Owen Wilson - Biography

Texas native Owen Wilson teamed up with college roommate Wes Anderson to help put Austin on the filmmaking map with their debut "Bottle Rocket", but went on to prove his talents as an actor as well as writer and producer with numerous and varied roles in both small independents and studio blockbusters. Wilson's entry into the industry came with the 1992 short "Bottle Rocket", which he penned along with Wes 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 ranking 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.

A lanky blond with a relaxed, assured screen presence, Wilson emerged as a fine character player and later a somewhat unlikely lead, 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 reteamed 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" (also 1999), Jan De Bont's a 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 Wilsonwho later rewrote much of his dialoguewas 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 droll performance as the successful, well-adjusted ex-boyfriend offering 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 proved he wouldn't 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 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 (Hackman)'s 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.

2002 saw the actor hit star status, lensing two action comedies, matched with Eddie Murphy in a feature adaptation of "I Spy" and reteaming 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 artists in the Elmore Leonard-derived caper film "The Big Bounce" (2004), and he re-teamed with frequent collaborator Ben Stiller to play TV cop Ken "Hutch" Hutchinson in the comedic, 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 Polos ex-boyfriend, and just like its predecessor, the movie became a box office hit despite lukewarm reviews.