Luke Wilson is one of the three sons of Laura Cunningham Wilson; the Wilson brothers who are Hollywood stars. Luke’s older brothers did not only give him a head start in Hollywood but have consistently worked with him through the years. This might suggest a perfect family unit, but the actor has admitted that there are upsides and downsides to mixing business and family. He maintains a warm relationship with his brothers and they have collaborated professionally on several productions, including Bottle Rocket and The Wendell Baker Story. The Wendell Baker Story is a 2005 indie drama in which a kind-hearted ex-con, Wendell, takes on a corrupt nursing home official named Neil.
Luke portrayed the role of Wendell while his older brother, Owen, played Neil. Andrew, on the other hand, co-directed the film. Luke disclosed that he and his brothers disagreed a lot while on set for the production of the movie. They, however, settled their artistic differences amicably and would be working together with each other in the nearest future. All of these may not have been if not for their mother Laura Wilson. Luke’s immediate older brother Owen once expressed this sentiment, asserting that Laura made them comfortable in front of a camera. As you would soon learn, Luke, like the rest of his siblings, thinks highly of their mother.
Luke Wilson’s Mother Is A Famous Photographer and Author
- Full Name: Laura Cunningham Wilson
- Date of Birth: October 13, 1939
- Age: 83 Years Old
- Husband: Robert Wilson
Born and raised in Norwell, Massachusetts, Laura is famed as the mother of the Wilson Brothers, one of the popular siblings in Hollywood. She got married to their father Robert Wilson in 1963 and they remained married until 2017 when the man passed. Although a lot of people might have come to know Laura through her sons, the woman is very accomplished and popular for what she does. A graduate of Connecticut College where she majored in painting. As fate would have it, she got married to Robert Wilson and had three sons with him which made it hard for her to practice what she studied.
She turned to photography which she has always been attracted to even as a young girl when a friend gifted her a camera. Laura said she immediately knew she would be taking many pictures of her kids. Luke and his brothers mainly served as the subjects of their mother’s exploits with her camera until her professional career took off in 1979. From what we gathered, Laura Wilson began her career with Richard Avedon. The late American fashion and portrait photographer reportedly hired her as an assistant when the Amon Carter Museum commissioned him for an exhibition and book, In the American West.
It is said that Laura and Richard worked together for six years which had them travel to various locations, finding and capturing worthy subjects. At the end of the day, she provided the text for the book, established her name as a professional photographer, and became popular for her inclination towards photographing people living in isolated communities. Her works have been featured in popular publications like The Washington Post Magazine, The New York Times Magazine, London’s Sunday Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, and The New Yorker. The beauty of her works has also earned her the prestigious opportunity to lecture on photography at various first-rate institutions like Harvard University, the University of Texas, Austin, and the International Center of Photography.
Laura Wilson Is Still Active And Currently Working on Two Significant Projects
Looking at her age, one might conclude that Luke Wilson’s mother is retired. This is not so as the octogenarian is still active. It was only a few years ago (in 2018) that she published the latest of her six books of photographs titled From Rodin to Plensa. Three years earlier, she published That Day: Picture in the American West (2015) which came roughly 12 years after she published Grit and Glory and Avedon at Work in 2003. Her first book titled Watt Matthews of Lambshead was published in 1989 and was followed by Hutterites of Montana in 2000. Avedon at work won her the Royal Photographic Society of England’s Book of the Year Award and it’s only one of the many honorable recognition Laura has received.
The photographer inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame in 2019 has won the Carr P. Collins award as a member of the Texas Institute of Letters. Also an elected member of the Philosophical Society of Texas, Laura Wilson, as culled from her website, is currently a board member of the Clements Center for Southwest Studies at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, and the Ransom Center at the University of Texas, Austin.
It is also said that she is currently working on two projects titled Making Movies and Writers. As learned, the former revolves around documenting the activities of cinematographers, directors, and actors as they work behind the scenes. The Writers project was commissioned as an exhibition and book for the Ransom Center. It is essentially all about the photographer capturing and documenting 35 of the most accomplished writers of this generation.
Luke Wilson Wanted to Become a Photographer Like His Mother
When a child takes after any of his/her parents career-wise, it is either they are compelled to do so or they truly admire what that parent does for a living; Luke Wilson belongs to the latter category. The actor had so much regard for what his mother does when he was growing up that he believed he would become a photographer like her. If anything, this shows that he thinks highly of his mother. To the best of our knowledge, Luke has a good relationship with Laura just as he does with his older brothers.
Luke Wilson has also worked with his mother a few times. An instance was during the production of The Wendell Baker Story, a 2005 film he directed with his oldest brother, Andrew Wilson, and co-starred alongside his older brother, Owen Wilson. The comedy film also starred Eddie Griffin, Eva Mendes, Will Ferrell, Kris Kristofferson, Seymour Cassel, and Harry Dean Stanton; with Luke’s mother working as the still photographer while it was filmed. Like his siblings, the actor would agree that Laura played a vital role in kicking off his career.
Born on the 21st of September 1971 in Dallas, Texas, he completed his high school diploma at a local catholic school. Luke subsequently attended Occidental College, Los Angeles, but dropped out to explore his newly-discovered passion for acting. It was not difficult for Luke to thrive in the profession as he was already used to being in front of the camera. Thanks to his mother who had him and his brothers as the subject for her shots in the earlier days of her career and indeed all through the childhood of the Wilson brothers.
The young man later made his screen debut in the 1994 short film, Bottle Rocket. Bottle Rocket was initially a 15-minute-long film that revolves around the attempts of three friends to become successful robbers. The film was directed by Wes Anderson, while Wilson portrayed one of the thieving amigos. Bottle Rocket had a successful premiere at the 1993 Sundance Film Festival and was consequently turned into a full-length film in 1996.
The Actor Is Not Married and Has Never Been Engaged
As much as his Hollywood career has been an interesting journey, Luke Wilson has had a fascinating love life. He has been romantically linked with a bevy of talented ladies. He also embarked on confirmed relationships with several A-listers such as Drew Barrymore (1997 – 1999) and Gwyneth Paltrow (2001 – 2002). The Legally Blonde star also had a long-term relationship with a former basketball player, Meg Simpson. They dated for six years before calling things off in November 2014.
Since then, Wilson has maintained a pretty much uneventful love life. There is no known reason for his single status. The actor has, however, disclosed that he would dearly love to be a father someday and that he would soon be getting started on that project. Given that, one would assume that his bachelorhood days will soon be a thing of the past. But then, the actor has been saying since 1996 that he wants to be a father.
In 2019, he reaffirmed that in an interview with Hollywoodlife. While the actor subtly pointed out that his mother doesn’t bother him with talks about marriage, he reiterated that he really wants to start a family and be a father. Luke has no doubt he would enjoy fatherhood because he loves his niece and nephews. He believes being a father is a fulfilling experience because his late father enjoyed it. “(it) was one of the things that made him the most happy…I’m ready for that…”, he said. It’s been two years since the actor said that but he’s yet to act on it.
A Look At All The Popular Women Luke Wilson Has Dated
Unless he has been keeping it a secret, the youngest of the Wilson brother is not dating anyone at the moment. But he has had a fair share of beautiful and successful women as his romantic partners and his longest-lasting relationship was with Meg Simpson
Meg Simpson (2008 – 2014)
If anyone ever came close to being Luke Wilson’s wife, it’s Meg Simpson. The actor and the Yale alum famed as a former professional basketball player began dating sometime in 2008. They kept their relationship away from the public but is no secret that they dated for six years before they parted ways.
Given that they kept the relationship private, why they parted ways have remained a secret just as details of how they met and fell in love are yet to be divulged. It circulated that they might be working on getting back together after they were spotted in Santa Monica in July 2015 but nothing has materialized since then.
Alison Eastwood (2005)
Before his long relationship with Meg, the actor was said to be dating Alison Eastwood. She is an American actress and director famed as the daughter of the veteran Hollywood star, Clint Eastwood. Whatever Luke and Alison had, began and ended in 2005 and there is not much to tell about it. The actress has moved on as she has been married to Stacy Poitras since 2013. Before her relationship with the Idiocracy actor, she was married to Kirk Fox; the marriage only lasted from 1999 to 2000.
Audra Lynn (2004)
Audra Lynn is best known as a model but she has also done a bit of acting with roles in movies like Rachel’s Angels and TV series like Frasier and The Girls Next Door. It has been reported in some quarters that the actor dated the Playboy model in 2004. This was never confirmed by Luke who is known for keeping his love life private, neither did Audra say anything about it, but it is believed that the relationship ended as quickly as it started.
Joy Bryant (2003)
The American actress, fashion model, and businesswoman is also counted among the exes of Luke Wilson. A graduate of Yale University, Joy got married to a fellow named Dave Pope in 2008. Before this, the actress admired for playing Eleanor Holmes Norton in Good Girls Revolt was romantically linked to Luke Wilson, this was in 2003 after they were seen together in Las Vegas. Luke said she was just a friend but celebrity gossip sites begged to differ.
Gwyneth Paltrow (2001 – 2002)
Gwyneth Paltrow is arguable the most popular woman Luke Wilson has been romantically linked to. More than being an actress and model, she is an author and entrepreneur celebrated for her acting career which has won her an Oscar, Golden Globe, and Primetime Emmy amongst other coveted gongs in the business.
Given her status in the movie industry, it comes as no surprise that Paltrow has been in a relationship with prominent figures like Brad Pitt, Ben Affleck, Chris Martin, and Brad Falchuk. Her relationship with Luke was a brief one as it barely lasted a year.
They reportedly began dating in 2001 after meeting on the set of The Royal Tenenbaums. The actress said she was single and not dating the actor but it is widely held that they had something more than friendship between 2001 and 2002
Drew Barrymore (1997 – 1999)
Drew Barrymore was the first high-profile relationship Luke Wilson had. She is one of the most accomplished actresses in Hollywood and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame to show for it. Luke and Drew met on the set of Best Man and fell in love while filming the 1997 movie and 1998’s Home Fries.
Confirming they were lovers, the superstar actress related that she fell in love with Luke the moment she saw him. Despite describing him as an “incredible person”, their relationship which began in 1997 came to an end in 1999 for reasons that have remained uncertain.
