| |
Full Name: Luke Cunningham Wilson
Date of Birth: 21 September 1971
Place of Birth: Dallas, Texas
Early life
Wilson 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).
Wilson 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.
Career
Wilson'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). Wilson 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.) Wilson 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.
His most recent movies include 'My Super Ex-Girlfriend',
'Vacancy' and more recently 'Henry Poole is here'.
|
|
|
