Luke Wilson
Full Name: Luke Cunningham Wilson
Date of Birth: 21 September 1971
Place of Birth: Dallas, Texas
Bio:
Luke was born in Dallas, Texas, the son of Laura Wilson (née Cunningham), a photographer, and Robert Andrew Wilson, an advertising executive and operator of a public television station. His family is Irish American and Catholic. Luke has two older brothers, fellow actors Owen and Andrew (the eldest).
Luke attended St. Mark’s School of Texas and Occidental College, where he was initially more interested in the school’s athletics department than he was in drama or theater. He excelled at track and field at Occidental, and later at Texas Christian University, once he transferred. Luke’s film acting career began with the lead role in the film Bottle Rocket in 1994, which was co-written by Wilson’s older brother Owen and director Wes Anderson. Bottle Rocket was later made into a feature-length film in 1996.
After moving to Hollywood with his two brothers, he was cast opposite Calista Flockhart with romantic designs in Telling Lies in America and made a cameo appearance in the film-within-the-film of Scream 2 (both 1997). Luke filmed back-to-back romantic films opposite Drew Barrymore, Best Men, about a group of friends who pull off a heist on their way to a wedding, and Home Fries (both 1998), about two brothers interested in the same woman for very different reasons. (Off-screen, the actor won the girl; he and Barrymore became a couple, but parted ways in 1998.) Luke remained in demand, playing the doctor beau of a schoolteacher in Rushmore (also 1998), directed by Anderson and co-written by brother Owen. A starring role opposite Reese Witherspoon in the 2001 comedy Legally Blonde elevated him to a major name in Hollywood and was followed up by hits like Old School and The Royal Tenenbaums. As a result of these and other roles, he became known as a part of the Frat Pack, a set of actors including his brother Owen Wilson, Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, and Steve Carell who often work in each other’s movies.
Luke Wilson also made a notable role in the television show That ’70s Show, as Michael Kelso’s charming and athletic brother Casey Kelso. He appeared on and off the show from 2002 through 2005.
Quoting Luke:
I have this weird thing where I feel exhilarated when I cast things off in my life. Let things go. Even things that are important to me. Sometimes I know I’m making the wrong decision, but I do it anyway. Like, I just lost this watch that really meant a lot to me. I bought it after Bottle Rocket (1996). The first nice thing I ever bought for myself and I lost it. Yet I have this feeling of being glad it’s gone. I don’t know why.
