| Birth date | September 21, 1971 (age 54) |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Luke Cunningham Wilson |
| Birth place | Dallas, Texas, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Mother | Laura Wilson |
| Relatives |
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Luke Cunningham Wilson (born September 21, 1971[1]) is an American actor. He is best known for his work with filmmaker Wes Anderson, appearing in Anderson's Bottle Rocket (1996), Rushmore (1998) and The Royal Tenenbaums (2001). Wilson is also known as part of the Frat Pack, with whom he has starred in comedic films Bongwater (1997), Old School (2003), Brad's Status (2017) and The Wendell Baker Story (2005), which he also co-directed.
His other prominent film roles have included Blue Streak (1999), My Dog Skip (2000), Legally Blonde (2001), My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006), Idiocracy (2006), You Kill Me (2007), The Skeleton Twins (2014) and Meadowland (2015).
On television, Wilson played Casey Kelso on That '70s Show (2002–2005), Levi Callow on Enlightened (2011–2013) and Pat Dugan / S.T.R.I.P.E. on Stargirl (2020–2022).
Early life
Wilson was born on September 21, 1971 in Dallas, the youngest of three sons of Robert Andrew Wilson, an advertising and television executive, and Laura Cunningham, a photographer.[2] His family, originally from Massachusetts, is of Irish Catholic descent.[3]
All three Wilson boys attended St. Mark's School of Texas. According to Owen, Luke was voted class president the first year he attended St. Mark's.[4] He became interested in acting while attending Occidental College in Los Angeles.[5]
Career
Wilson's acting career began with the lead role in the short film Bottle Rocket in 1994 which was co-written by his older brother Owen and director Wes Anderson. It was remade as a feature-length film in 1996.[2] After moving to Hollywood with his two brothers, he was cast opposite Calista Flockhart in Telling Lies in America[2] and made a cameo appearance in the film-within-the-film of Scream 2,[2] both in 1997. Wilson filmed back-to-back romantic films in 1998, opposite Drew Barrymore, Best Men, about a group of friends who pull off a heist on their way to a wedding,[2] and Home Fries which is about two brothers interested in the same woman for different reasons.[2] He played the surgeon beau of a schoolteacher in Rushmore (also released in 1998) also directed by Anderson and co-written by his brother Owen.[2]
In 1999, he portrayed Detective Carlson in Blue Streak. He later appeared opposite Frankie Muniz in the 2000 comedy-drama My Dog Skip, Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu in the 2000 action comedy Charlie's Angels, and Reese Witherspoon in the 2001 comedy Legally Blonde.[6] It was followed by The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), Old School (2003), Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003), Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde (2003), and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004).[2] Wilson also had a role on That '70s Show, as Michael Kelso's older brother Casey Kelso appearing sporadically from 2002 through 2005.[7]
In 2006, Wilson starred in My Super Ex-Girlfriend, opposite Uma Thurman, and Idiocracy, a dystopian comedy directed by Mike Judge. Wilson portrayed an ordinary serviceman frozen in a cryogenics project. He awakens after hundreds of years in an America which is significantly less intelligent.[8]
In 2007, Wilson starred in the thriller Vacancy, opposite Kate Beckinsale,[9] and Blonde Ambition. In the same year, he appeared in You Kill Me, 3:10 to Yuma, Blades of Glory, and worked on Henry Poole is Here in La Mirada, California which was released in 2008.[2] In 2009, he starred in Tenure.[2][10] In 2010, he appeared in films Death at a Funeral and Middle Men.[2] From 2011 to 2013 he starred in the HBO TV series Enlightened.[11] He followed this up with roles in The Skeleton Twins (2014), Meadowland (2015), Brad's Status (2017), and Zombieland: Double Tap (2019).
Since 2020, Wilson stars in the DC Universe/The CW series Stargirl as sidekick-turned-mechanic-turned superhero Pat Dugan / S.T.R.I.P.E.[12]
In 2023, he starred in the HBO Max animated series Fired on Mars as Jeffrey Cooper, a graphic designer for a business on Mars whose life is changed upon his termination.
Wilson has written a Wright Brothers biopic with his brother Owen, in which they also plan to star.[13]
Personal life
Wilson was formerly in a relationship with Home Fries co-star Drew Barrymore.[14]
In a 2019 interview, he commented on the fact that he has publicly expressed interest in starting a family since 1996, saying, "I'm 47, I'm ready for that. I need to get to work."[15]
Filmography
Film
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | The X-Files | Sheriff Hartwell | Episode: "Bad Blood" |
| 2001–2004 | That '70s Show | Casey Kelso | 6 episodes |
| 2004 | Entourage | Himself | Episode: "Talk Show" |
| Saturday Night Live | Himself (host) | Episode: "Luke Wilson/U2" | |
| 2011–2013 | Enlightened | Levi Callow | 11 episodes |
| 2013 | Drunk History | Will Keith Kellogg | Episode: "Detroit" |
| 2016 | Roadies | Bill | 10 episodes |
| 2019 | Room 104 | Remus | Episode: "The Plot" |
| 2020–2022 | Stargirl | Pat Dugan / S.T.R.I.P.E. | Main role |
| 2020–2021 | Emergency Call | Himself (host) | 10 episodes |
| 2021 | Saturday Night Live | Himself (cameo) | Episode: "Owen Wilson/Kacey Musgraves"[17] |
| 2023 | Fired on Mars | Jeff Cooper (voice) | Main role |
| 2024 | No Good Deed | JD Campbell | Main role[18] |
| 2025 | Bat-Fam | Batman / Bruce Wayne (voice) | Main role[19] |
See also
References
- ^ Fernández, Alexia (June 17, 2021). "Luke Wilson Says He's 'Starting to Feel Panicky' About Turning 50: 'When Did This Happen?'". People. Dotdash Meredith.
- ^ "Luke Wilson- Biography". Yahoo!. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
- ^ Stuever, Hank (July 20, 2006). "The Brothers Grin". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 11, 2010.
- ^ audio commentary on Criterion Collection's Bottle Rocket DVD
- ^ Zoller Seitz, Matt (2010-08-04). "Luke Wilson: How it feels to be America's boyfriend". Salon. Retrieved 2020-07-14.
- ^ ""Legally Blonde" Movie Review". about.com. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
- ^ "Everybody Loves Casey". tv.com. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
- ^ "Idiocracy". empire online. Archived from the original on March 9, 2012. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
- ^ "Picks and Pans Review: Vacancy's Luke Wilson ... Checks in About Brotherly Love—and the Other Kind Too!". people. May 7, 2007. Retrieved October 12, 2012.
- ^ "DVD Review: Luke Wilson in "Tenure"". Orlando Sentinel. April 23, 2010. Archived from the original on April 26, 2010. Retrieved October 12, 2012.
- ^ Patterson, Troy (October 14, 2011). "Laura Dern Is Enlightened". slate.com. Retrieved October 12, 2012.
- ^ Boucher, Geoff (January 8, 2019). "'Stargirl': Luke Wilson Joins Cast of DC Universe Series". Deadline. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
- ^ Larry King (September 26, 2014). "Luke Wilson on "Larry King Now" - Full Episode in the U.S. on Ora.TV". Archived 2021-12-21 at the Wayback Machine. – via YouTube.
- ^ Escalante, Ana (January 28, 2022). "Drew Barrymore Reveals She Had an Open Relationship With Luke Wilson". Glamour. Archived February 5, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
- ^ Swan, Allison (2019-01-30). "Luke Wilson Admits He'd Still Love To Be A Dad At 47: 'I Need To Get To Work' On That". Hollywood Life. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
- ^ Melissa, Billie (2023-11-14). "Luke Wilson Is Bruce Wayne in Merry Little Batman". Men's Journal | Streaming. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
- ^ Caruso, Nick (October 3, 2021). "SNL: Luke Wilson Joins Brother Owen to Parody Star Trek and Jeff Bezos' 'Midlife Crisis of Cosmic Proportions'". TVLine. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (December 15, 2023). "Netflix's 'No Good Deed' Adds Linda Cardellini, Luke Wilson, Teyonah Parris, Abbi Jacobson & Poppy Liu". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
- ^ Milligan, Mercedes (September 18, 2025). "Prime Video's 'Bat-Fam' Unmasks Voice Cast Heroes and Villains"
External links
- Luke Wilson at IMDb