Actor Biography- Alan Tudyk
Alan Tudyk is not exactly a household name. In fact, unless you mention the name of a character he’s played, you’re not likely to get any form of recognition with his name. But that fact of being unrecognized is exactly what allows Tudyk to play the very characters he loves: offbeat, unorthodox, or downright insane.
Tudyk studied drama at Lou Morris College, and in 1993, began studying at Julliard, though he left in 1996 before he completed his degree. He doesn’t talk much about his early days in acting. However, he has admitted that he takes his style of acting, and his inspiration, from Alan Arkin and Gene Hackman, stating that “There aren't too many new actors…who exist on their own frequency, do things in a way that nobody else could get away with.”
Tudyk’s first role was a small part in the 1998 Robin Williams dramedy Patch Adams. After landing a part in the Broadway production Epic Proportions, Tudyk became a sought-after comedic actor. Tudyk often takes comedy roles, though he is willing and able to play a variety of roles.
In 2000, Tudyk created the character Gerhardt in the Sandra Bullock drug-rehab comedy 28 Days. After a brief hiatus, Tudyk returned to the big screen as Heath Ledger’s wisecracking sidekick Wat Falhurst in A Knight’s Tale. He created the voice of Lenny and Dab the Dodo in 2002’s Ice Age, as well as small roles on television’s “Strangers With Candy” and “Frasier”.
However, Tudyk is probably best known for his recurring role as Hoban “Wash” Washburne in Joss Whedon’s space western “Firefly”. As Wash, Tudyk created a loveable, comic relief type of character that, within the first few episodes, became a fan favorite. Beyond costars Nathan Fillion as Malcolm Reynolds and Summer Glau as River Tam, Tudyk’s Wash is possibly one of “Firefly”’s most memorable characters. The show, sadly, was cancelled by FOX after only one season, but Tudyk’s status as a comic genius was cemented.
Tudyk took another hiatus after “Firefly” wrapped filming, but in 2004 was back as the emotional robot Sonny in I, Robot. However, it was his role in Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story as Steve the Pirate that placed Tudyk into public eye rather than his cult status from “Firefly.”
In 2005, Tudyk reprised his role as Wash in Serenity, the big-screen adaptation of “Firefly”. From June to November of the same year, Tudyk filled in for actor Hank Azaria on Broadway, playing Sir Lancelot in Monty Python’s Spamalot, as well as creating the role of Nathan Wheeler in TNT’s mini-series Into the West.
In 2007, Tudyk had small roles in Knocked Up and 3:10 to Yuma. He also originated the role of Simon in the British black comedy Death at a Funeral.
In 2008, after playing a small role in the film Meet Market, Tudyk took a break from acting to focus on his personal life. He returned with a vengeance in 2009, playing the role of Alpha in Joss Whedon’s “Dollhouse”. As Alpha, a former doll who suffered a “composite event” and had 48 personalities placed into his head, Tudyk explored a depth of dark comedy that was previously unopened to him. Though Alpha was meant, not as a comedy role, but a dark presence reminiscent of horror films, Tudyk’s natural quirkiness made the dark character a little more acceptable to audiences. Though he only appears in four episodes spread over the two seasons (“Briar Rose” and “Omega” in season one; “A Love Supreme” and “Epitaph Two: The Return” in season two), Tudyk made Alpha a fan favorite on the show.
Also in 2009, Tudyk made an appearance as Dale Maddox on the remake of V, working alongside fellow “Firefly” alum Morena Baccarin. While a second season has not been announced, Tudyk hopes to reprise the role in the future.
Tudyk is also working on the pilot of “The Rockford Files”, a remake of the popular 1970’s detective show, set to premiere on NBC in fall of 2010. If picked up, the show is hoped to have a long of a run as its predecessor, which ran for six years from 1974-1980. It is yet unclear whether the show is a complete remake, or a continuation of the original, which was cancelled mid-season in 1980, due to James Garner’s (then the title character) health problems.
Tudyk has been nominated for two awards. Along with several of his cast mates in Dodgeball, he was nominated in 2005 for the MTV Movie Award Best On-Screen Team. He and the cast of 3:10 to Yuma shared a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination in 2008 for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
As someone who is already a fan of Alan Tudyk, regardless of what role he plays (trust me, I will watching anything, unless it really sounds boring, if Alan Tudyk is involved with it), I do have to admit that he has been somewhat of an inspiration in regards to my own acting. Though I don’t have much interest in playing comedic characters, I do think that actors in any genre can learn a lot from Tudyk’s style. One thing I’ve learned from researching him is that he is never picky on his roles, He’s only turned down a few roles in his career, but he’s never done it for issues of not thinking his fans will like it. I think that’s a good example to follow. If you’re going to turn down roles, it should be because you truly don’t like them. Another good thing I’ve learned is to try to work with people you like, rather than spending weeks in production with people you can’t stand.
Some of Tudyk’s techniques that are useful to any actor are that he always finds a way to make any character that he plays his own. While people rarely remember his name, you can usually find at least one person who remembers Wat, or Steve the Pirate, or Gerhardt. There’s a whole fan base that remember him as Wash, and a slightly smaller that can tell you everything there is to know about Alpha (and then there’s people like me, who remember and can describe all of the above and more roles, but we won’t go into them!). As an actor, I can see how it’d be beneficial to make every role memorable, so that even if no one remembers your name, people can see a picture of you and go “oh, that’s so-and-so from such-and-such.”
I don’t believe Tudyk has made any mistakes in his career. He’s not on drugs, he hasn’t made a name out of scandal, and he plays parts he truly enjoys. I think this is the type of career that all actors should aspire to have. Of course, in modern Hollywood, this has made his name pretty obscure, but when you see him in a film or a TV show, you know it’s him.
(All info taken from Wikipedia or IMDB’s Alan Tudyk pages)
(this was written as an assignment for a class. I'm posting it to link it to my twitter friends)