Owen Wilson Biography

Owen Wilson

When brothers Owen and Luke Wilson left their Dallas childhood home for the University of Texas, they had no idea they were on the way to thriving careers in Hollywood. After acquiring the writing bug while attending a playwriting class, Owen met fellow student Wes Anderson and the two wrote and produced the short film Bottle Rocket (1994). Owen took the lead role and recruited younger brother Luke to costar. The film generated an underground buzz, winning a well-received showing at the Sundance Festival and attracting the attention of producer James L. Brooks, who subsequently produced a feature version of it, released in 1996. Though it failed to make money it developed a strong cult following, largely due to the Wilson brothers' onscreen charm and acting abilities. Wilson went on to appear in The Cable Guy (1996), Anaconda (1997), and Armageddon (1998). In 2001, Owen, Luke, and Wes Anderson teamed up again for the acclaimed feature The Royal Tannenbaums, costarring Gene Hackman, Angelica Houston, and Gwyneth Paltrow.