Billy Bob Thornton | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Thornton in 2017 | |
| Born | August 4, 1955 Hot Springs, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1974–present |
| Spouses | Melissa Lee Gatlin
(m. 1978; div. 1980)Toni Lawrence
(m. 1986; div. 1988)Pietra Dawn Cherniak
(m. 1993; div. 1997)Connie Angland (m. 2014) |
| Children | 4 |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | Alternative country[1] |
| Instruments |
|
| Labels | Vanguard |
| Website | billybobthornton |
Billy Bob Thornton[2][3] (born August 4, 1955) is an American film actor, filmmaker, singer, and songwriter. He received international attention after writing, directing, and starring in the independent drama film Sling Blade (1996), for which he won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. For his role in A Simple Plan (1998) he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He is also known for his film roles in One False Move (1992), Tombstone (1993), Dead Man (1995), U Turn (1997), Primary Colors (1998), Armageddon (1998), Monster's Ball (2001), The Man Who Wasn't There (2001), Intolerable Cruelty (2003), Bad Santa (2003), and Friday Night Lights (2004).
He has written a variety of films including A Family Thing (1996) and The Gift (2000) and has directed films such as Daddy and Them (2001), All the Pretty Horses (2000), and Jayne Mansfield's Car (2012).
Thornton is also known for his roles on television acting in the CBS sitcom Hearts Afire from 1992 to 1995. In 2014, he starred as Lorne Malvo in the first season of the FX anthology series Fargo, earning a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie and winning a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film. From 2016 to 2021 he played Billy McBride in the Amazon legal drama series, Goliath, which earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama.
In addition to film work, Thornton began a career as a singer-songwriter. He has released four solo albums and is the vocalist of the rock band the Boxmasters. Thornton has been vocal about his distaste for celebrity culture, choosing to keep out of the public eye. He has been married six times, including to Angelina Jolie from 2000 to 2003 which received significant media attention.[4]
- ^ Staff (September 24, 2001). "BILLY BOB THORNTON: PRIVATE RADIO". PopMatters. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
The most appropriate description of Thornton's music is probably "alternative country"
- ^ Vigoda, Arlene (February 7, 1997). "Thornton makes a mark with 'Sling Blade'". USA Today. p. 1D LIFE.
- ^ Model, Betsy (January 2004). "Rock-a-Billy Bob". Orange Coast Magazine. Vol. 30, no. 1. p. 54.
- ^ "Combustible Celluloid interview – Mark Polish, Michael Polish, Billy Bob Thornton, The Astronaut Farmer (2007)". combustiblecelluloid.com.