Happy Birthday! Wil Wheaton Turns 44 Years Old

Live long and prosper! Actor Wil Wheaton is celebrating his 44th birthday today!

Born July 29th 1972, Wheaton grew up with his parents and siblings in Burbank, CA where he discovered a love for acting. His acting debut found him starring in the TV film A Long Way Home, but the actor’s big break came when he was cast in Star Trek: The Next Generation. From 1987-1991, Wheaton played Wesley Crusher, the intelligent son of one of Capt. Picard’s crew members. He starred in the first four seasons of the show, but apparently, his character rubbed some fans the wrong way. Or, at least, that’s how it seemed as Wheaton’s character is now famously love-hated in the Star Trek fandom.

Those fans made Wesley Crusher an iconic character by the sheer amount of hate they poured upon him. Wheaton, clearly confused by the strange backlash, has been able to use Crusher’s pop culture status to help him launch a career outside of the sci-fi series.

Since Star Trek, Wheaton has starred in films like Toy Soldiers, The Good Things, and Jane White Is Sick & Twisted. He’s also had a very prolific career as a voice actor with Wheaton having worked on dozens of cartoons and video games. The actor has given his vocal talents to series such as Teen Titans, Family Guy, Naruto, Mobile Suit Gundam, and more. He’s even guested starred on The Big Bang Theory, playing an over-the-top version of himself who’s always aggressively feuding with Sheldon Cooper.

Wheaton has enjoyed his post-Star Trek as a television personality and overall ambassador of geekdom. The actor has been very vocal about his interest in geek culture, openly professing his love of Dungeons & Dragons, comic books, and more.

Happy birthday, Wil! We hope it’s a great one!