Fan favorite Alan Tudyk is celebrating his 52nd birthday on Thursday, March 16, 2023. The popular American actor was born March 16, 1971, in El Paso, Texas. He is best known for playing the pilot Wash in Joss Whedon’s Firefly, for his role as Eric Morden/Mr. Nobody on Doom Patrol, and the alien Harry Vanderspiegle on Resident Alien, but for such a comparatively young man, he has a long and impressive resume, with a serious dose of Geek Cred. We’re serious. Alan Tudyk has somehow managed to carve himself out a comfortable niche in genre media that truly no one else could fill.
His Geek Cred
- Hoban “Wash ” Washburne Serenity (2005)
- Dr. Harry Vanderspeigle Resident Alien
- Senator Stephen Douglas Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012)
- Mr. Darling Peter Pan and Wendy (2023)
- Tucker McGee in Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (2010)
- Sonny I, Robot (2004)
- Wat A Knight’s Tale (2001)
- Monte Man in Hearts in Atlantis (2001)
- K2-SO in Rogue One Star Wars Story (2016)
- Vanderveer Wayne, Jr.in Powerless
- Ray Nerely in Con Man
- Eric Morden/Mr. Nobody in Doom Patrol
- Captain Dziga in the mini-series Airship Dracula.
- Dutch Gerhardt in Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)
- Dangerboat in the animated series The Tick
- Tudyk was the narrator in Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors.
Voicework
Alan Tudyk isn’t a Disney Legend yet, but given how many voices he’s done for Disney, that seems only a matter of time.
- Duke Weaselton (named after the Duke of Weselton from Frozeon) in Zootopia (2016)
- The Duke of Weselton in Frozen (2013)
- Alistair Krei in Big Hero Six (2014)
- HeiHei in Moana (2016)
- King Candy in Wreck-It Ralph (2012)
- Duffle in Strange World (2022)
- K2-SO in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
- Toucan in Encanto (2021)
- Tuk in Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)
- KnowsMore in Ralph Breaks the Internet (2016)
- His non-Disney voicework includes:
- Simone in Alvin and the Chipmuks: Chipwrecked! (2011)
- Green Arrow, Captain Cold, and Psimon in Young Justice
- Green Arrow in Injustice: Gods Among Us and Infinite Crisis
- The Flash in Batman: the Brave and the Bold,
- Optimus Prime in Transformers: EarthSpark
- Psimon in Young Justice: Legacy.
- Superman in Justice League: War
- Nanobot Man in Solar Opposites
He has also had voice roles in Ice Age, Astro Boy, Alvin and the Chipmunks : Chipwrecked, American Dad!, and Star vs. the Forces of Evil, along with several video game voice roles.
Alan Tudyk has been a guest on The Event Horizon and some of our fans have said they wouldn’t complain if he returned for another visit. If you’re reading this, Alan, email catcarter@scifi.radio for scheduling. We’d love to have you back.
Other Roles
Although best known for playing Wash in Firefly and Serenity, Alan Tudyk has of course had a wide variety of roles in multiple genres.
- Ben in Playing God (2021)
- Tudyk was Dave Lambert in Eat Wheaties! (2020)
- He played Ian McLellan Hunter in Trumbo (2015)
- Ben Chapman in the biopic 42 (2013)
- He played Doc Potter in the remake of 3:10 to Yuma (2007).
- Tudyk portrayed Simon in Death at a Funeral (2007)
- He was Steve the Pirate in Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004).
Alan Tudyk played “Dutch” Gerhardt, a patient in a rehab facility in 28 Days (2000), then recycled the same character in Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)
He appeared in the mini-series Into the West as Nathan Wheeler.
Awards and Nominations
Alan Tudyk has been nominated for 21 awards and won eleven so far. We are confident this number will grow. His first (and so far, only Emmy nomination was for Outstanding Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series in Con Man. In 2013, he won the Annie Award for Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production for King Candy in Wreck-It Ralph.
We may remember and love Alan Tudyk as Wash, the pilot of Serenity who played with dinosaurs on the bridge, but as you can see, he’s had a distinguished and versatile career with a wide variety of roles. While a football player might retire at 52, for an actor that’s barely middle-aged. We can expect years more of great performances from Alan Tudyk. We wish him a happy birthday, and hope there are many great roles in his future.
Alan Tudyk is married to dancer/choreographer Charissa Barton.
Susan Macdonald is the author of the children's book "R is for Renaissance Faire", as well as 26 short stories, mostly fantasy in "Alternative Truths", "Swords and Sorceress #30", Swords &Sorceries Vols. 1, 2, & 5, "Cat Tails" "Under Western Stars", and "Knee-High Drummond and the Durango Kid". Her articles have appeared on SCIFI.radio's web site, in The Inquisitr, and in The Millington Star. She enjoys Renaissance Faires (see book above), science fiction conventions, Highland Games, and Native American pow-wows.
