Portrait of Rainn Wilson

Birthday profile

Rainn Wilson

American actor, comedian, producer, and writer

Born
January 20, 1966
Age in 2026
60
Zodiac sign
Aquarius
Birth year
1966

About Rainn Wilson

Rainn Percival Dietrich Wilson (born January 20, 1966) is an American actor. He starred as Dwight Schrute on NBC's American adaptation of The Office from 2005 to 2013 and received three consecutive Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for the role. Wilson began acting at the University of Washington. Following his 1986 graduation, he worked in theater in New York City. He made his film debut in Galaxy Quest (1999), followed by supporting parts in Almost Famous (2000), Steven Soderbergh's Full Frontal (2002), and House of 1000 Corpses (2003). He also had a recurring part as Arthur Martin in the HBO series Six Feet Under from 2003 to 2005. Wilson's other film credits include lead roles in the comedies The Rocker (2008) and Super (2010), and supporting roles in the horror films Cooties (2014) and The Boy (2015). In 2009, he was heard in the animated science fiction film Monsters vs. Aliens as the villain Gallaxhar, and voiced Gargamel in Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017). He has had the guest-starring role of Harry Mudd on Star Trek: Discovery (2017) and Star Trek: Short Treks (2018), and a supporting role in The Meg (2018). From 2018 to 2021, he had a recurring role as Trevor on seasons 6–8 of the CBS sitcom Mom. He is also the voice of Lex Luthor in the DC Animated Movie Universe. Outside of acting, Wilson published his autobiography, The Bassoon King, in 2015, and cofounded the digital media company SoulPancake in 2008. Wilson first appeared onscreen in 1997 in an episode of the soap opera One Life to Live, followed by a supporting role in the television film The Expendables (1999). Wilson co-founded the website and YouTube channel SoulPancake with Joshua Homnick and Devon Gundry in 2008. On October 10, 2019, he was featured in the 30-minute YouTube documentary Laughing Matters, created by SoulPancake in collaboration with Funny or Die, wherein a variety of comedians discuss mental health. The podcast series is based on his character Terry Carnation from the Radio Rental podcast, created by Payne Lindsey.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Career and life highlights

Rainn Wilson timeline

  1. Wilson first appeared onscreen in 1997 in an episode of the soap opera One Life to Live, followed by a supporting role in the television film The Expendables (1999).
  2. He starred as Dwight Schrute on NBC's American adaptation of The Office from 2005 to 2013, and received three consecutive Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for the role.
  3. Wilson co-founded the website and YouTube channel SoulPancake with Joshua Homnick and Devon Gundry in 2008.
  4. On October 10, 2019, he was featured in the 30-minute YouTube documentary Laughing Matters, created by SoulPancake in collaboration with Funny or Die, wherein a variety of comedians discuss mental health.

The world when Rainn Wilson was born

Rainn Wilson was born in 1966. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1966

  • #1 song"The Ballad of the Green Berets" – SSgt Barry Sadler
  • Top movieA Man for All Seasons
  • Top TV showBonanza
  • Best-selling bookIn Cold Blood – Truman Capote

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentEngland wins the FIFA World Cup at Wembley
  • Top headlineCultural Revolution begins in China
  • Technology milestoneStar Trek premieres, inspiring future technologists
  • Defining fadBatman TV show craze
  • Notable inventionElectronic fuel injection
  • World population3.41 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderLyndon B. Johnson
  • Sports championBaltimore Orioles (World Series)
  • Also wonBoston Celtics (NBA)
  • U.S. population196.6M

1966 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Rainn Wilson's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19662026
Gas$0.32$3.45/gal
Average home$14,200$435,000
Average income$9,400$67,500
Minimum wage$1.25$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$1.09$11.95
Postage stamp$0.05$0.73
Population196.6M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, IMDb. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.