Billy Bob Thornton
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Billy Bob Thornton[1][2][3] (born August 4, 1955) is an American actor, screenwriter, director, singer and musician. Thornton first became known for his acting on the CBS sitcom Hearts Afire and in a number of early 1990s movies. These movies included On Deadly Ground and Tombstone. In the mid-1990s, after writing, directing, and starring in the independent movie Sling Blade, he won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. He had many large movie roles after Sling Blade 's success. These included 1998's Armageddon and A Simple Plan. During the late 1990s, Thornton began a career as a singer-songwriter. He has released three albums. Thorton was the singer in a blues rock band.
Billy Bob Thornton | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Thornton in 2017 | |
| Born | August 4, 1955 Hot Springs, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, screenwriter, director, musician |
| Years active | 1974–present |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) |
| Spouse(s) |
Melissa Lee Gatlin
(m. 1978–1980)Toni Lawrence (m. 1986–1988)Pietra Dawn Cherniak
(m. 1993–1997) |
| Partner | Connie Angland (2003–present) |
| Children | 4 |
Early life
changeThornton was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas.[1] He is the son of Virginia Roberta (née Faulkner), a psychic, and William Raymond "Billy Ray" Thornton, a high school history teacher and basketball coach. His father died when Thornton was 18.[1] He has two younger brothers, Jimmy Don and John David. During his childhood, Thornton lived in both Alpine, Arkansas, and Malvern, Arkansas. He was raised a Methodist.[4] Thorton grew up in a large family in a shack. It did not have electricity nor plumbing. Thornton graduated from high school in 1973.[5] He was good high school baseball player. He tried out for the Kansas City Royals, but was let go after an injury.[6]
In the mid 1980s, Thornton moved to Los Angeles to become an actor.[1] At first, Thornton had a hard time becoming an actor. He worked in telemarketing, offshore wind farming,[6] and fast food management while trying to get acting jobs. He also played drums and sang with South African rock band Jack Hammer. While Thornton worked as a waiter for an event, he served movie director and screenwriter Billy Wilder. Wilder is known for movies that include Double Indemnity and Sunset Boulevard. Thornton talked with Wilder, who told Thornton to think about a career as a screenwriter.[1]
Career
changeFilm
changeBilly Bob's first role was in 1980s South of Reno. He played a small role as a man in a restaurant. Billy Bob was also in a 1987 episode of Andy Griffith's series Matlock. Another one of Thornton's early roles was on the CBS sitcom Hearts Afire with John Ritter and Markie Post. His role as the villain in the 1992 movie One False Move got him noticed by the critics.[1] He also had small roles in the early 1990s movies Indecent Proposal, On Deadly Ground, Bound by Honor, Grey Knight, and Tombstone. Thornton did what Wilder told him to do. He wrote, direct and star in the independent movie Sling Blade. The movie was released in 1996.[1] The movie was an expansion of a short named Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade. It told the story of Karl Childers, a mentally handicapped man imprisoned for murder. Sling Blade was well liked internationally.[1] Thornton's screenplay earned him an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, a Writers Guild of America Award, and an Edgar Award. His acting in the movie earned him an Oscar and Screen Actors Guild nominations for Best Actor.[1]
In 1998, he played the James-Carville-like Richard Jemmons in Primary Colors. Thornton wrote the movie version of the book All the Pretty Horses as a 2000 movie with the same name. The movie starred Matt Damon and Penélope Cruz. After he was forced to cut more than an hour of the movie, he decided to never direct another movie. Also in 2000, an early script he had written was made into The Gift. It starred Cate Blanchett, Hilary Swank, Keanu Reeves, Katie Holmes, Greg Kinnear, and Giovanni Ribisi. In 2000, he also appeared in Travis Tritt's music video for the song "Modern Day Bonnie and Clyde".
The press usually describe Thorton as a "tattooed, hirsute man's man".[7] He had many large movie roles after Sling Blade 's success. These include 1998's Armageddon with Ben Affleck and Bruce Willis, A Simple Plan, Monster's Ball, Bandits and The Man Who Wasn't There. He played a mall Santa Claus in 2003's Bad Santa. It was a black comedy that did very good at the box office. The movie made Thornton notable as a leading comic actor. Thornton has said that, after Bad Santa's success, audiences "like to watch [him] play that kind of guy,"[7] and "they [casting directors] call [him] up when they need an asshole. It's kinda that simple... you know how narrow the imagination in this business can be."[8] In 2004 he played Davy Crockett in The Alamo.
He was in the comic movie School for Scoundrels in 2006. More recent movies include The Astronaut Farmer and the comedy, Mr. Woodcock. In September 2008, Thornton starred in the action movie Eagle Eye with Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan. Thornton has also said he may want to direct another movie. He may direct a period piece about cave explorer Floyd Collins.[9] The movie would be based on the book Trapped! The Story of Floyd Collins by Robert K. Murray and Roger Brucker. Thornton got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on October 7, 2004.
Personal life
change
Relationships and children
changeThornton has been married five times. Each marriage ended in divorce. He has four children by three women. From 1978 to 1980, he was married to Melissa Lee Gatlin. They have a daughter, Amanda.[10] Thornton married actress Toni Lawrence in 1986. They divorced in 1988. From 1990 to 1992, he was married to actress Cynda Williams. In 1993, Thornton married Playboy model Pietra Dawn Cherniak. They have two sons, Harry James and William. The marriage ended in 1997. Cherniak said Thornton abused her.[11]
Thornton was engaged to be married to actress Laura Dern, whom he dated from 1997 to 1999. Instead of marrying Dern, in 2000, he married actress Angelina Jolie. The marriage became known for the couple's strange shows of affection. These were said to include wearing vials of each other's blood around their necks. Thorton later said that the "vials" were actually two small lockets. Each had only a single drop of blood in it.[7][12] Thornton and Jolie said they were adopting a child from Cambodia in March 2002. Later it was learned that Jolie had adopted the child as a single parent.[13][14] They separated in June 2002 and divorced the following year.
Since 2003, Thornton has been in a relationship with Connie Angland. They have a daughter, Bella. The family lives in Los Angeles, California. Thornton has said that he likely will not marry again.[15] He has said that he thinks that marriage "doesn't work" for him.[16]
Thornton is the cousin of professional wrestling legends Terry Funk and Dory Funk, Jr.[17]
Film
change| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Hunter's Blood | Billy Bob | |
| 1988 | South of Reno | Counterman | |
| 1989 | Going Overboard | Dave | |
| Chopper Chicks in Zombietown | Donny | ||
| 1991 | The Dark Backward | Patron At Sloppy's | Uncredited |
| For the Boys | Marine Sergeant In Korea | ||
| Widespread Panic: Live from the Georgia Theatre | — | Short film Director only | |
| 1992 | One False Move | Ray Malcolm | Also writer |
| 1993 | Tombstone | Johnny Tyler | |
| Blood In Blood Out | 'Lightning' | ||
| Indecent Proposal | Day Tripper | ||
| Ghost Brigade | Langston | ||
| Trouble Bound | 'Coldface' | ||
| 1994 | On Deadly Ground | Homer Carlton | |
| Floundering | Gun Clerk | ||
| Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade | Karl Childers | Short film Also writer | |
| 1995 | Dead Man | George 'Big George' Drakoulious | |
| The Stars Fell on Henrietta | Roy | ||
| 1996 | Sling Blade | Karl Childers | Also writer/director |
| The Winner | Jack | ||
| A Family Thing | — | Writer only | |
| 1997 | The Apostle | Troublemaker | |
| U Turn | Darrell | ||
| Princess Mononoke | Jigo | Voice only (English language dub) | |
| Burn Hollywood Burn | Himself | Cameo | |
| 1998 | A Simple Plan | Jacob Mitchell | |
| Armageddon | Dan Truman | ||
| Homegrown | Jack Marsden | ||
| Primary Colors | Richard Jemmons | ||
| 1999 | Pushing Tin | Russell Bell | |
| 2000 | The Gift | — | Writer only |
| The Last Real Cowboys | Tar | Short films Also writer | |
| All the Pretty Horses | — | Producer/director only | |
| 2001 | South of Heaven, West of Hell | Brigadier General Smalls | |
| Daddy and Them | Claude Montgomery | Also writer/director | |
| Monster's Ball | Hank Grotowski | ||
| Bandits | Terry Lee Collins | ||
| The Man Who Wasn't There | Ed Crane | ||
| Camouflage | — | Writer only (credited as Reginald Perry) | |
| 2002 | Waking Up in Reno | Lonnie Earl Dodd | |
| The Badge | Sheriff Darl Hardwick | ||
| 2003 | Bad Santa | Willie Soke | |
| Love Actually | President of the U.S. | ||
| Intolerable Cruelty | Howard D. Doyle | ||
| Levity | Manuel Jordan | ||
| 2004 | Friday Night Lights | Coach Gary Gaines | |
| The Alamo | Davy Crockett | ||
| Chrystal | Joe | ||
| 2005 | The Ice Harvest | Vic Cavanaugh | |
| Bad News Bears | Coach Morris Buttermaker | ||
| 2006 | School for Scoundrels | Dr. P. / Dennis Sherman | |
| 2007 | The Astronaut Farmer | Charles Farmer | |
| Mr. Woodcock | Jasper Woodcock | ||
| 2008 | Eagle Eye | FBI Agent Thomas Morgan | |
| The Informers | William | ||
| 2009 | My Run | Narrator | Voice only Documentary |
| The Smell of Success | Patrick | ||
| 2010 | Faster | Detective Slade Humphries / Cop | |
| 2011 | The King of Luck | — | Documentary Director only |
| Nashville Rises | Narrator | Voice only Documentary | |
| Puss in Boots | Jack | Voice only | |
| 2013 | Jayne Mansfield's Car | Skip Caldwell | Also writer/director |
| The Baytown Outlaws | Carlos | ||
| Parkland | Forrest Sorrels | ||
| 2014 | Cut Bank | Stan Steeley | |
| The Judge | Dwight Dickham | ||
| 2015 | Into the Grizzly Maze | Douglas | |
| Entourage | Larsen McCredle | ||
| Our Brand Is Crisis | Pat Candy | ||
| 2016 | Whiskey Tango Foxtrot | General Hollanek | |
| Bad Santa 2 | Willie Soke | ||
| 2018 | London Fields | Samson Young | |
| A Million Little Pieces | Leonard | ||
| 2022 | The Gray Man | Donald Fitzroy | |
| 2023 | Devil's Peak | Charlie | Post-production |
| 2024 | The Electric State | TBA | Post-production |
Television
change| Title | Year | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| One False Move | 1992 | Writer | Nominated—Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay |
| Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade | 1994 | Writer | |
| A Family Thing | 1996 | Writer | Humanitas Prize |
| Sling Blade | 1996 | Director/Writer | Academy Award for Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay) Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Motion Picture Screenplay National Board of Review Award for Special Achievement in Filmmaking Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay Nominated—Chlotrudis Award for Best Director Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Original Screenplay |
| Don't Look Back | 1996 | Story and teleplay | |
| All the Pretty Horses | 2000 | Director/Producer | |
| The Gift | 2000 | Writer | Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Writing |
| Camouflage | 2001 | Story and screenplay | as Reginald Perry |
| Daddy and Them | 2001 | Director/Writer | |
| Jayne Mansfield's Car | 2012 | Director/Writer |
Video games
change| Year | Title | Voice role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Deadly Creatures | Wade |
Discography
changeSolo
change- Private Radio (2001)
- The Edge of the World (2003)
- Hobo (2005)
- Beautiful Door (2007)
The Boxmasters
change- The Boxmasters (Vanguard, 2008)
- Christmas Cheer (Vanguard, 2008)
- Modbilly (Vanguard, 2009)
- Keys To The Kingdom (TBA)
- Bellflower (TBA)
References
change- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 "Billy Bob Thornton". Inside the Actors Studio. Season 8. Episode 18. August 18, 2002.
- ↑ Vigoda, Arlene (February 7, 1997). "Thornton makes a mark with 'Sling Blade'". USA Today. p. 1D LIFE.
- ↑ Betsy Model (January 2004). "Rock-a-Billy Bob". Orange Coast Magazine. Vol. 30, no. 1. p. 54.
- ↑ "Billy Bob Thornton, Astronaut Farmer". BeliefNet.com.
- ↑ "Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture". Encyclopediaofarkansas.net. Retrieved May 9, 2010.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Pringle, Gill (September 23, 2007). "On the Move: Billy Bob Thornton". The Times. London. Archived from the original on October 17, 2019. Retrieved April 26, 2010.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Billy Bob Hollywood's go-to guy". JAM! Showbiz. Retrieved September 24, 2006.
- ↑ "School is in session". Daily News. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved September 24, 2006.
- ↑ "Interview with "School for Scoundrels" Star Billy Bob Thornton". About.com. Archived from the original on January 28, 2008. Retrieved September 25, 2006.
- ↑ Castro, Peter (April 28, 1997). "Sling This: Mrs. Billy Bob Thornton Angrily Seeks a Divorce". People. 47 (16). Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved July 6, 2011.
- ↑ Hinckley, David. Billy Bob Thornton accused of stalking former sister-in-law Archived 2012-07-09 at Archive.today. New York Daily News. May 21, 2008. Retrieved March 28, 2011.
- ↑ "What I've Learned: Billy Bob Thornton". Archived from the original on March 29, 2007. Retrieved September 28, 2012.
- ↑ Smolowee, Jill. Marriage, Interrupted. People. August 5, 2002. Retrieved March 2, 2011.
- ↑ Stein, Ruthe. Billy Bob Thornton Likes Staying Put. "San Francisco Chronicle". April 26, 2009. Retrieved March 2, 2011.
- ↑ "Thornton swears off marriage". ShowbizSpy. July 21, 2008. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved July 6, 2011.
- ↑ The Billy Bob Tapes: A Cave Full of Ghosts B.B. Thornton. 2012. Virgin Digital
- ↑ Terry Funk: The Hardcore Legend. T Funk. 2005. Sports Pub
Further reading
change- Pringle, G (September 23, 2007). "On the move: Billy Bob Thornton". The Sunday Times. London. Archived from the original on October 17, 2019. Retrieved September 25, 2007.
Other websites
change
- Billy Bob Thornton on IMDb
- Official site of Billy Bob Thornton
- Billy Bob Thornton attacks CBC Radio Host
- Six Degrees of Swampland, Billy Bob Thornton
- Swampland: GRITZ Billy Bob Thornton Interview 2008
- Alamo Sentry Archived 2008-12-19 at the Wayback Machine Interview with Thornton regarding his role as David Crockett.
- Billy Bob Thornton interview Archived 2007-08-18 at the Wayback Machine
- "Set For Launch: A Video Interview with the Makers of 'The Astronaut Farmer'" Archived 2012-11-14 at the Wayback Machine — eFilmCritic.com video interviews with Billy Bob Thornton, Virginia Madsen and the Polish Brothers
- Stumped? Interview Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine
- Billy Bob Thornton: “I Have 5,000 Favorites” Archived 2010-08-31 at the Wayback Machine