Alan Tudyk filmography and biography
Date of birth: 16 March 1971, El Paso, Texas, USA
Alan Tudyk biography
Alan Tudyk was born in El Paso, Texas, and grew up in Plano, where he
attended Plano Sr. High. In 1990, he went on to study drama at Lon
Morris Jr. College. While there, he was awarded the Academic Excellence
Award for Drama. He was also named Most Likely to Succeed and Sophomore
Beau. During this time, Alan was also an active member of the Delta Psi
Omega fraternity.
After leaving LMJC, Alan went on to study at the prestigious Juilliard
conservatory but left in 1996 before earning a degree.
After a number of smaller stage productions and a small role in the
movie Patch Adams, Alan landed his first Broadway role in
1999 with "Epic Proportions." He quickly became a sought-after comedic
actor, with roles in such films as 28 Days and
A Knights Tale.
In 2002, Alan got the role of Wash, the wise-cracking pilot of Serenity
on the short-lived series Firefly. Although it lasted
only eleven episodes, this may be Alan's most well-known and best-loved
role. No other networks would buy the failed series, but Universal
Pictures began courting creator Joss Whedon to produce a
big-screen version of the series. While awaiting the final news of
Firefly's fate, Alan played the beloved Steve the Pirate in the movie
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story and the voice of the
robot Sonny in I, Robot.
In 2005, Alan finally reprised the role of Wash in
Serenity, the feature-film version of the series Firefly.
The same year, he went back to Broadway from June to November, taking
over the role of Lancelot for Hank Azaria in the successful
musical "Spamalot."
He lives in New York City but also has a place in Los Angeles,
California
Alan Tudyk trivia
- Alan's most prized possession was a 1964 Mustang, which he named Old
Sock.
- Threw a we-don't-work-for-Fox-anymore party for the cast and crew of the
short-lived TV series Firefly after he heard that it
was canceled.
- Didn't go to his senior prom because the girl he was planning to take
two-timed him with another guy and got pregnant.
- According to the rest of the Firefly cast, he was
consistently the worst speaker of Chinese on the show. He attributes
this to having to learn long and complicated phrases such as "Mother of
God and all her wacky nephews" in Mandarin.
- In preparing for the role of Sonny in the film I, Robot,
he studied dance, movement, and mime to accurately portray movement
that was programmed in. His work was captured with motion-capture
technology.
- To prepare for the role of Steve the Pirate in
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, he joined a group of
pirate role players called the Rumrunners and spent a week at Pirate
Camp.
- According to the "War Stories" (1x09) episode commentary, when he
couldn't remember the Chinese dialogue for Firefly, he
would just make it up and hope no one noticed.
- In the Firefly episode "Out of Gas" (1x05) Wash wires up a large, red
button for the captain to press if he needs the crew to return to the
ship. When he shows it to Mal he says, "When your miracle gets here,
just hit this button." When Alan left the Firefly set
after the series was canceled, he took that button as a keepsake. When
Joss Whedon announced that he would be searching for a way to
bring the show back as either a series or a feature film, Alan sent him
the button with a note that said, again, "When your miracle gets here,
just hit this button.".
- While in college, Alan was active in the Delta Psi Omega fraternity.
- Alan filled in for Hank Azaria in the Broadway show "Spamalot"
while the latter was filming the second season of Huff
and working on the 17th season of The Simpsons. Actress
Sara Ramirez (I), another performer in the production at this
time, was in Alan's class (Group 26) at Juilliard.
- Smokey and the Bandit is his favorite movie.
- As a nod to his character in Firefly and
Serenity, Alan can be heard in Halo 3 swearing in
Chinese, quickly followed by "I wish I was someone else right now!".
- In the commentary for both _A Knights Tale (2001)_ and _Knocked Up
(2007)_ the directors mention having to give Alan the role due to his
improvisation in the audition, His "Intrails into externals.." in A
Knights Tale and his whole "Tighter" bit in Knocked Up.
Alan Tudyk quotes
- I was a real ham as a child. I'd insist on dressing up as a cowboy
whenever the family went out for dinner. In high school, I was a
menace. I'd fake nose bleeds and fainting spells to panic my teachers.
- There aren't too many new actors like Alan Arkin or Gene Hackman who
exist on their own frequency, do things in a way that nobody else could
get away with. Those are the people who are inspirational to me.
- In high school I wanted to be a hotel manager. If you're an actor, you
don't have any money and I wanted to have a wife and children. Now I'm
an actor with money but I still don't have a wife and children!