Academy Award-winning writer, actor, director and musician, Billy Bob Thornton has an extensive and impressive career in motion pictures, television and theater. Charismatic and uniquely talented, Thornton has established himself as one of the most sought-after actors/filmmakers of his generation.
Currently celebrating a high-water mark in his career, Thornton was most recently seen starring in the Amazon Original series Goliath from producer David Kelley, for which his performance received rave reviews and garnered him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Drama. He also reprised his iconic and Golden Globe-nominated performance in the 2003 box-office hit Bad Santa, in Bad Santa 2. He will also be seen in A Million Little Pieces, the screen adaptation of James Frey’s best-selling book.
His recent projects have included the critically acclaimed FX Network limited television series Fargo, for which he
Academy Award-winning writer, actor, director and musician, Billy Bob Thornton has an extensive and impressive career in motion pictures, television and theater. Charismatic and uniquely talented, Thornton has established himself as one of the most sought-after actors/filmmakers of his generation.
Currently celebrating a high-water mark in his career, Thornton was most recently seen starring in the Amazon Original series Goliath from producer David Kelley, for which his performance received rave reviews and garnered him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Drama. He also reprised his iconic and Golden Globe-nominated performance in the 2003 box-office hit Bad Santa, in Bad Santa 2. He will also be seen in A Million Little Pieces, the screen adaptation of James Frey’s best-selling book.
His recent projects have included the critically acclaimed FX Network limited television series Fargo, for which he received Golden Globe and Broadcast Television Critics Awards for Best Actor in a Mini-series or Movie, and Emmy and SAG Award nominations in the same category; the Warner Bros.’ political-themed drama Our Brand Is Crisis, opposite Sandra Bullock; The Judge opposite Robert Downey, Jr. and Robert Duvall; and starred in the ensemble drama Jayne Mansfield’s Car, an original script co-written by Thornton and longtime collaborator Tom Epperson for which he once again stepped behind the camera to direct. The film also starred Robert Duvall, John Hurt and Kevin Bacon.
He was also seen in the ensemble drama Parkland, for Playtone Pictures, in which he co-starred with Paul Giamatti and Marcia Gay Harden; the drama London Fields, based on the Martin Amis novel; the action thriller Faster, co-starring Dwayne Johnson; the film adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’ best-selling novel The Informers; the Polish Brothers’ dark comedy Manure; Paramount Pictures’ Eagle Eye; the Newline Cinema comedy Mr. Woodcock; Warner Bros. Pictures’ The Astronaut Farmer, directed by the Polish Brothers; School For Scoundrels; the re-make of The Bad News Bears for Paramount Pictures; and Friday Night Lights for Universal Pictures; and directed The King of Luck, a documentary about country music legend and longtime friend Willie Nelson.
In 2003 he garnered a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy for his role in the critically acclaimed box-office hit Bad Santa, and in 2004 he received rave reviews for his portrayal of legendary frontiersman Davy Crockett in Touchstone Pictures’ The Alamo.
Showing the versatility of his acting abilities, in 2001 Thornton starred in the caper comedy Bandits for director Barry Levinson and co-starring Bruce Willis and Cate Blanchett; the noir The Man Who Wasn’t There for the Coen Brothers; and the heart-wrenching drama Monster’s Ball, in which he co-starred with Halle Berry, Peter Boyle and Heath Ledger.
Each of the three performances garnered Thornton unprecedented critical acclaim, and resulted in him being named Best Actor of 2001 by the National Board of Review, Golden Globe nominations for Best Actor in a Drama for The Man Who Wasn’t There and Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy for Bandits, and an American Film Institute Award nomination for Best Actor for The Man Who Wasn’t There.
Thornton’s 1996 release of the critically acclaimed and phenomenally popular feature film Sling Blade, which he starred in and directed from an original script he wrote, firmly secured his status as a preeminent filmmaker. For his efforts, he was honored with both an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. The film, produced by The Shooting Gallery and released by Miramax, also starred Robert Duvall, JT Walsh, Dwight Yoakum and John Ritter.
Prior to Sling Blade, Thornton already had an extensive motion picture credit list. He wrote and starred in the thrilling character drama One False Move, which brought him immediate critical praise. Thornton’s powerful script (co-written with Tom Epperson) was enhanced by his intense performance as a hunted criminal. The film, directed by Carl Franklin, was an unheralded sleeper success.
In addition, Thornton has been featured in such films as The Winner, for director Alex Cox, Paramount Pictures’ Indecent Proposal directed by Adrian Lyne, Deadman, for director Jim Jarmusch for Miramax, and in Tombstone, directed by George Cosmatos for Buena Vista Pictures.
Thornton has also appeared in the films On Deadly Ground, Bound by Honor, For The Boys and The Stars Fell on Henrietta.
As a writer, Thornton has worked on numerous projects for United Artists, Miramax, Universal Studios, Warner Bros., Touchstone Pictures, Island Pictures, David Geffen Productions and HBO. He also scripted A Family Thing, a highly regarded feature film that starred Robert Duvall and James Earl Jones for United Artists.
Thornton co-starred in the blockbuster action-adventure film Armageddon with Bruce Willis for producer Jerry Bruckheimer, and he has also co-starred opposite Sean Penn and Nick Nolte in U-Turn, directed by Oliver Stone and in Primary Colors opposite John Travolta and Emma Thompson for director Mike Nichols. He also starred in the dark comedy Pushing Tin opposite John Cusack.
Thornton received an Academy Award nomination and Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his celebrated work in the tightly woven drama A Simple Plan for director Sam Raimi, as well as a Best Supporting Actor award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and a Best Supporting Actor nomination from the Screen Actors Guild.
For his second and third directorial outings, Thornton chose the comedy Daddy and Them, which he again wrote and starred in, and the best-selling Cormac McCarthy novel, the epic All the Pretty Horses, starring Matt Damon, Penelope Cruz and Henry Thomas.
Thornton also co-wrote The Gift, starring Cate Blanchett, Giovanni Ribisi and Hillary Swank. Thornton’s other film credits include the comedy Waking Up In Reno, co-starring Charlize Theron, Patrick Swayze and Natascha Richardson for Miramax Films; the drama Levity, in which he co-starred with Morgan Freeman, Holly Hunter and Kirsten Dunst; Intolerable Cruelty co-starring George Clooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones; and Love Actually, with Hugh Grant, Laura Linney and Liam Neeson.
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Under 100 words
Academy Award-winning writer, actor, director and musician Billy Bob Thornton has an extensive and impressive career in motion pictures, television and theater. Charismatic and uniquely talented, Thornton has established himself as one of the most sought-after actors/filmmakers of his generation.
Currently celebrating a high-water mark in his career, Thornton can now be seen starring in the Amazon Original series Goliath from producer David Kelley, for which his performance received rave reviews and garnered him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Drama.
Golden Globe AwardBest Performance By An Actor In A Television Series – Drama