by Cicely Richard

Created on: July 25, 2008

Owen Wilson, the blond-haired brother, is known for his broken nose and for his zany, comedic roles in movies. Recently, he has made the headlines for his love life and hospitalization for a suicide attempt. Some people find his style endearing while others find his roles annoying and one dimensional. Sometimes, he sounds as if he's high or drunk as he reads his lines in most of his roles. His roles as a comedic actor sometimes overshadow the fact that Wilson has done some dramatic work in movies and has also written screenplays with his brother Luke.

Wilson was born on November 18 1968, in Dallas, Texas. He's the middle child of the Wilson brothers, Andrew the oldest and Luke the youngest. As a youngster, he continually got in trouble. His reputation as a troublemaker led to his expulsion from St. Mark's Academy in the tenth grade and subsequent placement in the New Mexico Military Institute. After Wilson graduated from the military academy, he enrolled in the University of Texas at Austin. Wilson received his degree in English.

In college, he studied English and wrote the screenplay entitled "Bottle Rocket," which led to a chain reaction that led him to Hollywood. The script eventually landed in the hands of the great comedic writer/director James L. Brooks, who gave Wilson $5 million to make it into a feature film. The movie was released in 1996 and received critical praise. He moved to Hollywood after making the film. Although his heart was in writing, Wilson began taking roles in movies, which has helped him pay the bills.

He made a lot of movies that basically sucked and didn't highlight his creativity, such as the Jim Carrey flop "The Cable Guy," "Anaconda," and "Breakfast of Champions." Eventually, he received roles in better movies, such as "Meet the Parents" and the war drama "Behind Enemy Lines." Wilson was finally able to show off his writing ability when he co-wrote the 2001 film "The Royal Tenenbaums." The movie received rave reviews from critics and award nominations.

Nevertheless, Wilson's acting career, particularly his comedy, has taken precedence over his writing. In the tradition of the media, he was labeled as a member of "The Frat Pack," which included his brother Luke, Will Ferrell, Jack Black, Vince Vaughn, Ben Stiller and Steve Carell. This moniker stems from their role in the 2003 movie "Old School." All of these men have appeared with one another in a number of comedy movies, some brilliant, some inane.

Hopefully, the day will come when Wilson will tire of bad comedies such as "Drillbit Taylor." With his ability to weave a complicated, yet engaging story like "The Royal Tenenbaums," maybe he will shift gears and focus more on writing and less on mediocre roles in movies. He cannot be counted out because there are a number of examples of people who have made smooth transitions from in front of the camera to being behind the scenes.

Source:

http://www.imdb.com

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