Alan Wray Tudyk (born March 16, 1971) is an American actor, and voice artist known for his roles as Hoban "Wash" Washburne in the space western television series Firefly and movie Serenity and Wat in A Knight's Tale. He currently co-stars on the ABC sitcom Suburgatory. He also had a starring role in the film 42 as Ben Chapman and voiced significant roles in the Disney animated films Wreck-It Ralph and Frozen.
Early life[]
Tudyk (pronounced Tude-ick) was born in El Paso, Texas, the son of Betty Loyce (née Wiley) and Timothy Nicholas Tudyk. His father is of Polish descent and his mother has German, English, and Scottish ancestry. He was raised in Plano, Texas, a suburb of Dallas, where he attended Plano Senior High School. He had a brief experience as a stand-up comic, before quitting after an angry audience member threatened to kill him. 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. Tudyk entered Julliard but left in 1996 before earning a degree.
Film[]
In 2000, Tudyk played Gerhardt, 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. In 2005, he reprised his role as the playful, easy-going Hoban "Wash" Washburne in the film Serenity, derived from the cult television series Firefly by Joss Whedon. 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 film Death at a Funeral. Tudyk starred as Tucker in the indie horror comedy Tucker & Dale vs Evil. He also appears in Transformers: Dark of the Moon as Dutch.
In Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, he voiced Simone (a reckless French accent speaking Chipmunk, the result after Simon was bitten by a spider). In 2012, Tudyk appeared in Timur Bekmambetov's Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, in the role of Stephen A. Douglas. Tudyk also voiced the character King Candy in the 2012 Disney animated film, Wreck-It Ralph, a performance for which he won the Annie Award for Voice Acting. He plays Ben Chapman in the 2013 movie 42 about Jackie Robinson.
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[]
Among Tudyk's better known roles was the playful, easy-going Hoban "Wash" Washburne in the television series Firefly by Joss Whedon. Although the series ran for only one season, Universal Studios bought the rights to the show and turned it into a film, Serenity, in which he reprised the role. He did a few voices from Make Way for Noddy.
Tudyk appeared as the cult leader, Father, in a two-part episode of Strangers With Candy entitled "Blank Stare." Among several guest spots on popular shows such as Arrested Development, he played a convicted pedophile on a popular episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Tudyk was cast as a special guest star in Joss Whedon's Dollhouse. The show featured people whose personalities had been erased, with Tudyk portraying Alpha, a former "active" who accidentally downloaded 48 separate personalities. Alpha served as the main antagonist of the series' first season, with guest appearances in the show's second season. Tudyk also guest starred in three episodes of ABC's modern remake of the television miniseries V. Tudyk provided the voice of superhero Green Arrow and villain Psimon in the animated series Young Justice. He is co-starring in the ABC comedy series Suburgatory as Noah Werner a dentist from the big city who moved to the suburbs.
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 ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Trooper) who is part of the player character's squad as they try to escape a city invaded by the Covenant. He also reprised the voice of the DC Comics character Green Arrow in the game Injustice: Gods Among Us.
Filmography[]
Film[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 35 Miles from Normal | Trevor | |
| 1998 | Patch Adams | Everton | |
| 2000 | 28 Days | Gerhardt | |
| Wonder Boys | Sam Traxler | ||
| 2001 | A Knight's Tale | Wat | |
| Hearts in Atlantis | Monte Man | ||
| 2002 | Ice Age | Lenny, Dodo #4, Freaky Mammal #2 (voices) | |
| 2004 | DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story | Steve the Pirate | Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Team |
| 2004 | I, Robot | Sonny | |
| 2005 | Rx | Pepe | |
| Serenity | Hoban "Wash" Washburne | ||
| 2006 | Ice Age: The Meltdown | Cholly (voice) | |
| 2007 | Death at a Funeral | Simon | |
| Knocked Up | Jack | ||
| 3:10 to Yuma | Doc Potter | Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | |
| 2008 | Meet Market | Danny | |
| 2009 | Bed Ridden | Detective Kurtz | Short film |
| The Ballad of G.I. Joe | Shipwreck | Short film | |
| Astro Boy | Mr. Squeegee, Scrapheap Head, Stinger Two (voices) | ||
| 2010 | Tucker & Dale vs. Evil | Tucker | |
| Beautiful Boy | Eric | ||
| 2011 | Transformers: Dark of the Moon | Dutch | |
| Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked | Simone (voice) | ||
| Conception | Mark | ||
| 2012 | Strange Frame | Chat (voice) | |
| Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter | Stephen A. Douglas | Uncredited cameo | |
| Ice Age: Continental Drift | Milton, Hunky Siren (voices) | ||
| Wreck-It Ralph | King Candy (voice) | Annie Award for Voice Acting in a Feature Production | |
| 2013 | 42 | Ben Chapman | |
| Frozen | Duke of Weselton (voice) | ||
| 2014 | Premature | Jack Roth | |
| Justice League: War | Clark Kent / Superman (voice) | Direct-to-DVD | |
| Welcome to Me | Ted Thurber | ||
| Son of a Barman | Bill Snyder | Short film | |
| Big Hero 6 | Alistair Krei (voice) | ||
| Tell | Morton | ||
| 2015 | Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials | Marcus | Credited as "Blondie" |
| Trumbo | Ian McLellan Hunter | Nominated—Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Acting Ensemble Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | |
| Oddball | Bradley Slater | ||
| 2016 | Zootopia | Duke Weaselton (voice) | |
| Moana | Hei Hei, Villager #3 (voices) | ||
| Rogue One | K-2SO | ||
| 2018 | Deadpool 2 | Redneck #1 | Cameo |
| Ralph Breaks the Internet | KnowsMore (voice) |
Television[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Strangers with Candy | Father | 2 episodes |
| Frasier | Todd Peterson | Episode: "The Great Crane Robbery" | |
| 2002–2003 | Firefly | Hoban 'Wash' Washburne | 14 episodes |
| 2005; 2013 | Arrested Development | Pastor Veal | 3 episodes |
| 2005 | 'Into the West | Nathan Wheeler | Episode: "Wheel to the Stars" |
| 2006 | Capitol Law | Walker Eliot | TV movie |
| CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Carl Fisher | Episode: "Burn Out" | |
| 2008 | Fourplay | Drew | TV movie |
| Play or Be Played | Charlie | TV movie | |
| 2009 | James Gunn's PG Porn | Bob | Episode: "High Poon" |
| V | Dale Maddox | 3 episodes | |
| 2009–2010 | Dollhouse | Alpha | 4 episodes |
| Glenn Martin, DDS | Additional voices | Voice 5 episodes | |
| 2010 | The Rockford Files | Det. Dennis Becker | TV movie |
| 2010–2013 | Young Justice | Oliver Queen/Green Arrow Simon Jones/Psimon Leonard Snart/Captain Cold |
Voice 10 episodes |
| 2010–2011 | Batman: The Brave and the Bold | Barry Allen/The Flash | Voice 2 episodes |
| 2011–2012 | Robot Chicken | Pinky | Voice 2 episodes |
| 2011–2013 | American Dad! | Additional voices | Voice 2 episodes |
| 2011 | Family Guy | German pilot | Voice Episode: "German Guy" |
| 2011–12 | The Life & Times of Tim | Rodrigo, Arthur, Debbie (voices) | 3 episodes |
| 2011 | Good Vibes | Lonnie | Voice 12 episodes |
| 2011–present | Suburgatory | Dr. Noah Werner | Series regular |
| 2012 | Napoleon Dynamite | Officer Elwood | Voice Episode: "Ligertown" |
| NTSF:SD:SUV:: | Sven | Episode: "The Real Bicycle Thief" | |
| Robot and Monster | Crazy Cousin Gizmo | Voice Episode: "The Party | |
| 2014 | The Team Unicorn Saturday Action Fun Hour! | Chummy Cherub, Sad Tree | Episode: "Pilot" |
| Justified | Elias Marcos | Credited as Wray Nerely Episode: "Shot All to Hell" | |
| Chozen | Kai, Additional Voices | 5 episodes | |
| TripTank | Terrence, Bootf***er (voices) | 2 episodes | |
| 2014–15 | Newsreaders | Reagan Biscayne | 14 episodes |
| 2014 | Comedy Bang! Bang! | Ray | Episode: "The Lonely Island Wear Holiday Sweaters & White Pants" |
| 2015 | Adventure Time | Chatsberry, Additional Voices | 2 episodes |
| Rick and Morty | Chris (voice) | Episode: "The Ricks Must Be Crazy" | |
| 2015–present | Star vs. the Forces of Evil | Ludo Avarius, River Butterfly (voices) | 30 episodes |
| 2015–16 | The Adventures of Puss in Boots | Uli (voice) | 10 episodes |
| 2016 | Clarence | Flight Attendant Dan (voice) | Episode: "Plane Excited" |
| 2017 | Powerless | Van Wayne | 9 episodes |
| Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency | Mr. Osmund Priest | 8 episodes | |
| The Tick | Dangerboat (voice) | 3 episodes | |
| 2018–present | Big Hero 6: The Series | Alistair Krei (voice) | 8 episodes |
| 2019 | Doom Patrol | Eric Morden / Mr. Nobody | Post-production |
| Harley Quinn | Joker | Post-production |
Video games[]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Ice Age: The Meltdown | Cholly |
| 2007 | Halo 3 | Marines |
| 2009 | Halo 3: ODST | Mickey |
| 2013 | Ice Age: Continental Drift | Milton Fabio Sloth |
| 2013 | Young Justice: Legacy | Simon Jones/Psimon |
Theatre[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Epic Proportions | Benny Bennet | Helen Hayes Theatre |
| 2005 | Spamalot | Sir Lancelot | Theatre |
| 2007 | Prelude to a Kiss | Peter | Roundabout Theatre Company |
| 2009 | An Evening Without Monty Python | Himself | Ricardo Montalbán Theatre (Los Angeles) The Town Hall (New York City) |
External links[]
Alan Tudyk at the Internet Movie Database- Star to Fill in for Azaria on Monty Python's Spamalot During Actor's Hiatus, from the Playbill website
- Hey, You're That Guy: Alan Tudyk at web2carz.com
- Alan Tudyk at FEARnet
