Woody Harrelson

Overview

Born
July 23, 1961 · Midland, Texas, USA
Birth name
Woodrow Tracy Harrelson
Height
5′ 9½″ (1.77 m)

Biography

Family

Spouses
Children
Parents
Relatives

Trademarks

Southern accent
Piercing, blue eyes

Trivia

Was arrested in Columbus (Ohio) in June 1983, charged with disorderly conduct - he was dancing in the street, halting traffic; he later jumped out of a moving police van, laughing maniacally, and finally punched one of the two arresting officers to the ground.
Father Charles Harrelson (Charles Voyde Harrelson), who was a hitman, was arrested in 1979 for killing Federal Judge John H. Wood Jr. in San Antonio, Texas.
Big fan of Bill Murray. Bill appeared in Zombieland (2009) as a favor to Woody.
A jury in Beattyville, Kentucky dismissed a marijuana possession charge against him. He was arrested in 1996 for planting 4 marijuana hemp seeds in rural Kentucky and in his defence he said he was challenging a state law that makes no distinction between marijuana and hemp, even though hemp contains little of the drug found in marijuana and can be used to make a variety of industrial products.
Both he and his Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)'s co-star Sam Rockwell were nominated for an Oscar for their performances and Harrelson voted for Rockwell over himself.

Quotes

When I let up from the weed, and the drinking too, I cried every day. And I liked that. I like crying. And now I not only wanna cry and show my crying to other people, I wanna just split myself down the middle and open my guts and just throw everything out!
Well for six years during Cheers (1982), I couldn't get another job. So I was getting to the mindset of, 'Wow, so this is it. I thought the career was just starting and apparently it's just over.' Fortunately then, I got a role in Doc Hollywood (1991) and then White Men Can't Jump (1992). Those I was doing during my hiatus from Cheers (1982), and then I did Indecent Proposal (1993) during my last hiatus. And then Indecent Proposal (1993) came out literally the day after we wrapped Cheers (1982). And then I started work on Natural Born Killers (1994). So I was fortunately able to segue, but for awhile I thought, 'Jeez, this is it'. And I felt that I could do so much more. I really wanted to express myself a little more. Not to say that "Woody Boyd" was not a great role!
It was very interesting. I read that book and I honestly had no idea what the hell was going on. Then I did the movie because I just wanted to do it. I wanted to work with Richard Linklater, Keanu Reeves, 'Robert Downey Jr.' and Winona Ryder. I wanted to do it, but I really still don't know what the hell that film is about. But I just know it's really interesting (On A Scanner Darkly (2006)).
I never was disillusioned with acting because I love acting. But I just felt at one point that I was on a hamster wheel, you know? Just doing movie after movie and thinking so much about career related things and I think missing out on hanging with my friends and family as much I needed to. So I just took some time off. I was maybe going to do two or three years and it turned into five years. But certainly, I'd say it was the best thing I ever did. And now I come back to this whole thing really energized about it. (2005 quote)
Most people take it pretty badly and just go crazy - I was no exception. But I feel like I've come out of it with my spirit still intact. (2002 quote on fame)