Rebel Wilson and Owen Wilson are two of the most talented and funny Wilsons in Hollywood. They both have blonde hair, and they were born not quite 12 years apart. And they have the same last name. They’ve even appeared in the same film franchise. Does that make Loki’s Owen Wilson and Pooch Perfect’s Rebel Wilson related? Let’s look at their lives and careers, and we can find out.
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Rebel Wilson’s Real Name
Our first clue is that Rebel Wilson changed her last name from Bownds to Wilson, so she isn’t truly a Wilson. She and Owen Wilson were born some 8,500 miles apart, although that wouldn’t prevent them from being related. Rebel Wilson also told Wired that while she loves Owen, the two are not related.
Rebel was born on March 2, 1980, in Sydney, Australia. Her birth name is Melanie Elizabeth Bownds. She has two sisters and one brother. She trained at the Australian Theatre for Young People and graduated from the University of New South Wales before moving to New York where she studied at Second City, a premier comedy club and school of improvisation.
She became famous for her roles in Bridesmaids, Pitch Perfect, The Hustle, and Cats. She also hosted her own dog grooming competition show called Pooch Perfect. She welcomed her first baby via surrogate in November 2022.
Owen Wilson’s Texas Roots
Owen Cunningham Wilson was born in Dallas on November 18, 1968. His two brothers, Andrew and Luke, are also actors. While attending the University of Texas, Austin, Wilson became friends with Wes Anderson and the two wrote a screenplay, Bottle Rocket. Passed along from a family friend to various producers, the two eventually received $5 million to turn their screenplay into a feature film.
Wilson quickly garnered roles in films such as The Cable Guy, Anaconda, and Breakfast of Champions. Eventually, he and Anderson wrote another film, The Royal Tenenbaums, which Anderson directed, and Wilson starred in along with his brother, Luke, Gene Hackman, and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Wilson also starred in comedies like Zoolander, Wedding Crashers, Starsky & Hutch, and Marley and Me. He took on a more serious role in the 2011 Woody Allen film, Midnight in Paris for which he earned a Golden Globe nomination. Most recently Wilson has been cast as Mobius M. Mobius in the TV adaptation of the Marvel Comics character Loki.
Wilson has never been married but he has three children from his past relationships: Robert Ford Wilson (born in 2011), Finn Lindqvist Wilson (born in 2014), and Lyla Aranya Wilson (born in 2018).
The Only Connection Between Rebel and Owen
The only connection between Rebel and Owen is that they both appeared in the Night at the Museum film franchise. Rebel played Tilly, a British Museum security guard, in Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014). Owen played Jedediah Smith, a cowboy figurine who comes to life at night, in all three films of the series.
So there you have it. Rebel Wilson and Owen Wilson are not related by blood or by marriage. They are just two actors who share a common surname and a sense of humor.
