Rainn Wilson
If you watch The Office, you already know that Dwight Schrute is the man that you love to hate! Despite being the office’s know it all, Dwight has proven that he’s quite naïve and trusting. Though his co-worker Jim Halpert has enlarged his prank war to office mate Andy Bernard, Dwight has been a victim to having his stapler encased in Jello and believed that he was being recruited for the CIA. Though he is considered something of the office geek (and his wardrobe reflects this) Dwight has occasionally shown remarkable insight and and deep understanding of his co-workers. Awkward, ambitious and sometimes genuinely unlikable, Dwight Schute bears almost no resemblance at all to Rainn Wilson, the actor who portrays him!
Rainn Wilson was born in Seattle, Washington, on January 20, 1968, and attended Shorecrest High School in Shoreline, Washington. His mother is Shay Copper, who teaches yoga in addition to acting, and his father is Robert G. Wilson, a noted writer and business consultant. With his family, he moved to Wilmette, Illinois , where his family worked at the Baha’i National Center. After finishing up his high school education in New Trier High School, he went to Tufts University and the University of Washington, where he has both taken acting classes and taught them. As it can be seen, Wilson has an extensive history in the arts, holing an MFA from the Tisch School of the Arts. While working in New York’s theater scene, he drove a van to make ends meet. He is currently married to actress Holiday Reinhorn, with whom he has a son named Walter Mackenzie.
Wilson has held several excellent roles in a variety of excellent television dramas, and he began his career on the soap opera One Life to Live. He’s appeared in the sci-fi hit Galaxy Quest as well as the shows Charmed and the short-lived Dark Angel. In terms movies, his film credits include America’s Sweethearts, House of 1000 Corpses, and Almost Famous. Like his Office co-actor Steve Carell, he hosted Saturday night live, and in 2007, appeared in ads for the US women’s national soccer team. As you can see, his career path has lead him to a wide variety of different opportunities.
Wilson is a two time winner of the Screen Actors Guild Award. The first was for outstanding performance in an ensemble drama, when he portrayed Andrew Martin, in HBO’s hit drama Six Feet Under, and the second was for his outstanding performance in an ensemble comedy, this time with his signature role as Dwight Schrute. He has also been nominated for an Emmy for his portrayal of Dwight Schrute. The future seems bright for Rainn Wilson, as he embarks on a starring role in the forthcoming movie The Rocker.
