Childhood & Early Life
Patrick Joseph Wilson was born on July 3, 1973, in Norfolk, Virginia, US, to Mary Kay and John Franklin Wilson. He was the youngest of the three children in the family and had two elder brothers.
He was exposed to the entertainment industry since childhood, as his father worked as an anchor at Florida’s ‘WTVT’ network and his mother was a voice teacher and a professional singer. His brother worked in the news broadcasting and advertising sectors.
Ever since he was a kid, Patrick had a keen interest in performance arts. He was part of his school’s theatrical productions. Due to his father’s job, the family had moved to St. Petersburg, Florida. Patrick completed his high-school graduation from the ‘Shorecrest Preparatory School.’
Following his high-school graduation, Patrick enrolled at the ‘Carnegie-Mellon University’ to learn acting. Soon, he earned a BFA degree. While in college, he participated in numerous theatrical plays and earned several honors.
While in the university, he was awarded the ‘Charles Willard Memorial Award’ for ‘Undergraduate Excellence’ in musical theater. He graduated in 1995 and did theater professionally, before he plunged into screen acting and began auditioning for TV and film roles in the early 2000s.
Continue Reading Below
Career
Some of the plays that he did in the second half of the 1990s, before he ventured into screen acting, were ‘Carousel,’ ‘Miss Saigon,’ ‘Bright Lights, Big City,’ and ‘The Full Monty.’ During his theatrical run of more than 5 years, he gained immense experience.
His role in the play ‘Oklahoma!’ helped him earn a ‘Tony Award’ nomination for the ‘Best Actor in a Musical’ and a ‘Drama Desk Award’ nomination.
In the late 1990s, he shot for the film ‘My Sister’s Wedding,’ which was supposed to be his acting debut. However, the film was never released.
In 2003, he was seen as ‘Joe Pitt,’ one of the key characters in the ‘HBO’ miniseries ‘Angels in America,’ alongside actors Al Pacino and Meryl Streep. His performance received massive accolades, and he became a star overnight. His performance in the film helped him win an ‘Online Film & Television Association Award’ and nominations for the ‘Golden Globe’ and the ‘Primetime Emmy’ awards.
In 2004, he made his official film debut, appearing in the war drama film ‘The Alamo,’ which featured him as ‘William Barret Travis,’ one of the main characters. The film received mixed reviews and was a massive box-office disaster.
The same year, he appeared in the film ‘The Phantom of the Opera.’ Directed by Joel Schumacher, the film received poor reviews from critics. However, despite the bad reviews, the film became a major box-office success.
In 2005, he played the first lead role of his career, starring as ‘Jeff Kohlver’ in the thriller film ‘Hard Candy.’ The film was a big critical and box-office success. It also bagged honors at various film festivals.
The 2006 drama film titled ‘Little Children’ featured him as ‘Brad Adamson.’ However, despite receiving amazing reviews, the film turned out to be a box-office debacle. It also ended up receiving nominations at the ‘Academy Awards,’ with Patrick receiving the ‘Young Hollywood Award’ for ‘Breakthrough Performance.’
Over the next few years, he appeared in key roles in films such as ‘Passengers’ and ‘Evening.’
Continue Reading Below
In 2009, he appeared in one of the main roles in the ‘DC’ superhero film ‘Watchmen,’ directed by Zack Snyder. He played the superhero ‘Nite Owl II’ in the film. It was a big critical and commercial success.
In 2011, he appeared in a key role in the series ‘A Gifted Man.’ He also appeared in major roles in series such as ‘Girls’ and ‘Fargo.’ He received massive critical acclaim for starring in these series.
In the early 2010s, he worked in films such as ‘The A-Team,’ ‘Insidious,’ ‘Prometheus,’ and ‘The Conjuring.’
He appeared in another ‘DC’ superhero film, ‘Aquaman,’ playing a villain opposite Jason Momoa. The film became one of the highest-grossing ‘DC’ films of all time. He has also appeared in films such as ‘The Hollow Point’ and ‘The Founder.’
He contributed to the soundtracks of ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ and ‘The Conjuring 2.’
He produced the 2014 film ‘Let's Kill Ward's Wife.’ He will also be producing the upcoming film ‘Caught Stealing.’
Family & Personal Life
Patrick Wilson dated actor Dagmara Dominczyk during the early 2000s. She was his college mate. They got married in June 2005 and had two sons, Kalin Patrick Wilson and Kassian McCarrell Wilson. The family currently lives in Montclair, New Jersey.
Patrick and his brothers had formed a band named ‘Van Wilson’ (now known as ‘The Wilson Van’). They mostly play at charity events.
Patrick has a tattoo with the letters “KPW,” the initials of his older son, Kalin Patrick Wilson, on his arm.
