Luke Wilson is a well-known American actor who has been in films such as “Old School,” “The Royal Tenenbaums,” “Legally Blonde,” and “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.” Andrew Wilson and Owen Wilson, two well-known actors, are his younger brothers. Luke was more interested in sports as a kid and discovered acting while attending Occidental College. His film career began with the short film ‘Bottle Rocket,’ which he co-wrote with his brother Owen. The film received positive reviews at film festivals and was later made into a feature picture. Luke’s performance in ‘Bottle Rocket’ earned him the Lone Star Special Award for Debut of the Year. He went on to star in films including ‘Home Fries,’ ‘Blue Streak,’ and ‘Charlie’s Angels,’ all of which were commercially successful. In the popular television series ‘That ’70s Show,’ he had a recurrent part. His busy romantic life is likewise well-known. He dated American actress Drew Barrymore at the start of his Hollywood career and has since had a number of partnerships.
Childhood and Adolescence
Luke Wilson was born in Dallas, Texas on September 21, 1971. Robert Andrew Wilson, his father, is an advertising executive, and Laura Wilson, his mother, is a photographer. Luke is the younger brother of actors Andrew Wilson and Owen Wilson.
He attended St. Mark’s School of Texas alongside his brothers and was elected class president in his first year. He grew up with a strong interest in sports and discovered acting while attending Occidental College.
Career of Luke Wilson
Luke Wilson’s cinematic career began with a main role in ‘Bottle Rocket,’ a short film co-written by his brother, Owen Wilson, in 1994. The film was well-received at film festivals and was later adapted into a full-length picture in 1996.
In 1997, he starred in the film ‘Bongwater,’ and in the film ‘Telling Lies in America,’ with Calista Flockhart. In 1997, he made a cameo appearance in the horror film “Scream 2.”
Around this time, he fell in love with actress Drew Barrymore, and the two starred together in the films ‘Best Men’ (1997) and ‘Home Fries’ (1998). In 1998, he also appeared in the films ‘Dog Park,’ ‘The X-Files,’ and ‘Rushmore.’
Luke Wilson played Detective Carlson in the 1999 film ‘Blue Streak,’ and he also appeared in the films ‘Kill the Man,’ ‘My Dog Skip,’ and ‘Committed’ (2000). ‘Charlie’s Angels’ in 2000 and ‘Legally Blonde’ in 2001 were big successes for him.
His performances in the films ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ (2001) and ‘Old School’ (2001) earned great acclaim (2003). Between 2001 and 2003, he appeared in ‘Soul Survivors,’ ‘The Third Wheel,’ (2002), and ‘Masked and Anonymous,’ (2003). Between 2002 through 2005, Luke had a recurring role on the television show ‘That ’70s Show.’
In 2003, Luke Wilson starred in the sequels ‘Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle’ and ‘Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, and Blonde,’ as well as a blockbuster comedy ‘Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy,’ which was released in 2004. In 2004, he appeared in the films ‘Around the World in 80 Days,’ ‘Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie,’ and ‘Entourage.’
In 2005, he starred in, directed, produced, and wrote the film ‘The Wendell Baker Story.’ In 2006, he starred in the films ‘Mini’s First Time,’ ‘My Super Ex-Girlfriend,’ ‘Jackass Number Two,’ and ‘Idiocracy.’
In 2007, he appeared in the criminal comedy ‘You Kill Me’ and the horror thriller ‘Vacancy.’ Over the next several years, Luke Wilson appeared in a number of films, including ‘Henry Poole Is Here’ (2008), ‘Tenure’ (2009), ‘Death at a Funeral’ (2010), and ‘Middle Men’ in 2010.
From 2011 to 2013, he participated in fifteen episodes of the television series ‘Enlightened.’ In 2012, he also appeared in the films ‘Meeting Evil’ and ‘Straight A’s.’
In 2013, he appeared in an episode of ‘Drunk History’ and starred in the music documentary film ‘Move Me Brightly.’
After that, he appeared in films such as ‘The Skeleton Twins’ (2014), ‘Ride’ (2014), ‘Dear Eleanor’ (2014), ‘Playing It Cool’ (2015), ‘Meadowland’ (2015), ‘The Ridiculous 6’ (2015), ‘Concussion’ (2015), ‘Outlaws and Angels’ (2016), ‘All We Had’ (2016), ‘Approaching the Unknown’ (2016), ‘Roa (2016).
In 2016, he lent his voice to the film ‘Rock Dog.’ Luke is now working on the films ‘Measure of a Man’ and ‘Brad’s Status,’ both of which are due out in 2017. He and his brother Owen co-wrote a Wright Brothers biopic, which he also intends to star in.
Major Projects of Luke Wilson
Luke Wilson made his feature film debut in 1996 with ‘Bottle Rocket,’ which was based on a short film of the same name in which he had previously appeared. For his performance, he won Debut of the Year at the Lone Star Film & Television Awards.
His comedies ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ (2001) and ‘Old School’ are his most well-known works (2003). The films garnered a lot of positive feedback and were nominated for various awards. In 2005, he starred in, directed, and produced the film ‘The Wendell Baker Story,’ which gained critical acclaim.
Achievements & Awards
Luke Wilson got the Lone Star Special Award for Debut of the Year in 1996 for his role in the film ‘Bottle Rocket.’
In 2001, the cast of his film ‘The Royal Tenanbaums’ was nominated for Best Cast Ensemble at the Awards Circuit Community Awards.
In 2003, he was nominated for an MTV Movie Award for ‘Old School,’ for which he received a nomination for Best On-Screen Team.
In 2005, he received the Festival Award at the Vail Feature Festival for his film “The Wendell Baker Story.”
On March 12, 2015, Luke was inducted into the Texas Film Hall of Fame at an awards event in Austin, Texas.
Personal History and Legacy
Luke Wilson has been in a series of partnerships, with his affair with Drew Barrymore, an American actress, making frequent headlines during the start of his career. He has also dated Joy Bryant, an American model, and Gwyneth Paltrow, an actor. Alison Eastwood, Audra Lynn, and Jennifer Walcott are among the women he has dated. He’s never married and is currently unattached.
Luke Wilson Net Worth and Salary
Luke Wilson is a $50 million dollar actor, director, and screenplay from the United States. Luke rose to prominence after performances in films such as “Bottle Rocket” (1996), “Rushmore” (1998), “The Royal Tenenbaums” (2001), “Legally Blonde” (2001), and “Old School” (2001). (2003). He’s also been in episodes of “The X-Files” (1998), “That ’70s Show” (2002–2005), and “Entourage” (2004), as well as having a regular role on HBO’s “Enlightened” (2011–2013) and Showtime’s “Roadies” (2016). Wilson made his acting debut in Wes Anderson and Luke’s brother Owen’s independent film “Bottle Rocket,” in which he played the lead part. Wilson wrote and directed “The Wendell Baker Story” in 2005 and the award-winning short film “Satellite Beach” in 2014. Luke also appeared in “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” (2004) in a minor but notable part as Frank Vitchard, and he plays Pat Dugan/S.T.R.I.P.E. on “Stargirl,” which aired on the DC Universe streaming platform in May 2020.
Trivia
Bel Air Country Club is home to Luke Wilson.
He and his brother, Owen Wilson, were cast as the Malloy brothers in ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ in 2001, but they dropped out to work on ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ the same year.