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Billy Bob Thornton
Thornton and his band, The Boxmasters, in concert at Slims in San Francisco, California, September 2007
Born	August 4, 1955 (1955-08-04) (age 53) Hot Springs, Arkansas, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, Screenwriter, Director, Musician (Vocals/Drums)
Years active	1987–present
Spouse(s)	Melissa Lee Gatlin (1978-1980) Toni Lawrence (1986-1988) Cynda Williams (1990-1992) Pietra Dawn Cherniak (1993-1997) Angelina Jolie (2000-2003)
Official website

Billy Bob Thornton¹ (born August 4, 1955) is an American actor, director, musician, playwright and screenwriter. His rise to fame began in the mid-1990s, after writing, directing, and starring in the film Sling Blade, for which he won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 2.1 CBC interview and Canadian tour 3 Personal life 4 Filmography 4.1 Other screen credits 5 Discography 6 References 7 Further reading 8 External links

Early life

Thornton was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas,¹ the son of Virginia Roberta (née Faulkner), an alleged psychic, and William Raymond (Billy Ray) Thornton, a high-school history teacher and basketball coach.¹ He is the oldest of three sons. Thornton lived in both Alpine, Arkansas and Malvern, Arkansas during his childhood, and also spent time with his grandfather, Otis Thornton, a forest ranger, in a small shack in the woods.^{citation needed} He was raised a Methodist.² A good high school baseball player, he tried out for the Kansas City Royals, but during his first try at-bat, the pitcher threw a wild ball that broke Thornton's collar bone.³ After a short period laying asphalt for the Arkansas State Transportation Department, he attended Henderson State University, in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, to pursue studies in psychology, but dropped out after two semesters.

In the late 1980s, Thornton settled in Los Angeles, to pursue his career as an actor, with future writing partner Tom Epperson.¹ Thornton initially had a difficult time succeeding as an actor, and worked in telemarketing, offshore wind farming,³ and fast-food management between auditioning for acting jobs. He also played drums and sang with South African rock band Jack Hammer. While Thornton worked as a waiter for an industry event, he served film director Billy Wilder and struck up a conversation with Wilder, who advised Thornton to consider a career as a screenwriter,¹ for which he eventually won an Oscar in the category of best screenplay.

Career

Thornton first came to semi-prominence as a cast member on the CBS sitcom Hearts Afire with John Ritter and Markie Post. His role as the villain in 1992's One False Move, which he also co-wrote, brought him to the attention of critics.¹ He also had small roles in the early 1990s films Indecent Proposal, On Deadly Ground, Bound by Honor, Grey Knight, and Tombstone.

Thornton put Wilder's advice to good use, and went on to write, direct and star in the independent film Sling Blade, which was released in 1996.¹ The film, an expansion of a short film titled Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade, introduced the story of Karl Childers, a mentally handicapped man imprisoned for a gruesome and seemingly inexplicable murder. Sling Blade garnered international acclaim.¹ Thornton's screenplay earned him an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, a Writers Guild of America Award, and an Edgar Award, while his performance received Oscar and Screen Actors Guild nominations for Best Actor.¹ In 1998, he portrayed the James-Carville-like Richard Jemmons in Primary Colors. Thornton adapted the book All the Pretty Horses into a 2000 film with the same name, starring Matt Damon and Penélope Cruz. The negative experience (he was forced to cut more than an hour) led to his decision to never direct another film (a subsequent release, Daddy and Them, had been filmed earlier). Also in 2000, an early script which he and Tom Epperson wrote together was made into The Gift which starred Cate Blanchett, Hilary Swank, Keanu Reeves, Katie Holmes and Giovanni Ribisi.

During the late 1990s, Thornton, who has had a life-long love for music, began a career as a singer-songwriter. He released a roots rock album titled Private Radio in 2001, and two more albums, The Edge of the World (2003) and Hobo (2005). Thornton was the singer of a blues rock band named Tres Hombres. Guitarist Billy Gibbons referred to the band as "The best little cover band in Texas", and Thornton bears a tattoo with the band's name on it.⁴ He performed the Warren Zevon song The Wind on the tribute album Enjoy Every Sandwich: Songs of Warren Zevon. Thornton recorded a cover of the Johnny Cash classic "Ring of Fire" for the Oxford American magazine's Southern Music CD in 2001.

Thornton's screen persona has been described by the press as that of a "tattooed, hirsute man's man".⁵ He appeared in several major film roles following Sling Blade 's success, including 1998's Armageddon and A Simple Plan. In 2001 he had starring roles in three hollywood pictures, Monster's Ball, Bandits and The Man Who Wasn't There, for which he received many awards. He played a malicious mall Santa Claus in 2003's Bad Santa, a black comedy that performed well at the box office and established Thornton as a leading comic actor. Thornton has stated that, following Bad Santa's success, audiences "like to watch [him] play that kind of guy,"⁵ 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."⁶ In 2004 he played Davy Crockett in The Alamo. He appeared in the comic film School for Scoundrels, which was released on September 29, 2006. In the film, he plays a self-help doctor; the role was written specifically for Thornton.⁵ More recent films include The Astronaut Farmer, a drama released on February 23, 2007, and the comedy, Mr. Woodcock, in which Thornton plays a sadistic gym teacher. In September 2008, Thornton starred in the big brother action movie Eagle Eye along side Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan. He will next star in the drama Peace Like a River. Thornton has also expressed an interest in directing another film, possibly a period piece about cave explorer Floyd Collins,⁷ based on the book Trapped! The Story of Floyd Collins by Robert K. Murray and Roger Brucker.

Thornton received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on October 7, 2004.

CBC interview and Canadian tour

Thornton gained additional notoriety on April 8, 2009 when he and his musical group The Boxmasters appeared on the CBC Radio One program Q, hosted by Jian Ghomeshi. While other band members answered questions without incident, many of Thornton's responses were "I don't know" responses to basic questions about how long the band had been together, or long-winded non-sequiturs like the musical influence that Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine had on him as a child. Mid-interview, Thornton stated that he had "instructed" the show's producers to not ask questions about his career as screenwriter and actor.⁸⁹ Ghomeshi had mentioned Thornton’s acting credentials in the introduction. Thornton joked that Canadian audiences were like “mashed potatoes without the gravy" in an interview which received wide criticism.¹⁰¹¹ The following night, Thornton's band opened for Willie Nelson at Toronto's Massey Hall. When Thornton explained mid-set he liked Canadians but not the CBC radio host, boos and catcalls erupted.¹² Nevertheless, Thornton and his band enjoyed two standing ovations from the same audience at the end of that show. On April 10 Thornton announced The Boxmasters would not be playing with Nelson during concerts scheduled in Canada due to members of the crew and band having the flu.¹³

Personal life

Thornton has frequently disclosed that he has obsessive–compulsive disorder.^{citation needed} He and rock singer Warren Zevon became close friends after sharing their common experiences with the disorder.¹⁴) Various idiosyncratic behaviors have been well-documented in interviews with the actor; among these is a phobia of antique furniture — a disorder shared by the Dwight Yoakam character in the Thornton-penned Sling Blade, and by Thornton's own character in the 2001 film Bandits.¹⁵ Additionally, he has stated that he has a fear of certain types of silverware, a trait assumed by his character, Hank Grotowski, in 2001's Monster's Ball, in which Grotowski insists on a plastic spoon for his daily bowl of chocolate ice cream.¹⁵¹⁶ In a 2004 interview with The Independent, Thornton explained: "It's just that I won't use real silver. You know, like the big, old, heavy-ass forks and knives, I can't do that. It's the same thing as the antique furniture. I just don't like old stuff. I'm creeped out by it, and I have no explanation why...I don't have a phobia about American antiques, it's mostly French — you know, like the big, old, gold-carved chairs with the velvet cushions. The Louis XIV type. That's what creeps me out. I can spot the imitation antiques a mile off. They have a different vibe. Not as much dust."¹⁷ In addition to his aversion to silver cutlery, velvet, and "creepy, castle-y stuff," Thornton confesses that "pieces from 1700 and 1800 France and England really freak me out, especially harpsichords."¹⁸¹⁷

Thornton lives in Los Angeles. He has been married five times, most notably to actress Angelina Jolie. The pair were known for their eccentric behavior, which reportedly included wearing vials of each others' blood around their necks; Thornton later clarified that the "vials" were, instead, two small lockets, each containing only a single drop of blood.⁵¹⁹

Thornton and Jolie adopted a child from Cambodia whom they named Maddox. Jolie's divorce petition defined the child as both her and Thornton's, and requested the Court grant her custody and Thornton reasonable visitation.²⁰

Thornton is the biological father of four children: (with his first wife, Melissa Gatlin) Amanda Spence, born June 30, 1979, (with his fourth wife, Pietra Cherniak) William Langston, born June 27, 1993, and Harry James, born June 19, 1994, and (with current girlfriend, Connie Angland) Bella, born September 22, 2004. Thornton has also stated that he will likely not marry again; he has specified that he believes marriage "doesn't work" for him.

He has two younger brothers, Jimmy Don, (who died abruptly of a heart attack in 1988), and John David, who resides in Arkansas. Jimmy Don Thornton wrote a number of songs, two of which--"Island Avenue" and "Emily"--Thornton has recorded on his solo albums.

Filmography

Year	Film	Role	Notes
1986	Hunter's Blood	Billy Bob
1988	South of Reno	Counterman
1989	Going Overboard	Dave
	Chopper Chicks in Zombietown	Tommy
1991	The Dark Backward	Patron at Sloppy's	(uncredited)
	For the Boys	Marine Sergeant, Korea
1992	One False Move	Ray Malcolm
1993	Tombstone	Johnny Tyler
	Bound by Honor	Lightning
	Indecent Proposal	Day Tripper
	The Killing Box	Langston
	Trouble Bound	Coldface
1994	On Deadly Ground	Homer Carlton
	Floundering	Gun Clerk
	Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade	Karl Childers	Short film
1995	Dead Man	Big George Drakoulious
	The Stars Fell on Henrietta	Roy
1996	Sling Blade	Karl Childers	Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Chlotrudis Award for Best Actor Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actor Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
	Don't Look Back	Marshall
	The Winner	Jack
1997	The Apostle	Troublemaker
	U Turn	Darrell
	Princess Mononoke	Jigo
1998	A Simple Plan	Jacob Mitchell	Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Chlotrudis Award for Best Supporting Actor Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated — Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
	Armageddon	Dan Truman, NASA Administrator
	Homegrown	Jack Marsden
	The Thin Red Line	Narrator	(Edited)
	Primary Colors	Richard Jemmons
1999	Pushing Tin	Russell Bell
2000	The Last Real Cowboys	Tar
	South of Heaven, West of Hell	Brig. Smalls
2001	Daddy and Them	Claude Montgomery
	Monster's Ball	Hank Grotowski	Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor also for Bandits and The Man Who Wasn't There National Board of Review Award for Best Actor also for Bandits and The Man Who Wasn't There Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
	Bandits	Terry Lee Collins	Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor also for Monster's Ball and The Man Who Wasn't There National Board of Review Award for Best Actor also for Monster's Ball and The Man Who Wasn't There Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Nominated — Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
	The Man Who Wasn't There	Ed Crane	Chlotrudis Audience Award for Best Actor Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor also for Bandits and Monster's Ball London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor National Board of Review Award for Best Actor also for Bandits and Monster's Ball Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor Russian Guild of Film Critics Award for Best Foreign Actor Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Nominated — American Film Institute Award AFI Actor of the Year Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Actor Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama Nominated — Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor
2002	Waking Up in Reno	Lonnie Earl Dodd
	The Badge	Sheriff Darl Hardwick
2003	Bad Santa	Willie	Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
	Love Actually	The US President
	Intolerable Cruelty	Howard D. Doyle
	Levity	Manuel Jordan
2004	Friday Night Lights	Coach Gary Gaines
	The Alamo	David Crockett
	Chrystal	Joe
2005	The Ice Harvest	Vic Cavanaugh
	Bad News Bears	Morris Buttermaker
2006	School for Scoundrels	Dr. P/Dennis Sherman
2007	The Astronaut Farmer	Charles Farmer
	Mr. Woodcock	Jasper Woodcock
2008	Eagle Eye	Morgan
2009	The Informers	William
	Peace Like a River		(in production)
2010	Zero Theorem	Qohen Leth	(pre-production)

Other screen credits

Year	Film	Role	Notes
1992	One False Move	Writer	Nominated — Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay
1994	Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade	Writer
1996	A Family Thing	Writer	Humanitas Prize
	Sling Blade	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	Story and teleplay
2000	All the Pretty Horses	Director/Producer
	The Gift	Writer	Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Writing
2001	Camouflage	Story and screenplay	as Reginald Perry
	Daddy and Them	Director/Writer

Discography

For albums and songs recorded by Thornton's band, see The Boxmasters#Discography.

• Private Radio (CD) - Universal Records - 2001
• Earl Scruggs And Friends (CD) - MCA Records - 2001
• The Edge of the World (CD) - Sanctuary Records - 2003
• Hobo (CD) - Big Deal Records - 2005
• Beautiful Door (CD) - New Door Records - 2007

References

Further reading

• Pringle, G (2007-09-23). "On the move: Billy Bob Thornton". Driving (The Sunday Times). http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/driving/article2503490.ece. Retrieved on 2007-09-25. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Billy Bob Thornton

• Billy Bob Thornton at the Internet Movie Database
• Billy Bob Thornton official site
• Billy Bob Thornton attacks CBC Radio Host
• Six Degrees of Swampland, Billy Bob Thornton
• Swampland: GRITZ Billy Bob Thornton Interview 2008
• Alamo SentryInterview with Thornton regarding his role as David Crockett.
• Billy Bob Thornton interview
• Billy Bob Thornton Radio Interview - September 27, 2005 with Chris Comer & Rob Ervin
• "Set For Launch: A Video Interview with the Makers of 'The Astronaut Farmer'" — eFilmCritic.com video interviews with Billy Bob Thornton, Virginia Madsen and the Polish Brothers
• Stumped? Interview
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