Billy Bob Thornton

Billy Bob's first role was in 1980s South of Reno. He played a small role as a man in a restaurant. Billy Bob was also in a 1987 episode of Andy Griffith's series Matlock. Another one of Thornton's early roles was on the CBS sitcom Hearts Afire with John Ritter and Markie Post. His role as the villain in the 1992 movie One False Move got him noticed by the critics.[1] He also had small roles in the early 1990s movies Indecent Proposal, On Deadly Ground, Bound by Honor, Grey Knight, and Tombstone. Thornton did what Wilder told him to do. He wrote, direct and star in the independent movie Sling Blade. The movie was released in 1996.[1] The movie was an expansion of a short named Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade. It told the story of Karl Childers, a mentally handicapped man imprisoned for murder. Sling Blade was well liked internationally.[1] Thornton's screenplay earned him an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, a Writers Guild of America Award, and an Edgar Award. His acting in the movie earned him an Oscar and Screen Actors Guild nominations for Best Actor.[1]

In 1998, he played the James-Carville-like Richard Jemmons in Primary Colors. Thornton wrote the movie version of the book All the Pretty Horses as a 2000 movie with the same name. The movie starred Matt Damon and Penélope Cruz. After he was forced to cut more than an hour of the movie, he decided to never direct another movie. Also in 2000, an early script he had written was made into The Gift. It starred Cate Blanchett, Hilary Swank, Keanu Reeves, Katie Holmes, Greg Kinnear, and Giovanni Ribisi. In 2000, he also appeared in Travis Tritt's music video for the song "Modern Day Bonnie and Clyde".

The press usually describe Thorton as a "tattooed, hirsute man's man".[7] He had many large movie roles after Sling Blade 's success. These include 1998's Armageddon with Ben Affleck and Bruce Willis, A Simple Plan, Monster's Ball, Bandits and The Man Who Wasn't There. He played a mall Santa Claus in 2003's Bad Santa. It was a black comedy that did very good at the box office. The movie made Thornton notable as a leading comic actor. Thornton has said that, after Bad Santa's success, audiences "like to watch [him] play that kind of guy,"[7] 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."[8] In 2004 he played Davy Crockett in The Alamo.

He was in the comic movie School for Scoundrels in 2006. More recent movies include The Astronaut Farmer and the comedy, Mr. Woodcock. In September 2008, Thornton starred in the action movie Eagle Eye with Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan. Thornton has also said he may want to direct another movie. He may direct a period piece about cave explorer Floyd Collins.[9] The movie would be based on the book Trapped! The Story of Floyd Collins by Robert K. Murray and Roger Brucker. Thornton got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on October 7, 2004.

Thornton has been married five times. Each marriage ended in divorce. He has four children by three women. From 1978 to 1980, he was married to Melissa Lee Gatlin. They have a daughter, Amanda.[10] Thornton married actress Toni Lawrence in 1986. They divorced in 1988. From 1990 to 1992, he was married to actress Cynda Williams. In 1993, Thornton married Playboy model Pietra Dawn Cherniak. They have two sons, Harry James and William. The marriage ended in 1997. Cherniak said Thornton abused her.[11]

Thornton was engaged to be married to actress Laura Dern, whom he dated from 1997 to 1999. Instead of marrying Dern, in 2000, he married actress Angelina Jolie. The marriage became known for the couple's strange shows of affection. These were said to include wearing vials of each other's blood around their necks. Thorton later said that the "vials" were actually two small lockets. Each had only a single drop of blood in it.[7][12] Thornton and Jolie said they were adopting a child from Cambodia in March 2002. Later it was learned that Jolie had adopted the child as a single parent.[13][14] They separated in June 2002 and divorced the following year.

Since 2003, Thornton has been in a relationship with Connie Angland. They have a daughter, Bella. The family lives in Los Angeles, California. Thornton has said that he likely will not marry again.[15] He has said that he thinks that marriage "doesn't work" for him.[16]

Thornton is the cousin of professional wrestling legends Terry Funk and Dory Funk, Jr.[17]

• Private Radio (2001)
• The Edge of the World (2003)
• Hobo (2005)
• Beautiful Door (2007)

• The Boxmasters (Vanguard, 2008)
• Christmas Cheer (Vanguard, 2008)
• Modbilly (Vanguard, 2009)
• Keys To The Kingdom (TBA)
• Bellflower (TBA)