1961-present
Who Is Woody Harrelson?
Actor Woody Harrelson’s big break came in 1985, when he was cast as sweet, dim-witted bartender Woody Boyd on the wildly popular sitcom Cheers. His performance earned him five Emmy nominations and a win for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. Harrelson moved into film and has had an impressive run, in movies such as Natural Born Killers, The Thin Red Line, No Country for Old Men, and the popular Hunger Games franchise. Harrelson also won accolades for his role on the HBO crime series True Detective.
Quick Facts
FULL NAME: Woodrow Tracy Harrelson
BORN: July 23, 1961
BIRTHPLACE: Midland, Texas
SPOUSES: Nancy Simon (1985-1986) and Laura Louie (2008-present)
CHILDREN: Deni, Zoe, and Makani
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Leo
Early Life
Woody Harrelson was born Woodrow Tracy Harrelson on July 23, 1961, in Midland, Texas, to parents Charles and Diane Harrelson. Harrelson’s father went to prison on a murder conviction when Harrelson was only 7, leaving Woody’s mother, a legal secretary, to raise him and his two brothers in Lebanon, Ohio.
Harrelson was raised with a strong, spiritual foundation, which helped him earn a scholarship to Hanover College, a Presbyterian institution in Indiana. In 1983, Harrelson earned a bachelor’s degree in English and theatrical arts, after which he headed to New York City to pursue acting. His career began as an understudy in the Neil Simon play Biloxi Blues and as an extra in various movies and television shows.
Movies and TV Shows
Cheers
Harrelson’s big break came in 1985, when he was cast as sweet, dim-witted bartender Woody Boyd on the wildly popular sitcom Cheers, which was in its fourth season. Woody was an instant hit with viewers, as well as with critics, and he stayed on for eight seasons. His performance earned him five Emmy nominations, including a 1989 Emmy win for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
While still on Cheers, Harrelson also continued his work as a stage actor, appearing in the James Brooks play Brooklyn Laundry in 1991, as well as the drama Furthest From the Sun (1993), a play he both wrote and directed.
White Men Can’t Jump, Indecent Proposal, and Natural Born Killers
Harrelson also took on some supporting and cameo movie roles in Wildcats (1986) and L.A. Story (1991), as well his first starring role in the comedy White Men Can’t Jump, alongside Wesley Snipes. But his film career didn’t take off until after Cheers was over, when he starred with Demi Moore and Robert Redford in 1993’s Indecent Proposal. After the success of Indecent Proposal, Woody landed the lead in Oliver Stone’s controversial movie Natural Born Killers (1993), with co-star Juliette Lewis.
The People vs. Larry Flynt
After starring roles in 1996's The Sunchaser and the Farrelly Brothers' comedy Kingpin, Harrelson sparked controversy with that year's biopic The People vs. Larry Flynt. Once the controversy faded, Harrelson's sympathetic portrayal of adult-film mogul Larry Flynt earned the actor Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Actor. The film was lauded by critics, and his performance boosted Harrelson to A-list actor status.
As the 1990s progressed, Harrelson landed a series of weightier roles in such projects as the political satire Wag the Dog (1997) and the war films Welcome to Sarajevo (1997) and The Thin Red Line (1998).
No Country for Old Men and Seven Pounds
Harrelson earned the attention of critics again in 2007 for the Coen brothers’ drama No Country for Old Men. The film won Harrelson a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Cast, along with Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, and Kelly Macdonald. In 2008, Harrelson appeared in several movies, including the comedy Semi-Pro with Will Ferrell and the drama Seven Pounds with Will Smith.
Zombieland, The Messenger, and The Hunger Games
In 2009, Harrelson co-starred in the horror comedy Zombieland and the dystopian apocalypse film 2012. His role that same year in the critically acclaimed drama The Messenger earned him several award nominations, including Golden Globe and Academy Award nods.
Starting in 2012 Harrelson began playing Haymitch Abernathy in the The Hunger Games, reprising the role in subsequent films in the franchise.
True Detective
One of the actor’s more prominent roles on the small screen came in January 2014, with Season 1 of the HBO series True Detective. Harrelson played Detective Marty Hart opposite Matthew McConaughey, with both actors serving as executive producers. A dark and atmospheric crime drama, the series was an instant critical darling and pulled in a whole new crop of fans for Harrelson. It also earned the actor an Emmy nomination for Best Actor.
Planet of the Apes, LBJ, and Three Billboards
Remaining busy with high-profile projects, Harrelson in 2017 starred as the Colonel in War for the Planet of the Apes and President Lyndon B. Johnson in Rob Reiner’s political drama LBJ. That year he also starred in the black comedy Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, a smaller-budget film that made a huge splash on the awards circuit, garnering a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for Harrelson.
Solo, The Highwaymen, and Midway
In 2018, Harrelson was among the A-list ensemble cast of Solo: A Star Wars Story, as a mentor to the titular space gunslinger. The following year, he co-starred with Kevin Costner in The Highwaymen, as a crimefighter on the tail of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, before readying to reprise his old character of Tallahassee for Zombieland: Double Tap and appearing in the World War II epic Midway.
Environmental and Marijuana Activism
In addition to acting, Harrelson has been an outspoken advocate for the environment. His activism includes efforts for preserving the California Redwoods, involvement in the American Oceans’ Campaign, and legalization efforts for the use of industrial hemp.
Harrelson challenged the constitutionality of the Kentucky state law that doesn’t distinguish between industrial hemp and marijuana by planting several hemp seeds. He won the case and became an advisor for NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. Harrelson has also worked with other organizations such as UNICEF and PETA and is a longtime vegan.
Wife and Children
Harrelson was briefly married to Nancy Simon, the daughter of playwright Neil Simon, in 1985 during a trip to Tijuana, Mexico. They planned to annul the marriage but divorced instead in 1986.
In December 2008, Harrelson married longtime girlfriend and former assistant Laura Louie in a private ceremony in Costa Rica. Louie co-owned their health-food restaurant and oxygen bar, 02, which was located in Los Angeles. The couple resides in Maui, Hawaii, in a self-sustained community with their three daughters: Deni, Zoe, and Makani.
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