BILLY BOB THORNTON
Date of Birth: August 4, 1955
No one knew who the heck the Hot Springs, Arkansas native with the good-ole-boy name was
before his stunning directorial debut with Sling Blade, a film he also starred in.
But Thornton had been kicking around in Hollywood and had paid his dues for some time
before Sling Blade hit the screen.
Following a stint as a singer and drummer in a rock band, Thornton came to Hollywood in
1983 and became a regular on the TV series Hearts Afire with John Ritter (who plays
a supporting role as a gay man in Sling Blade). Thornton also showed up regularily
on Burt Reynolds' series Evening Shade and was getting a lot of small roles in
features films such as Indecent Proposal and The Stars Fell on Henrietta.
Often playing characters who are a little crazed, Thornton says, "People who've seen some
of my roles are afraid that I'm this crazy, yelling-and-screaming character in real life.
But outside of acting, I save that stuff for executives."
As for what the future holds for him, Thorton has gone on record as saying, "Movies to me
are not that satisfying for the most part. I'm gonna make three more movies and quit the
movie business. That's what I say now. Maybe that'll change. That's what I feel like today."
In 2000, Thornton married his fifth wife, Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie, but they were divorced in 2003 after adopting a child. In September 2004, his fourth child was born. The mother is his girlfriend, Connie Angland. His other children are Amanda (from his first marriage to Melissa Lee Gatlin, and William and Harry James from his marriage to Pietra Dawn Cherniak, who obtained a restraining order in 1997 against Thornton to keep him away from her and their children.
Filmography:
Peace Like a River(2009)
Tulia (2009)
Manure (2009)
Duplicity(2009)
The Informers(2008)
Eagle Eye(2008)
Mr. Woodcock(2007)
The Astronaut Farmer(2007)
School for Scoundrels(2006)
Bad News Bears(2005)
The Swedish Job (2005)
Ice Harvest (2005)
Friday Night Lights(2004)
Chrystal (2004)
The Alamo(2003)
Bad Santa(2003)
Intolerable Cruelty(2003)
Levity(2003)
Waking Up in Reno (2002)
Monster's Ball(2001)
The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)
Bandits (2001)
South of Heaven, West of Hell (2000)
Daddy and Them (2000)
Pushing Tin (1999)
Franky Goes to Hollywood (1999)
A Simple Plan (1998)
Armageddon (1998)
Homegrown (1998)
Primary Colors (1998)
A Gun, a Car, a Blonde (1998)
U Turn (1997)
An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn (1997)
The Apostle (1997)
Sling Blade (1996) [Also Writer and Director]
The Winner (1996)
The Stars Fell on Henrietta (1995)
Dead Man (1995)
On Deadly Ground (1994)
Floundering (1994)
Tombstone (1993)
Indecent Proposal (1993)
Bound by Honor (1993)
The Killing Box (1993)
Chopper Chicks in Zombietown (1992)
Trouble Bound (1992)
For the Boys (1991)
One False Move (1991)
Going Overboard (1989)
South of Reno (1988)
Hunter's Blood (1987)