Wolfgang Bodison facts for kids

Wolfgang Bodison, born on November 19, 1966, is an American actor. He is also a creative director. He is most famous for his role as Lance Corporal Harold W. Dawson in the 1992 movie A Few Good Men.

About Wolfgang Bodison's Early Life

Wolfgang Bodison was born in Washington, D.C. on November 19, 1966. His mother, Dorothea Bodison, worked for the National Institutes of Health. His father passed away in a car accident when Wolfgang was young.

In 1988, he graduated from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. While there, he played football for the Virginia Cavaliers team. He earned a degree in fine arts.

Wolfgang Bodison's Career Journey

Before Becoming an Actor

After college, Bodison started working at Columbia Pictures as a file clerk. In 1989, he got a job in the mail room at Castle Rock Entertainment.

Rob Reiner, a famous director, made Bodison his personal assistant. This was during the filming of Misery in 1990. At that time, Bodison wanted to become a screenwriter and film director. He would take notes on how Reiner directed movies.

Bodison also helped with the cars in John Singleton's movie, Boyz n the Hood (1991). He said his job was to get car clubs in South Central interested in the film.

His Big Break in A Few Good Men

At first, Rob Reiner hired Bodison as a location manager for the movie A Few Good Men (1992). But Reiner was having trouble finding the right actor for the role of Lance Corporal Harold Dawson. This character was a young Marine on trial.

Reiner asked Bodison if he had ever acted. Bodison said no, but Reiner asked him to try reading for the part. Since Bodison had never acted, he hired an acting coach named Julie Ariola. She said he was very creative and intelligent. He learned very quickly.

In August 1991, Bodison was called back to read again. Three days later, Reiner told him he got the part. Bodison was very surprised and excited. Ariola believed it was his destiny to get the role.

Film critics praised Bodison's performance. Rita Kempley from The Washington Post called him an "impressive non-actor." Malcolm Johnson from Hartford Courant described him as "fierce" and "devoted." David Gritten of the Los Angeles Times wrote that Bodison played the role with great emotion. He was good at showing strong feelings without saying a word. Vincent Canby from The New York Times said Bodison's performance gave the film its emotional impact.

Later Acting and Directing Work

Bodison appeared in many other films. These include Little Big League (1994), The Expert (1995), and Akeelah and the Bee (2006). He also had roles on TV shows. He was in Nothing Sacred and Family Law. He also made guest appearances on popular shows like CSI: NY, NCIS, and ER.

Bodison's dream of becoming a screenwriter and director came true. He wrote and directed several short films. These include Simone, Broken, Sarah's Wish, and The Long Wait. These films were shown at major festivals around the world. He also acted in The Long Wait with Elizabeth Yoder. They won the Storytelling Achievement Award at the 2014 Laughlin International Film Festival. Bodison also won Best Director and Best Short Film awards at the 2014 Beaufort International Film Festival.

In 2014, he appeared in the independent movie Ragamuffin.

Today, Bodison is the artistic director at the Playhouse West School and Repertory Theatre in Los Angeles.

Wolfgang Bodison's Film Roles

See also

In Spanish: Wolfgang Bodison para niños