Detailed Biography

Alan Wray Tudyk is an American actor known for his roles as Simon in the black comedy Death at a Funeral, as Steve the Pirate in Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, as Sonny in the sci-fi drama I, Robot, as Hoban "Wash" Washburne in the science fiction and western television series Firefly and movie Serenity, and more recently as Alpha in Dollhouse and Dale Maddox in V.

Early life

Tudyk is of Polish descent and was born in El Paso, Texas. He is the son of Betty Loyce and Timothy Nicholas Tudyk. He was raised in the Dallas suburb of Plano, Texas, where he attended Plano Senior High School. Tudyk studied drama at the Methodist-affiliated Lon Morris College in Jacksonville, Texas where he won the Academic Excellence award for Drama. While in college, he played Beaver Smith in an eastern New Mexico summer stock theater production of "Billy the Kid." In 1993, Tudyk entered Juilliard but left in 1996 before earning a degree.

Film

In 2000, Tudyk played a gay German drug addict alongside Sandra Bullock and Viggo Mortensen in 28 Days.

Tudyk played Wat in 2001's A Knight's Tale, as well as Steve the Pirate in the 2004 comedy Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story and the emotional robot Sonny in I, Robot. He reprised the role of Wash in the feature film Serenity. In 2007, he had a supporting role as a strong-willed doctor in the western film 3:10 to Yuma alongside Christian Bale and Russell Crowe along with a brief but memorable role in the film Knocked Up and a highly physical comedic performance in the British farce Death at a Funeral.

Tudyk stars as Tucker in the indie horror comedy Tucker & Dale vs Evil. The horror spoof centers on two good-natured hillbillies who are mistakenly thought to be psycho killers.

Broadway

In 1999, Tudyk made his Broadway debut in Epic Proportions. He was also in Wonder of the World, The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told, Misalliance, Oedipus and Bunny Bunny. In 2005, Tudyk filled in for Hank Azaria's roles in Spamalot from June to December, and starred in a limited run of Prelude to a Kiss on Broadway.

Television

Tudyk is known for his role as the playful, easy-going Hoban "Wash" Washburne in the television series Firefly by Joss Whedon. He played a convicted pedophile on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Tudyk was a guest star in the eleventh and twelfth episodes of Dollhouse, in which Whedon hired him to play Alpha, the series' main antagonist.

Tudyk guest stars in several episodes of ABC's remake of the television series V, playing the role of Dale Maddox.

Video games

Tudyk plays the voice of a Marine in the Xbox 360 game Halo 3. He is joined by his Firefly co-stars Adam Baldwin and Nathan Fillion who both voice Marines. All three actors are given personalities in the game matching those of their characters from Firefly. Tudyk made an appearance in Halo 3: ODST as the character "Mickey", an elite military paratrooper who is part of the player character's squad as they try to escape a city invaded by an Alien race called the Covenant. He played the role alongside Firefly co-stars Adam Baldwin and Nathan Fillion who each had roles as one of the main characters in the game.

Credits