detalesBlog

Since the attempted suicide of Hollywood star and public centerpiece Owen Wilson, the people have started to display a strong interest in this one-of-a-kind actor’s history in the entertainment industry. And when digging up the past, it becomes clear that Wilson’s career extends far beyond his most popularly known films (such as The Wedding Crashers) and includes many classics that you may not have known he was involved with.

Starting at the beginning of his career, his first movie was with some student film that I think was called Bottle Fireworks or something. But his real start came with a cameo in the wildly popular Jim Carrey film The Cable Guy, playing Robin’s date. It was a brief but hilarious appearance and highlighted the potential of the then-unknown comedian.

A year later he illustrated his versatility in his role as Gary Dixon in Anaconda - a big departure from his comedic presence in The Cable Guy.

His career then took off as he was hired to play cameos in several different Hollywood films such as the quirky geologist in Armageddon and then the character Luke Sanderson in horror-film The Haunting in 1999. He also tried his hand at writing some minor film whose title escapes me but it had Bill Murray in it I think.

But the catalyst for his career came the next year when he appeared in two majorly popular films thus establishing him as one of the best B-actors in Hollywood. One of those films was the sleeper hit Shanghai Noon in which he played the wry and flinchy Roy O’Bannon and the second film was the Ben Stiller-helmed blockbuster comedy Meet the Parents. In the Ben Stiller vehicle, Wilson won audiences over with his exceptional portrayal of the mild-mannered Kevin Rawley.

After 2000, Wilson became one of the most sought-after comedians in Hollywood, landing him the landmark roles of Hansel in Zoolander and Ken Hutchinson in Starsky and Hutch. He also deviated from his comedic roots when in 2001 he played Lt. Chris Burnett in Behind Enemy Lines. There was also another Ben Stiller movie called The Royal Greenbaums (sp?) but it never made it big and went straight to DVD.

But by far the highlight of his career was his co-starring role in the modern day classic comedy The Wedding Crashers. The Wedding Crashers proved to be a massive hit with audiences and propelled Wilson to the spotlight as one of the best comedic talents in the industry.

Most recently Wilson has starred in You, Me and Dupree and provided voicework for Pixar’s Oscar-nominated animated feature Cars.

It certainly has been a wild ride for the versatile Owen Wilson and we wish him the best in recovering both physically and mentally so that he can keep churning out classics. But if he were to die, at least he could die peacefully knowing he will always be remembered for being that silly guy from The Wedding Crashers.

POSTED BY BEN BOLDING 12:33:42 NEW YORK, NY