Wilson was born inDallas, the middle child of three sons of photographerLaura Cunningham Wilson (b. 1939) and Robert Andrew Wilson (1941–2017), an advertising executive and operator of a public television station. His brothersAndrew andLuke are also actors. Wilson's parents are ofIrish descent.[4] As a teenager, Wilson broke his nose twice: the first time in a high school fight, and the second time playing football with friends. “You know, probably my nose wouldn’t have been that great even if it hadn’t been broken," Wilson toldThe Los Angeles Times.[5]
Wilson made his film debut acting in theWes Anderson short filmBottle Rocket (1994), which was later expanded into the feature-length filmBottle Rocket (1996). Wilson co-wrote the screenplay with Anderson, and acted opposite his brotherLuke Wilson. David Hunter ofThe Hollywood Reporter praised the film, saying, "A marvelous debut film for its director, writer and lead actors,Bottle Rocket is propelled by a fresh approach to the caper genre".[9] That same year, he had a supporting role in theblack comedyThe Cable Guy (1996), starringJim Carrey and directed byBen Stiller, an early admirer ofBottle Rocket. Wilson playedLeslie Mann's date in the film. In 1997, he had a role in the adventure thrillerAnaconda and executive produced theJames L. Brooks comedyAs Good as It Gets.
He also reunited with Anderson, co-writing the script for his next two films,Rushmore andThe Royal Tenenbaums, which Anderson directed. The pair garnered an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay for 'Tenenbaums'. Wilson did not act inRushmore, but was shown briefly in a photograph in the film.[10][11][12] After appearing in supporting roles in 1999, he acted in horror filmThe Haunting, andThe Minus Man. His future girlfriend, singerSheryl Crow, was a co-star in the latter film.
2000–2006: Film stardom
Wilson in 2003
Wilson starred in the 2000 comedy action filmShanghai Noon alongsideJackie Chan. The film grossed nearly $100 million worldwide. His fame continued to rise after starring alongsideBen Stiller andWill Ferrell in the 2001 filmZoolander.Gene Hackman reportedly took notice of Wilson's performance inShanghai Noon and recommended the actor to co-star in the 2001 action filmBehind Enemy Lines. Also in 2001, Wilson and Anderson collaborated on their third film,The Royal Tenenbaums, a financial and critical success. The film earned the writing team an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.[13]
Wilson returned to the buddy-comedy genre in 2002 with the action comedyI Spy, co-starringEddie Murphy. The big-screen remake of the same-named television series did not perform well at the box office. He made a cameo appearance in theGirl Skateboards videoYeah Right! in 2003. He then reunited with Chan to makeShanghai Knights (2003), and co-starred in the film remake of the 1970s television seriesStarsky & Hutch (2004). Due to his busy schedule as an actor and an ongoing sinus condition, Wilson was unavailable to collaborate on the script for Wes Anderson's fourth feature film,The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. The 2004 film was ultimately co-written by filmmakerNoah Baumbach. However, Wilson did star in the film as Bill Murray's would-be son, Ned Plimpton; it was a role written specifically for him.[14] In 2004, he and his brother Luke played theWright brothers in the 2004 filmAround the World in 80 Days. Wilson is said to be attached to a sequel toShanghai Knights, marking his third collaboration withJackie Chan.[15]
Wilson at theLondon premiere ofYou, Me and Dupree in 2006
During this time, Wilson gained a reputation for frequently exclaiming "Wow!" in his roles, becoming something of ameme, as well as histrademark.[17]
2007–2015: Established career
Wilson appeared in another Wes Anderson film,The Darjeeling Limited, which screened at the 45th annualNew York Film Festival, theVenice Film Festival, and opened September 30, 2007. It co-starsJason Schwartzman andAdrien Brody.[18]The Darjeeling Limited was selected for a DVD and Blu-ray release by The Criterion Collection in October 2010.[19] Wilson next starred in theJudd Apatow comedy,Drillbit Taylor which was released in March 2008. He appeared in a film adaptation ofJohn Grogan's best-selling memoir,Marley & Me (2008), co-starringJennifer Aniston.[20] He provided the voice for the Whackbat Coach Skip in Wes Anderson's stop motion animated filmFantastic Mr. Fox (2009). Wilson is a member of the comedic acting brotherhood colloquially known as theFrat Pack. Wilson made a guest appearance on the NBC comedyCommunity with fellow Frat Pack memberJack Black.[21]
That same year, he starred in the filmThe Big Year (2011) an adaptation of Mark Obmascik's bookThe Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature and Fowl Obsession.[26] The film was released in October 2011 by20th Century Fox, and co-starredJack Black,JoBeth Williams,Steve Martin andRashida Jones. The same year, Wilson returned to voice McQueen inCars 2. In March 2012, Wilson was signed to star in theJohn Erick Dowdle thrillerThe Coup,[27] later renamed "No Escape", in which he played the role of the father of an American family that moves to Southeast Asia, only to find itself swept up in a wave of rebel violence that is overwhelming the city. The film was not released until 2015, and was Wilson's return to the action genre for the first time sinceBehind Enemy Lines in 2001.[28] He also voiced turkey Reggie inReel FX's first animated film,Free Birds.[29][30]
In 2017, Wilson again voiced Lightning McQueen inCars 3, played a suburban father in the dramaWonder, and co-starred withEd Helms in the comedyFather Figures.[32] In November 2017, Wilson became the face of a new £20 million advertising campaign for theUK sofa retailerSofology.[33] He returned to work with Sofology in 2019 for a second advertising campaign.[34]
In January 2011, Wilson and his then-girlfriend Jade Duell had a son.[49][50] Wilson and Duell ended their relationship later that year. In January 2014, he had a son with Caroline Lindqvist.[51][52][53] He had a third child, a daughter, in October 2018 with ex-girlfriend Varunie Vongsvirates.[54]
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