. Between acting jobs in New York City, he drove a moving van to make ends meet.

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, and was nominated for three Helen Hayes Awards for Best Supporting Actor for his work at the Arena Stage.

Career

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). 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. In 2002, he was cast in a lead role in Rob Zombie's horror film House of 1000 Corpses (2003). 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, 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 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, 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).

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). 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."

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."

2014–present: continued film and television

In 2014, Wilson had roles in the independent horror comedy Cooties and the thriller The Boy (2015). 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. Wilson was also one of the show's producers. It was cancelled by Fox after 13 episodes. 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. He also starred in the independent comedy film Permanent, directed by Colette Burson and produced by 2929 Entertainment. Wilson starred in Shimmer Lake (2017) for Netflix and The Meg (2018) for Warner Brothers.

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". 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.

In 2019, Wilson appeared in the independent drama Blackbird, and in 2020 starred in the independent thriller Don't Tell a Soul. In 2020, he was also a series regular in the Amazon Original Series Utopia as virologist Dr. Michael Sterns. 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. Wilson was cast as the villain in the upcoming animated film Hitpig!. 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. He was also cast in mystery series Dark Winds on AMC. In 2023, Wilson appeared in four episodes of Lessons in Chemistry on Apple TV.

Wilson presented the travel series Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss in 2023 for Peacock. Wilson's other streaming credits include a role in Jerry & Marge Go Large for Paramount+, and a loose depiction of Dr. Demento in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. Wilson is set to play a lead role in Code 3, a buddy comedy film.

Wilson portrayed Caldwell B. Cladwell in Urinetown during a limited run production at New York City Center as a part of their Encores! series in early 2025.

Other ventures

Wilson co-founded the website and YouTube channel SoulPancake with Joshua Homnick and Devon Gundry in 2008. 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 and was named one of Fast Companys 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. In 2016 the channel was purchased by Participant Media.

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.

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.

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 .

In 2024, Wilson launched a long-form interview podcast on YouTube titled Soul Boom w/ Rainn Wilson.

Personal life

Wilson is married to writer Holiday Reinhorn, whom he met in an acting class at the University of Washington. two Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs, Snortington and Amy; a donkey named Chili Beans; and a zonkey named Derek.

Wilson and his family are members of the Baháʼí Faith. 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 about the intersection of their faith and work.

On Bill Maher's Real Time, Wilson described himself as a diverse independent, having voted for Republican, Green and Democratic candidates. 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." However, Wilson does vote.

Wilson's charitable works include fundraising for the Mona Foundation, a Bahá’í-inspired charity operating in developing countries. In 2013, he co-founded Lidè Haiti, an educational initiative that uses the arts and literacy to empower adolescent girls in rural Haiti. As of 2024, the group works in 13 locations with over 500 girls, providing scholarships to many of them.

Rainnfall Heat Wave Rising Sea Levels WilsonOn 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.

As a native of Seattle, Wilson is an avid fan of the NFL's Seattle Seahawks, having made several appearances on the team's behalf.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Video games

Awards and nominations

Written publications

• Rainn Wilson. Soul Pancake. 2010. Hachette Books,
• Rainn Wilson. The Bassoon King. 2016. Dutton,
• Rainn Wilson. Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution. 2023. Hachette Books,

References

References

1. Rose, Mike. (January 20, 2023). "Today's famous birthdays list for January 20, 2023 includes celebrities Questlove, Rainn Wilson".
2. Estudillo, Terry. (May 22, 2006). "From Shorecrest "loser" to "The Office" poser". The Seattle Times.
3. Rainn showed the book and read from it on ''[[Jimmy Kimmel Live!]]'' March 22, 2011.
4. Robbins, Jefferson. (July 8, 2020). "Wenatchee Valley artist Robert Wilson dies at 78".
5. (2021-03-30). "Rainn Wilson: 32 Facts About the Actor Behind Everyone's Favorite Office Suck-Up - Hollywood Insider".
6. (March 19, 2011). "Rainn Wilson on Jay Leno".
7. Wilson, Rainn. (November 7, 2011). "Episode #225". WTF Podcast.
8. "Rainn Wilson on Myspace". Myspace.com.
9. (2011). "NYU Graduate Acting Alumni".
10. Chung, Wing. (March 1, 2006). "The B.J. Novak Interview". Television Without Pity.
11. "Rainn Wilson leaves cubicle for the big screen". NBC News.
12. Evans, Greg. (1996-05-03). "Venus Joseph Papp Public Theater's Martinson Hall, N.Y.; 195 Seats; $30". Variety.
13. (March 23, 2007). "Rainn Storm". The Chicago Tribune.
14. "When Billie Beat Bobby (TV Movie 2001) - IMDb".
15. Locker, Melissa. (July 18, 2013). "Five Fun Facts About Rob Zombie's House of 1000 Corpses". IFC.com.
16. (July 17, 2008). "Rainn Wilsons Talks About Entourage!". Entourage The Blog.
17. "Story Notes for Sahara". AMC.com.
18. Berg, Katie Wilson. (November 9, 2015). "Rainn Wilson on Art, Faith and Keeping Dwight Schrute Alive (Q&A)". The Hollywood Reporter.
19. Adler, Shawn. (May 28, 2008). "Rainn Wilson Says He'd Trade Acting For Drumming In 'A Heartbeat'". MTV.
20. Ebert, Roger. (April 6, 2011). "Super Movie Review". The Chicago Sun-Times.
21. Ebert, Roger. "Hesher Movie Review & Film Summary (2011) {{!}} Roger Ebert".
22. (March 2013). "The Boy".
23. (March 18, 2013). "Rainn Wilson's Next Show is a CBS Crime-Drama Called Backstrom".
24. Petski, Denise. (May 8, 2015). "'Backstrom' Cancelled By Fox". Deadline Hollywood.
25. Gettell, Oliver. (June 15, 2015). "Demi Lovato, Rainn Wilson to 'Get Smurfy' in Sony reboot". Los Angeles Times.
26. "Permanent".
27. Pedersen, Erik. (August 18, 2016). "Rainn Wilson Joins Jason Statham In Prehistoric-Shark Tale 'Meg'". Deadline.
28. Britt, Ryan. (January 3, 2019). "Rainn Wilson reveals details behind that character twist in his Star Trek short 'The Escape Artist'".
29. N'Duka, Amanda. (2019-01-11). "Rainn Wilson, Mena Suvari, Fionn Whitehead, Jack Dylan Grazer Topline 'Don't Tell A Soul' Thriller".
30. (October 10, 2019). "Comedians Tackling Depression & Anxiety Makes Us Feel Seen {{!}} Laughing Matters {{!}} Documentary".
31. (22 October 2020). "'Hitpig': Peter Dinklage, Lilly Singh, Rainn Wilson, RuPaul, Hannah Gadsby & Dany Boon To Voice Animated Movie". Deadline.
32. "Rainn Wilson on Mom: Everything you need to know about Bonnie's therapist Trevor Wells".
33. Lovitt, Maggie. (2021-09-05). "AMC's 'Dark Winds' Thriller TV Series Casts Rainn Wilson as a Degenerate Missionary".
34. (October 27, 2023). "Rainn Wilson's Perfectly Monstrous 'Lessons In Chemistry's Boss Will Make You Miss Dwight K. Schrute". Decider.
35. "Watch Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss {{!}} Peacock".
36. "Larry Wilmore, Rainn Wilson Join Annette Bening and Bryan Cranston in 'Jerry and Marge Go Large' (Exclusive)".
37. (2022-11-07). "Things are getting 'Weird' for Rainn Wilson in his latest performance".
38. Cordero, Rosy. (2023-01-30). "Aimee Carrero To Lead Buddy Film 'Code 3' Opposite Rainn Wilson & Lil Rel Howery".
39. Cote, David. (February 10, 2025). "Review: Is ‘Urinetown’ Still Good to the Last Drop?". Observer.
40. Brunner, Jeryl. "How Rainn Wilson Built SoulPancake Into One Of The Coolest Digital Entertainment Companies".
41. (March 9, 2009). "Rainn Wilson on Oprah's Radio Show". Oprah.com.
42. "SoulPancake: Number 114 on the 2015 Inc. 5000".
43. Rainey, James. (October 13, 2016). "Participant Media Acquires Rainn Wilson's SoulPancake". Variety.
44. Villarreal, Yvonne. (November 12, 2015). "Rainn Wilson gets spiritual in his memoir 'The Bassoon King,' and Dwight Schrute has something to say about it". [[Los Angeles Times]].
45. Gallucci, Nicole. (2020-11-22). "Rainn Wilson wants you to get serious about the fight against climate change".
46. Dave. (February 28, 2021). "Over $150,000 Raised For Charity As Sardoche Wins PogChamps 3".
47. (September 16, 2020). "Rainn Wilson Imagines Dwight in a Pandemic". The Late Late Show with James Corden.
48. (November 27, 2015). "From A Weirdo Nerd To A Guy Who Plays One On TV".
49. Winters Keegan, Rebecca. (March 8, 2007). "Rainn Wilson". [[Time Magazine]].
50. (March 11, 2009). "Rainn Wilson Feeds The Internet Soul Pancakes". Newteevee.com.
51. (May 24, 2007). "Rainn Wilson talks about Hollywood, his family and the Bahaʼi Faith". Bahá’í World News Service.
52. (June 26, 2016). "Introducing Baha'i Blog's New Podcast: The Baha'i Blogcast with Rainn Wilson". Half Light Media.
53. Rothstein, Betsy. (2008-09-24). "Don't Rainn on his anti-political parade".
54. (January 3, 2008). "Charity's work aligns with Rainn Wilson's faith". NBC News.
55. Zumberge, Marianne. (December 10, 2014). "Rainn Wilson Pays It Forward With Haitian Arts Program". Variety.
56. "Lide Haiti".
57. (10 November 2022). "Rainn Wilson "changes" his name to raise awareness for climate change". CBS News.
58. (November 11, 2022). "Rainn Wilson announces name change to raise climate change awareness".
59. "Actor and die-hard Seahawks fan Rainn Wilson joins 'GMFB'".
60. "PHOTOS: Rainn Wilson Raises 12 Flag For Week 17 vs. Jets".
61. Vejvoda, Jim. (March 27, 2019). "Batman: Hush Movie – Exclusive First Look Photo and Voice Cast News".
62. Wiseman, Andreas. (October 22, 2020). "'Hitpig': Peter Dinklage, Lilly Singh, Rainn Wilson, RuPaul, Hannah Gadsby & Dany Boon To Voice Animated Movie". Deadline.
63. (May 29, 2025). "Aura Entertainment Buys Wayfarer Studios' Action Comedy 'Code 3,' Starring Rainn Wilson, Lil Rel Howery and Aimee Carrero (EXCLUSIVE)".
64. Starner, Nina. (June 26, 2020). "Quibi just announced a Princess Bride remake you never expected to see".
65. Flook, Ray. (February 28, 2021). "The Rookie S03 Goes 'True Crime': Rainn Wilson, Celebrity Cults & More".