07/23/1961
Midland, Texas, USA:
Academy Award-nominated and Emmy Award-winning actor Woodrow Tracy Harrelson was born on July 23, 1961 in Midland, Texas, to Diane Lou (Oswald) and Charles Harrelson. He grew up in Lebanon, Ohio, where his mother was from. After receiving degrees in theater arts and English from Hanover College, he had a brief stint in New York theater. He was soon cast as Woody on TV series Cheers (1982), which wound up being one of the most-popular TV shows ever and also earned Harrelson an Emmy for his performance in 1989. While he dabbled in film during his time on Cheers (1982), that area of his career didn't fully take off until towards the end of the show's run. In 1991, Doc Hollywood (1991) gave him his first widely-seen movie role, and he followed that up with White Men Can't Jump (1992), Indecent Proposal (1993) and Natural Born Killers (1994). More recently, Harrelson was seen in No Country for Old Men (2007), Zombieland (2009), 2012 (2009), and Friends with Benefits (2011), along with the acclaimed HBO movie Game Change (2012). In 2011, Harrelson snagged the coveted role of fan-favorite drunk Haymitch Abernathy in the big-screen adaptation of The Hunger Games (2012), which ended up being one of the highest-grossing movies ever at the domestic box office. Harrelson is set to reprise that role for the sequels, which are scheduled for release in November 2013, 2014 and 2015. Harrelson has received two Academy Award nominations, first for his role as controversial Hustler founder Larry Flynt in The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996) and then for a role in The Messenger (2009). He also received Golden Globe nominations for both of these parts. In 2016, he had a stand-out role as a wise teacher in the teen drama The Edge of Seventeen (2016). Harrelson was briefly married to Nancy Simon in the 80s, and later married his former assistant, Laura Louie, with whom he has three daughters.
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Midway (2019) Admiral Chester W. Nimitz |
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Zombieland: Double Tap (2019) Tallahassee |
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The Highwaymen (2019) Manny Gault |
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Venom (2018) Carnage / Cletus Kasady |
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Shock and Awe (2018) Jonathan Landay |
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Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) Tobias Beckett |
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Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) Bill Willoughby |
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LBJ (2017) Lyndon B. Johnson |
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The Glass Castle (2017) Rex Walls |
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War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) The Colonel |
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Wilson (2017) Wilson |
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Lost in London (2017) Woody Harrelson |
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The Edge of Seventeen (2016) Mr. Bruner |
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The Duel (2016) Abraham Brant |
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Now You See Me 2 (2016) Merritt McKinney |
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Must See TV: A Tribute to James Burrows (2016) |
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Triple 9 (2016) Sergeant Detective Jeffrey Allen |
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The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (2015) Haymitch Abernathy |
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The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 (2014) Haymitch Abernathy |
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Out of the Furnace (2013) Harlan DeGroat |
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David Blaine: Real or Magic (2013) Himself |
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The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) Haymitch Abernathy |
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Free Birds (2013) Jake (voice) |
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Now You See Me (2013) Merritt McKinney |
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Miloš Forman - What Doesn't Kill You… (2013) |
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How to Make Money Selling Drugs (2012) Himself |
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Seven Psychopaths (2012) Charlie Costello |
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The Hunger Games (2012) Haymitch Abernathy |
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Game Change (2012) Steve Schmidt |
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Method to the Madness of Jerry Lewis (2011) Himself |
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Rampart (2011) Dave Brown |
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Friends with Benefits (2011) Tommy Bollinger |
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The (R)evolution of Immortal Technique (2011) Himself |
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Ethos (2011) Host |
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Bunraku (2010) The Bartender |
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The Messenger (2009) Tony Stone |
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2012 (2009) Charlie Frost |
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Zombieland (2009) Tallahassee |
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Defendor (2009) Arthur Poppington / Defendor |
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Management (2009) Jango |
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Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days (2009) Himself |
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Seven Pounds (2008) Ezra Turner |
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Surfer, Dude (2008) Jack |
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Hempsters: Plant the Seed (2008) Himself |
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Sleepwalking (2008) Randall |
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No Country for Old Men: Josh Brolin's Unauthorized Behind the Scenes (2008) Himself |
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Semi-Pro (2008) Monix |
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Transsiberian (2008) Roy |
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No Country for Old Men (2007) Carson Wells |
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Raw for Life (2007) Himself |
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Battle in Seattle (2007) Dale |
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The Grand (2007) One Eyed Jack Faro |
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The Walker (2007) Carter Page III |
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Nanking (2007) Bob Wilson |
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A Prairie Home Companion (2006) Dusty |
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A Scanner Darkly (2006) Ernie Luckman |
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Free Jimmy (2006) Roy Arnie (voice) |
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The Outsider (2005) Himself |
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The Big White (2005) Raymond Barnell |
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The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio (2005) Kelly Ryan |
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North Country (2005) Bill White |
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After the Sunset (2004) Stan Lloyd |
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She Hate Me (2004) Leland Powell |
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Scorched (2003) Jason 'Woods' Valley |
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Anger Management (2003) Galaxia / Security Guard Gary |
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Go Further (2003) Himself |
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This So-Called Disaster: Sam Shepard Directs "The Late Henry Moss" (2003) Taxi Driver |
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Play It to the Bone (1999) Vince Boudreau |
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Grass (1999) Narrator |
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Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) Woody Harrelson |
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Edtv (1999) Ray Pekurny |
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The Hi-Lo Country (1998) Big Boy Matson |
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The Thin Red Line (1998) Sgt. William Keck |
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Welcome to Hollywood (1998) Woody Harrelson |
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Palmetto (1998) Harry Barber |
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Wag the Dog (1997) Sergeant William Schumann |
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Welcome to Sarajevo (1997) Flynn |
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The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996) Larry Flynt |
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Kingpin (1996) Roy Munson |
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The Sunchaser (1996) Dr. Michael Reynolds |
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Money Train (1995) Charlie |
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Natural Born Killers (1994) Mickey Knox |
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The Cowboy Way (1994) Pepper Lewis |
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I'll Do Anything (1994) Ground Zero Hero |
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Indecent Proposal (1993) David Murphy |
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White Men Can't Jump (1992) Billy Hoyle |
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Ted and Venus (1991) Homeless Vietnam Veteran |
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Doc Hollywood (1991) Hank Gordon |
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L.A. Story (1991) Harris' Boss |
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Mother Goose Rock 'N Rhyme (1990) Lou the Lamb |
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Cool Blue (1990) Dustin |
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True Believer (1989) Man in Dodd's office |
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Killer Instinct (1988) Charlie Long |
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Mickey's 60th Birthday (1988) Woody Boyd |
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She's Having a Baby (1988) Himself (uncredited) |
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Bay Coven (1987) Slater |
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Wildcats (1986) Krushinski |
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Harper Valley P.T.A. (1978) Extra (uncredited) |
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The Highwaymen (2019) Producer |
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Lost in London (2017) Director |
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Lost in London (2017) Producer |
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Lost in London (2017) Writer |