Owen Wilson
ALL ABOUT OWEN WILSON
Full Name: Owen Cunningham Wilson
Date of Birth: 18 November 1968
Place of Birth: Dallas, Texas, USA
Salary:
Wedding Crashers (2005) $10,000,000
Starsky & Hutch (2004) $10,000,000
Behind Enemy Lines (2001) $3,000,000
Zoolander (2001) $2,000,000
Shanghai Noon (2000) $4,000,000
Family:Father - Robert Wilson, advertising executive; operated public TV station, Brother - Laura Wilson, photographer, Brother - Andrew Wilson, actor; appeared in Bottle Rocket, Brother - Luke Wilson, actor; costarred in Bottle Rocket, Home Fries and Rushmore
Education: St. Marks High School
Thomas Jefferson High School, Dallas, Texas
Graduated from New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, New Mexico
University of Texas at Austin (BA in English, 1991)
Relationship: Sheryl Crow (musician; born on February 11, 1962; met during filming of The Minus Man in 1999)
Bio:
Texas native Owen Wilson teamed up with college roommate Wes Anderson to help put Austin on the filmmaking map with their debut film, “Bottle Rocket” (1996). In this, he succeeded, but he would also go on to prove his talents as a comic actor – as well as writer and producer – with numerous and varied roles in both small independents and studio blockbusters. Well-known for being one of Hollywood’s busiest lotharios off-screen, Wilson’s amorous social life earned the actor the undying gratitude of tabloid editors and gossip columnists for years. Included among Wilson’s many paramours were a string of models, as well as a “who’s who” of today’s hottest young starlets. His dalliances with such high-profile celebs as Kate Hudson and singer Sheryl Crow eventually earned Wilson the colorfully provocative sobriquet, “The Butterscotch Stallion” A founding member of Hollywood’s comedy “Frat Pack” – a club which counted Vince Vaughn, Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd and Wilson’s brother, Luke, among its proud body – Wilson starred in a number of successful stand-out films in the 21st century, among them: the delightfully quirky ensemble, “The Royal Tenenbaums” (2001), the 2005 hit romantic-comedy, “Wedding Crashers,” the Pixar animated crowd-pleaser “Cars” (2005), and the absurdist three’s-a-crowd romp, “You, Me & Dupree” (2006), co-starring Matt Dillon and Wilson’s soon-to-be off-screen girlfriend, Kate Hudson.
Born on Nov. 18, 1968 in Dallas, TX, this self-described blond troublemaker was the second child of Robert and Laura Wilson. Growing up between two brothers, Andrew (the eldest) and Luke (the youngest), young Owen – like many middle children – sought attention by acting out and getting into trouble. Expelled from St. Mark’s Academy in Dallas in the tenth grade, Wilson finished his sophomore year at Thomas Jefferson School before heading to a military academy in New Mexico. He then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he met his future mentor and friend, Wes Anderson. Together, the two collaborated on a script which would eventually become “Bottle Rocket” (1996). Wilson’s entry into the industry came with the 1992 short of the same name, which he penned along with Anderson and starred in with brothers Andrew and Luke. After hooking up with James L. Brooks and Polly Platt – thanks to some championing by screenwriter L.M. ‘Kit’ Carson – Anderson and Wilson were given the funds to develop a full-length feature based on the well-received, festival-screened short. The curtain rose on this expanded version of “Bottle Rocket” in 1996, but failed test screenings resulted in little studio push. Revolving around a pair of friends going nowhere slowly, the film did receive critical praise for its originality – director Martin Scorsese even ranked it among his favorite films of the 1990s – and won Wilson notice, both for his keen scripting and winning performance as the enthusiastic, if misguided would-be criminal Dignan.
Re-locating to Los Angeles full-time in the mid-1990s, Wilson quickly found work with his relaxed, assured screen presence, emerging as a fine character player; later a somewhat unlikely lead, due to his good looks marred slightly by a twice-broken nose. He played a small role as an obnoxious date for leading lady Leslie Mann in Ben Stiller’s “The Cable Guy” (1996), before becoming snake feed in “Anaconda” (1997). After serving as associate producer on Brooks’ Oscar-nominated “As Good As It Gets” (1997), Wilson signed up to play Oscar Choi, the quirkiest of a team of oil drillers sent to outer space to save the earth from an asteroid in the summer blockbuster, “Armageddon” (1998). That same year he acted in what amounted to a cameo role in “Permanent Midnight,” playing the drug-addled pal who convinces screenwriter Jerry Stahl (Ben Stiller) to enter into a green-card marriage. Though his part was small, Wilson made an impression with an oddly affectionate portrayal infused with boundless energy.
Wilson next reunited with Wes Anderson on 1998’s “Rushmore,” a uniquely charming, somewhat dark comedy. Wilson co-wrote and executive produced the Anderson-directed film, which starred Bill Murray as a wealthy man in a rivalry with a remarkably self-possessed teenager (Jason Schwartzman) for the attentions of a widowed prep school teacher (Olivia Williams). Following the critical and small-scale commercial success of “Rushmore,” Wilson returned to acting with a starring role as a thoughtful and likable serial killer in Hampton Fancher’s compelling drama, “The Minus Man” (1999). He was next featured in the ensemble of “The Haunting” (1999), Jan De Bont’s disappointing remake of Shirley Jackson’s chilling novel, The Haunting of Hill House. That same year, he had a cameo in the similarly muddled “Breakfast of Champions,” directed by Alan Rudolph.
In 2000, Wilson starred in “Shanghai Noon,” an Old West-set buddy film that paired him with Hong Kong action hero and Hollywood heavyweight Jackie Chan. Chan played a Chinese Imperial guard sent to rescue kidnapped Princess Pei Pei (Lucy Liu), and Wilson – who later rewrote much of his dialogue – was cast as Chan’s reluctant partner Roy O’Bannon, an unlikely and emotionally expressive outlaw. His verbally adept brand of comedy proved the perfect foil for Chan’s remarkable physical talents. Later that year, the actor was featured alongside Robert De Niro and frequent co-star Ben Stiller in Jay Roach’s black comedy “Meet the Parents.” His hilariously droll performance as the successful, well-adjusted ex-boyfriend offered a nice counterpoint to the film’s very broad antics. In 2001, Wilson played Hansel, the New Age, extreme sportsman nemesis of Stiller’s “Zoolander.” The actor’s unflinching portrayal of the over-the-top up-and- comer who spews garbled Eastern philosophy and makes tracks on his high-tech scooter, proving he would not let vanity get in the way of a laugh. By the end of that year, Wilson picked up the mantle of action hero, carrying the compelling war-themed adventure “Behind Enemy Lines.” His vulnerable but ultimately heroic take on seemingly doomed Navy pilot Lt. Burnett brought some humanity to the genre, and the actor held his own admirably alongside legendary co-star Gene Hackman.
Wilson was next featured with Hackman in “The Royal Tenenbaums” (2001), taking writing, producing and acting credits in this Wes Anderson film. An affectionate portrayal of quirky but likable characters in the tradition of their previous efforts, “The Royal Tenenbaums” focused on a splintered family of former child prodigies (Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow and Luke Wilson) who are brought together by news of their father’s (Hackman) grave illness. Wilson got many laughs with his colorful supporting role as off-kilter novelist Eli Cash, neighbor and lifelong family friend who must face the fact that he is a misfit even among the misfit Tenenbaums. In 2002, the actor attained star status, in two action comedies – matched with Eddie Murphy in a feature adaptation of “I Spy” and reuniting with Jackie Chan for the sequel “Shanghai Knights” (2003). In both features, Wilson demonstrated both his exceptional ability to develop strong chemistry with wildly divergent co-stars with different on-screen styles, and his ability to mine throwaway lines for comedic gold by playing deconstructed versions of stereotypical movie types like the secret agent and the cowboy.
Despite demonstrating his enviable timing and mastery of dialogue, the actor had less success when he starred as a beach bum-turned-heist artist in the Elmore Leonard-derived caper film, “The Big Bounce” (2004). He also re-teamed with frequent collaborator Ben Stiller to play TV cop Ken “Hutch” Hutchinson in the parody-minded big screen adaptation of the 1970s ABC cop drama “Starsky & Hutch.” That same year, he enjoyed a lighthearted cameo with his brother Luke, playing the flying brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright, respectively, in “Around the World in 80s Days” (2004). In the sequel “Meet the Fockers” (also 2004), Wilson revived the role of Teri Polo’s too-perfect ex-boyfriend, and just like its predecessor, the movie became a box office hit, despite lukewarm reviews. His hot streak continued with the roundly hilarious comedy “Wedding Crashers” (2005) in which he and Vince Vaughn played a pair of lovable cads who invade strangers’ weddings to pick up lonely, vulnerable women. It was with this latter film that Wilson proved he could hold his own comedically, as well as touch hearts with his tender, believable love scenes with co-star Rachel McAdams.
By the time of “Wedding Crashers,” Wilson was clearly established as a central figure in what many characterized as a comedic Rat Pack-style clique of comic actors who frequently teamed up and/or cameoed in each other’s films – the group also including brother Luke, Stiller, Vaughn, Will Ferrell and Steve Carrell. That same year Wilson inked a deal to write and executive produce “Bert & Dickie,” a half-hour comedy for HBO which followed an odd-couple stand-up comedy team who discover success is always elusive. Meanwhile, Wilson continued his steady and successful presence on the big screen, providing the voice of Lightning McQueen, a hotshot race car stuck in a sleepy Route 66 town in Pixar’s eye-popping CGI-animated hit, “Cars” (2006). He then starred in the comedy “You, Me and Dupree” (2006), playing a homeless slacker taken in by his best friend, Carl (Matt Dillon), only to become a permanent fixture while winning over Carl’s wife (Kate Hudson) and family with his carefree charm, frustrating his friend to no end. It was after the film’s release that rumors he had fallen for his recently separated co-star Hudson began to pop up in tabloids. By early 2007, the towheaded pair – though not officially announcing their coupledom – was photographed around the country in various states of romantic bliss. Wilson’s brother Luke even began acknowledging their romance during interviews.
In 2007, Owen earned ink for more than just the Hudson romance when he appeared in a supporting role in “The Wendell Baker Story.” Actually filmed in 2005, this independently financed comedy was written by and starred younger brother, Luke, and was co-directed by his older brother, Andrew. Shot entirely on location in the Lone Star State, “Wendell Baker” received a belated wide release that summer – a full two years after it had been filmed.
In an unexpected turn of events, Wilson was hospitalized on Aug. 26, 2007 after police were called by brother Luke to his Santa Monica, CA home due to an attempted suicide report. Wilson was taken by ambulance to Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, then later transferred to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Beverly Hills. After being listed in good condition the following day, Wilson’s publicist, Ina Treciokas, released a statement from the actor that said in part, “I respectfully ask that the media allow me to receive care and heal in private during this difficult time.” Wilson was involved in two new comedies at the time, “Marley & Me,” co-starring Jennifer Aniston, and “Tropic Thunder,” directed by pal Ben Stiller and starring Jack Black. Wilson dropped out of the latter project – in which he had a small role that had yet to be filmed – while the fate of “Marley & Me” remained unclear.
Trivia:
Refused a stay in rehab following his hospitalization for a suicide attempt. He has instead reportedly hired a $750-a-day ’sober companion’ who will stay by his side 24 hours a day. (September 12, 2007)
His suicide attempt in August was reportedly the third time the actor had tried to take his life. (September 6, 2007)
Dropped out of starring in the Ben Stiller-directed ensemble comedy TROPIC THUNDER while he recovers from a reported suicide attempt. (August 29, 2007)
Was rushed to hospital in Los Angeles amidst rumors of a suicide attempt. (August 26, 2007)
Wilson and Kate Hudson have been photographed kissing and holding hands in Australia. (March 2007)
Despite strong denial of their alleged romance, yet they reportedly broke up just several weeks ago, Wilson and Kate Hudson made a rare appearance in Australia at a private screening of FOOL’S GOLD. (February 21, 2007)
Denies speculation he is to propose to Kate Hudson after being spotted with his mother looking at rings in a jewelry shop, insisting his mother was looking for jewelry for herself. (November 30, 2006)
Wilson and Kate Hudson have further sparked rumors of a romance, after they were both spotted vacationing in Hawaii. (September 15, 2006)
Used to run errands for the company in Austin, Texas.
Has denied any connection between his new movie, YOU, ME AND DUPREE, and ’70s supergroup Steely Dan. (July 29, 2006)
Rock band Steely Dan claim Wilson’s latest film YOU, ME AND DUPREE is based upon one of their songs. They say that the filmmakers stole Wilson’s character Dupree from their Grammy award-winning song “Cousin Dupree,” about a slacker musician who takes up residence on his aunt’s couch. (July 26, 2006)
Wilson and Michael Douglas have confessed to becoming all hot and bothered at the sight of co-star Kate Hudson in a tiny swimming costume on the set of YOU, ME AND DUPREE. (July 10, 2006)
Is set to star in the upcoming high-concept comedy DRILLBIT TAYLOR, which follows the story of two high school freshmen who are targeted by the local bully. (June 21, 2006)
Is reportedly dating Donatella Versace’s young niece, Francesa. (June 3, 2006)
Is searching for a wife because he’s finally ready to settle down and start a family. (July 19, 2005)
Is left-handed.
Cut his chin and had to get stitches during the making of The Haunting in the scene where his character Luke is attacking the portrait of Hugh Crane with a candlestick.
Quotes:
“It’s funny how it usually works out that I end up dying. It sort of works out, because by the time I die, I’m usually tired of working on that particular movie, so I look forward to it.” - about how a lot of his characters end up dying.
“Being in a bathtub with Jackie Chan, I don’t know, it has a way of bonding you I’ll tell you that. I don’t know if there are some weird undertones. It was like we had met in Los Angeles and we didn’t have that much to say to each other but, after that bathtub scene, we were great friends. What it really was was that when we’d play off each other, it really was fun. We really did become friends”. - on the bathtub scene in Shanghai Noon (2000).
“The walk off was the most uncomfortable scene for me to shoot, cos I literally have never danced in public or really even in private. I’m not a musical person and we had to dance like Michael Jackson and we had to do breakdancing…” - about the walk off scene in Zoolander (2001).
“Sometimes I stop and think how strange this all is. Something that began as a little idea in Austin, that Wes and I just walked around talking about between ourselves, has turned into all this.” - on how his career has turned out.
“You can think of Hollywood as high school. TV actors are freshmen, comedy actors are maybe juniors, and dramatic actors - they’re the cool seniors.”
“I guess a lot of me in the sense is like Dignan, that’s my sense of humor. The stuff that Dignan is doing is what I would do. When we test-screened the movie I realized that not everybody laughed where I did. I realized there’s not a big audience for my type of humor. Dignan doesn’t have self-awareness. Donald Trump has none either. When I read “The Art of the Deal” I laughed at that because neither of them realize how funny they are” - about his character Dignan in Bottle Rocket (1996).
[Talking about his relationship with Sheryl Crow and his relationships with women in general]: “Going out with someone who’s doing the same thing as you, who’s in the public eye, can be a problem… You want a break when you come home. You don’t want someone with the same issues as you maybe reminding you of stuff you don’t like in yourself. That being said, I don’t think being in the spotlight had anything to do with me and Sheryl not working out. The story of our relationship is the same story I’ve had with most of my relationships. I was lucky enough to find a great girl and, because of my lack of… focus, the relationship went south”.
“We spent so much time together that I can remember us being in our teens and our dad saying we should try to find some other friends because he thought we were our own lowest common denominator when we got together.” - on his brothers
“Acting is more fun than writing. Writing is harder, more like having a term paper.”
“Yes, sometimes people get irritated, starting with my brother Luke in BR. He would get pissed at me, like, ‘Why don’t you just say the lines that you wrote?’” - on whether or not his improvisational skills bother fellow actors
“Ben, for example, is kind of a moody guy, and you kind of have to put on the kid gloves because you never know which Ben is going to show up on set” - on Ben Stiller.
“I can’t think of a movie I wish I’d acted in, but there are movies I wish I’d written.”
“Not Shakespeare. In college I took a Shakespeare class because I was an English major, and they had a Summer program called Shakespeare at Winedale, which is out in the German Hill country in Texas , where you go out and live for two months and then you perform three plays at the end of that time. And people from Austin drive out and see it. I was supposed to be one of the two gentlemen of Verona . And I got out there and I just could not stand being out there. There were also so many lines to memorize that it was just overwhelming for me. So I ended up going home and I got an F.”
“A buddy movie has to have that beat where one buddy doesn’t show up. They hit the same beats as romantic comedies.”
“At about the same age as I was interested in petrified wood, I was just fascinated with this dumb idea that we only used 10 percent of our brains. I was always thinking, Man, if I could only use 20…”
“I’m not going to play a guy with MS or a guy in a wheelchair. I can play a dramatic character, certainly, but I’m not the real chameleon-type actor who, you know, changes his voice and everything.”
“Actually, to be honest, a shotgun wedding might be the way to go for me. You can’t stay at the party forever. At some point, you have to take stock and ask yourself, ‘What am I doing here?’”
“To me, being cool is just the opposite of living. It’s about not getting too worked up about anything, by being ‘Nyah, nyah, nyah,’ and no big deal. I can’t stand that. It’s such a jaded, clichéd posture to take. I get real enthusiastic about stuff. It’s what I think is life-affirming.”
“I thought that I’d be married by the time I was 30 and be starting a family, but it just hasn’t worked out that way. I think that there’s something about being in Hollywood. I don’t know if I’m shallow, but you want to make sure that you make the right choice because you know that it’s forever and I didn’t realize that I have such a strong scientific side that demands that I experiment with and compare women.” - 2005
“The studio said Bottle Rocket (1996) was their worst-testing movie in history, so I looked into the marines. Maybe I was influenced by An Officer and a Gentleman (1982). Or those marine commercials - they were so cool! Like a Led Zeppelin song come to life, full of people pulling swords from rocks and fighting lava monsters!”.
“The director made that decision not to use my butt…I don’t know how to interpret that.” - on having a body double for a scene in You, Me and Dupree (2006).
(On what he enjoys most about being an actor) “I was reading some Bob Dylan interview where he said, ‘It beats nine-to-five. It beat it yesterday, it beats it today, and it will beat it tomorrow.’ That’s how I feel. I just thank God that I’m able to make a living doing something that I can have a good time doing, and be creative.”
Filmography:
Owen Wilson Filmography as an Actor:
2008 Drillbit Taylor
2008 Outsourced
2007 The Darjeeling Limited
2006 Night at the Museum
2006 Cars
2006 You, Me and Dupree
2005 The Wendell Baker Story
2005 Wedding Crashers
2004 Meet the Fockers
2004 Starsky & Hutch
2004 The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou
2004 Around the World in 80 Days
2003 The Big Bounce
2003 Shanghai Knights
2002 I Spy
2001 King of the Hill: Luanne Virgin 2.0
2001 Zoolander
2001 The Royal Tenenbaums
2001 Behind Enemy Lines
2000 Shanghai Noon
2000 Meet The Parents
1999 The Minus Man
1999 The Haunting
1999 Breakfast of Champions
1998 Armageddon
1998 Permanent Midnight
1997 Anaconda
1996 The Cable Guy
1996 Bottle Rocket
Owen Wilson Filmography as an Associate Producer:
1997 As Good As It Gets
Owen Wilson Filmography as an Executive Producer:
2008 Year One
2001 The Royal Tenenbaums
1998 Rushmore
Owen Wilson Filmography as a Producer:
2006 You, Me and Dupree
Owen Wilson Filmography as a Screenwriter:
2005 The Wendell Baker Story
2001 The Royal Tenenbaums
1998 Rushmore
1996 Bottle Rocket
Owen Wilson Awards:
Academy
2001 Best Original Screenplay Royal Tenenbaums
British Academy Awards
2001 Best Original Screenplay Royal Tenenbaums
Toronto Film Critics Association
2001 Best Screenplay [Runner-up] Royal Tenenbaums
Writers Guild of America
2001 Best Original Screenplay Royal Tenenbaums
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