Rainn Wilson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rainn Wilson
Wilson at GalaxyCon Richmond in 2025
Born	Rainn Percival Dietrich Wilson (1966-01-20) January 20, 1966 (age 59) Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Other names	Rainnfall Heat Wave Rising Sea Levels Wilson (social media)
Education	Tufts University University of Washington (BFA) New York University (MFA)
Occupation	Actor comedian podcaster producer writer director
Years active	1993–present
Spouse(s)	Holiday Reinhorn ​ (m. 1995)​
Children	1

Rainn Percival Dietrich Wilson (born January 20, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He is most famous for playing Dwight Schrute on the American TV show The Office. He starred in the show from 2005 to 2013. His performance earned him three nominations for the Emmy Award.

Wilson started acting while studying at the University of Washington. After graduating in 1986, he moved to New York City to work in theater. He first appeared in a movie in Galaxy Quest (1999). He then had roles in movies like Almost Famous (2000) and House of 1000 Corpses (2003). From 2003 to 2005, he played Arthur Martin in the HBO show Six Feet Under.

Wilson has also starred in comedies like The Rocker (2008) and Super (2010). He voiced the villain Gallaxhar in the animated movie Monsters vs. Aliens (2009) and Gargamel in Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017). He also played Harry Mudd in Star Trek: Discovery and had a role in the shark movie The Meg (2018).

Besides acting, Wilson wrote an autobiography called The Bassoon King in 2015. He also co-founded the media company SoulPancake in 2008.

Early Life and Schooling

Rainn Wilson was born on January 20, 1966, in Seattle, Washington. His mother, Shay Cooper, was a yoga teacher and actress. His father, Robert G. Wilson, was an artist and writer. When Wilson was young, he lived in Nicaragua for a few years with his father and stepmother.

He went to middle school and high school in Washington, where he played the clarinet and bassoon in the school band. Later, his family moved to Illinois, and he graduated from New Trier High School.

For college, Wilson first went to Tufts University. He then transferred to the University of Washington, where he earned a degree in drama in 1986. After that, he went to New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and got a master's degree in acting. To earn money between acting jobs, he drove a moving van.

Career Beginnings

Before becoming famous on TV, Wilson worked a lot in theater. He performed in plays with famous theater groups like The Public Theater and the Guthrie Theater. He was nominated for three Helen Hayes Awards for his acting at the Arena Stage.

Wilson's first on-screen role was in the soap opera One Life to Live in 1997. His first movie was Galaxy Quest in 1999. He then had small parts in movies like Almost Famous (2000) and America's Sweethearts (2001).

In 2003, he got a recurring role as Arthur Martin in the TV series Six Feet Under. This role helped him gain more attention. He also appeared as a guest star on many popular TV shows, including CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Monk, and Charmed.

Breakthrough with The Office

Wilson in 2008

In 2005, Wilson was cast as Dwight Schrute, a quirky and intense salesman, in the American version of The Office. The show became a huge hit, and his character was a fan favorite. For this role, he was nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor three years in a row (2007, 2008, and 2009). He also won two SAG awards along with the rest of the cast. Besides acting, Wilson also directed three episodes of the show.

While on The Office, Wilson hosted Saturday Night Live in 2007. He also starred in the comedy movie The Rocker (2008), where he played a drummer. In 2009, he voiced the alien villain Gallaxhar in the animated movie Monsters vs. Aliens.

In 2010, he played the lead role in the superhero comedy Super. Film critic Roger Ebert praised his performance, saying Wilson "never seems to be trying to be funny, and that's a strength."

Recent Work

Wilson in 2016

After The Office ended, Wilson continued to act in movies and television. In 2015, he starred as a grumpy detective in the Fox TV series Backstrom. He also appeared in horror films like Cooties (2014) and The Boy (2015).

In 2017, he voiced the evil wizard Gargamel in Smurfs: The Lost Village. He also played the recurring character Harry Mudd in Star Trek: Discovery. He has voiced the famous comic book villain Lex Luthor in several animated DC movies, such as The Death of Superman and Batman: Hush.

From 2019 to 2021, he had a recurring role as a therapist on the CBS show Mom. In 2020, he starred in the Amazon Original Series Utopia. In 2023, he hosted a travel show called Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss and appeared in the series Lessons in Chemistry.

Other Projects

In 2008, Wilson co-founded SoulPancake, a website and YouTube channel that explores "life's big questions." The channel became very popular and was bought by Participant Media in 2016.

Wilson is also an author. He co-wrote the book SoulPancake: Chew on Life's Big Questions in 2010. In 2015, he released his memoir, The Bassoon King, which tells the story of his life, career, and faith in a funny way.

He is also an activist who cares about climate change. In 2022, to raise awareness, he changed his name on social media to Rainnfall Heat Wave Rising Sea Levels Wilson. This was not a legal name change.

Personal Life

Wilson is married to writer Holiday Reinhorn. They met in an acting class at the University of Washington and got married in 1995. They have a son named Walter, who was born in 2004. The family has a home near Sisters, Oregon, and another in Los Angeles. They have many pets, including two dogs, two pigs, a donkey, and a zonkey (a zebra-donkey hybrid).

Wilson and his family are members of the Baháʼí Faith. He hosts a podcast called the Baháʼí Blogcast, where he talks to people about their faith and work.

He is also involved in charity work. He helped start Lidè Haiti, an organization that uses art and reading to help teenage girls in rural Haiti.

Filmography

This is a list of some of Rainn Wilson's most well-known movies and TV shows.

Film

Television

See also

In Spanish: Rainn Wilson para niños