Patrick Wilson (actor)

Patrick Joseph Wilson (born July 3, 1973) is an American actor who is best known for playing the role of demonologist Ed Warren in the Conjuring Universe (2013–present).
He began his career in 1995, starring in Broadway musicals. He is a two-time Tony Award nominee for his roles in ''The Full Monty'' (2000–2001) and ''Oklahoma!'' (2002). He co-starred in the acclaimed HBO miniseries ''Angels in America'' (2003), which he was nominated for both the Golden Globe Award and Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie.

Wilson has also appeared in films such as ''The Phantom of the Opera'' (2004), ''Hard Candy'' (2005), '' Little Children'' (2006), ''Watchmen'' (2009), ''Insidious'' (2010), ''The A-Team'' (2010), '' Insidious: Chapter 2'' (2013), and as demonologist Ed Warren in the Conjuring Universe (2013–present). He has earned a reputation as a " scream king" due to his frequent casting in horror films.

On television, Wilson starred in the CBS drama series ''A Gifted Man'' (2011–2012) and as Lou Solverson in the second season of FX's anthology series '' Fargo'' (2015), for which he received a second Golden Globe Award nomination. In the DC Extended Universe, he voiced the U.S. President in '' Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'' (2016), and later portrayed Orm Marius / Ocean Master in ''Aquaman'' (2018), a role which he is set to reprise in ''Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom'' (2023).

Early life

Patrick Joseph Wilson was born in Norfolk, Virginia, on July 3, 1973, the son of voice teacher and singer Mary Kay Wilson and WTVT news anchor John Franklin Wilson. He has two older brothers: Paul, an advertising executive, and Mark, who succeeded their father as a WTVT news anchor. Wilson grew up in St. Petersburg, Florida, where he attended Shorecrest Preparatory School. In 1995, he graduated with a BFA in Drama from Carnegie Mellon University.

Career

In 1995, Wilson made his acting debut as an understudy in the role of Chris Scott in the national touring production of ''Miss Saigon''. The following year, he portrayed Billy Bigelow in the national tour of ''Carousel''. In 1999, he starred as Jamie Conway in the off-Broadway production of '' Bright Lights, Big City'', and Wilson later made his Broadway theatre debut in ''The Full Monty'' (2000), portraying Jerry Lukowski. For his performance in the role, he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical.

Circa 2000, Wilson completed work on the film ''My Sister's Wedding'', which has never been released. He sang "On the Street Where You Live" from ''My Fair Lady'' for Julie Andrews' awards ceremony when she received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2001. In 2002, his performance as Curly McLain in the Broadway production of ''Oklahoma!'' received critical acclaim, with Wilson being nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical for the second time each. He won critical acclaim for his performance as the closeted Mormon Republican Joe Pitt in Mike Nichols' 2003 HBO drama miniseries ''Angels in America'', receiving nominations for both the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie.

In 2004, Wilson made his first film appearance in ''The Alamo'', playing William B. Travis. That same year, he co-starred in the musical film ''The Phantom of the Opera'' as Viscount Raoul de Chagny. The following year, he starred alongside Elliot Page in the psychological thriller film ''Hard Candy'', portraying a pedophile named Jeff Kohlver.

In 2006, Wilson starred as Brad Adamson in Todd Field's '' Little Children''. Also in 2006, he appeared in the Golden Globe Award-nominated '' Running with Scissors'' as Michael Shephard, which was directed by Ryan Murphy and produced by Brad Pitt. In 2007, he starred as Brian Callahan in the independent film ''Purple Violets'', which was written and directed by Edward Burns. In 2008, he starred in Neil LaBute's ''Lakeview Terrace''.

Wilson played Dan Dreiberg / Nite Owl II in Zack Snyder's 2009 film adaptation of the graphic novel ''Watchmen'', gaining 25 pounds for the role after filming flashback scenes as the slimmer Nite Owl II. This film reunited Wilson with his '' Little Children'' co-star, Jackie Earle Haley. On October 19, 2010, in Yankee Stadium, he sang "God Bless America" during the seventh-inning stretch of Game 4 of the American League Championship Series between the Texas Rangers and the New York Yankees. On November 20, 2010, in Yankee Stadium, he sang the United States National Anthem before the first football game in the new stadium, played between Army and Notre Dame.

Wilson played the primary antagonist Lynch in 2010's ''The A-Team'', and co-starred with Rose Byrne in James Wan's horror film ''Insidious''. He returned for the latter film's sequel, '' Insidious: Chapter 2'', which was released in 2013. In 2013, Wilson portrayed the famous paranormal investigator Ed Warren, alongside Vera Farmiga starring as his wife Lorraine, in the horror film ''The Conjuring''. The film was critically acclaimed, becoming one of the highest grossing horror films of all time. Wilson reprised the role in the film's sequel, ''The Conjuring 2'', released on June 10, 2016.

In January 2014, Wilson was announced to portray the lead role, Lou Solverson, in the second season of FX's anthology series '' Fargo''. He was nominated for the 2015 Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film for his performance. In March 2014, Wilson was cast in an unspecified role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film ''Ant-Man'', but later left the film due to scheduling conflicts brought upon by multiple delays with the film's production. That same year, he was cast as Arthur O'Dwyer in the Western