A willowy, doe-eyed actor, Wil Wheaton has convincingly played smart and sensitive youths in films and TV since age nine. Wheaton began his career appearing in commercials at age seven, gained respect with an effective starring role in Rob Reiner's "Stand By Me" (1986), and achieved celebrity as Wesley Crusher, budding boy genius and eventual acting ensign, on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (syndicated, 1987-94). He left his post as a regular on the bridge of the Enterprise in 1990 to attend the Starfleet Academy and returned periodically until meeting his cosmic destiny in the show's final season. Wheaton began concentrating on features in the early 1990s with limited success in the absurd but entertaining "Toy Soldiers" (1991), as a troubled preppie cadet turned terrorist fighter, and in the talky, stagy "December" (1991), as a thoughtful pacifist reacting to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
The actor first made a dent in feature as the voice of Martin in "The Secret of NIMH" (1982) and had his first lead in "The Buddy System" (1984), playing Susan Sarandon's son who fixes her up with Richard Dreyfuss. On the small screen, Wheaton broke into TV-movies playing an eight-year old trying to keep his family together in "A Long Way Home" (ABC, 1981). In 1982, he was a regular on the short-lived "The Billy Crystal Comedy Hour" (NBC) and had the title role in "Young Harry Houdini" (ABC, 1987). In 1991, he was a youth who, along with a pal, sets out to find "The Last Prostitute" (Lifetime), only to discover she's Sonia Braga and she now raises horses. In 1996, he was a concocted creature in Roger Avary's "Mr. Stitch", a film originally intended for theatrical release that wound up as a world premiere on the Sci-Fi Channel. Wheaton has remained active in occasional features, such as "Pie in the Sky" (1995) and "Flubber" (1997).
- Also Credited As:
Richard William Wheaton III, Wil Wheaton Jr
- Born:
July 29, 1972 in Burbank, California, USA
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Job Titles:
Actor, Comedy writer
Family
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Brother: Jeremy Wheaton. born in 1976
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Father: Richard William Wheaton Jr.
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Mother: Debbie O Connor. acted in commercials for 17 years
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Sister: Amy Wheaton. born in 1978
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Step-son: Nolan Eric Kopp. born in August 1991
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Step-son: Ryan Thomas Kopp. born in July 1989
Education
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Los Angeles Professional High School, Los Angeles, California, 1990
Milestones
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1979 Began acting in commercials at age 7 (date approximate)
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1981 TV-movie acting debut, A Long Way Home , as the youthful version of a character played as an adult by Timothy Hutton
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1982 Debut as a TV series regular, The Billy Crystal Comedy Hour
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1982 Feature debut, provided the voice of Martin for the animated feature The Secret of NIMH
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1982 First TV special, The Shooting , an installment of CBS Afternoon Playhouse
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1983 Featured in 13 Thirteenth Avenue , a busted horror-comedy pilot about supernatural beings living together in NYC apartment house
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1984 First central role in a feature film, The Buddy System
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1986 Gained notice with a starring role in Rob Reiner s Stand By Me
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1986 Made guest appearance playing a fourteen-year-old pre-med student on the NBC series St. Elsewhere
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1987 Cast as Wesley Crusher, the precocious son of the ship s doctor, on the hit syndicated sci-fi sequel Star Trek: The Next Generation
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1987 Starred as Erich Weiss, Young Harry Houdini , in a Disney Sunday Movie
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1991 Co-starred in Toy Soldiers
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1996 Played title role in film Mr. Stitch (filmed 1994-1995; released direct-to-video; also aired on the Sci-Fi Channel as an original movie)
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1997 Co-starred with Robin Williams in Flubber
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Reprised role of Wesley Crusher in Star Trek: Nemesis (lensed 2002)
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Status on Star Trek: The Next Generation changed from regular to recurring
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Was a writer and performer with the ACME Comedy Theatre in Los Angeles