Woody Harrelson
Woody Harrelson is one of Hollywood's most enduringly unpredictable stars, an Oscar-nominated actor, outspoken activist, and committed vegan who has never once played it safe.
Woody Harrelson: The Man Who Refused to Be Typecast
Woodrow Tracy Harrelson was born on July 23, 1961, in Midland, Texas. He grew up in a turbulent household, his father, Charles Harrelson, was a contract killer who was convicted of murdering a federal judge, a fact that has shadowed Woody’s public life and fueled endless fascination. Despite that dark origin story, Woody built one of the most respected careers in American entertainment.
He first broke through as the lovable, dim-witted bartender Woody Boyd on the NBC sitcom Cheers (1985–1993), winning an Emmy and becoming a household name. From there, he pivoted hard into film, earning Oscar nominations for The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996) and The Messenger (2009), and stacking up a filmography that ranges from Natural Born Killers to No Country for Old Men to the Hunger Games franchise and True Detective.
Off-screen, Harrelson is just as recognizable for his lifestyle and beliefs: he’s a vocal vegan, an advocate for hemp legalization, and has never shied away from controversial political opinions. That combination of genuine artistic credibility and willingness to court controversy keeps him permanently in the public conversation.
People search for him constantly, sometimes for his work, sometimes for his opinions (a 2023 SNL monologue drew enormous backlash), and sometimes simply because his life story is genuinely stranger than fiction. Whether you love him or find him exhausting, Woody Harrelson is impossible to ignore.