How Woody Harrelson Got Famous
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VOICE OVER: Rebecca Brayton
WRITTEN BY: Nathan Sharp
From a small screen bartender to a big screen renaissance man, this actor sure has come a long way. For this video, we're taking a look at how Woody Harrelson rose through the Hollywood ranks to become one of the film industry's most iconic actors. Our video includes his humble beginnings in Midland, Texas, his murderous father, his rise to prominence in the 80s and 90s, and more!
Script Written by Nathan Sharp
From a small screen bartender to a big screen renaissance man, he sure has come a long way. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re taking a look at How Woody Harrelson Got Famous.
Woody Harrelson is one of those rare actors whose career has spanned multiple decades. He initially rose to fame in the 1980s playing Woody Boyd on NBC’s “Cheers.” Trust us when we say: It’s one of the greatest sitcoms of all time. And your parents probably loved it! Maybe a bit before your time, though? Harrelson subsequently broke into film in the 90s with movies like “Natural Born Killers,” “White Men Can’t Jump,” and “The People vs. Larry Flynt,” for which he received an Academy Award nomination.
Despite his success in the 80s and 90s, the 2010s seemed to be his best decade. He received two Outstanding Lead Actor Emmy nominations for his work in “Game Change” and “True Detective.” Those roles further earned him two Golden Globe and two Screen Actors Guild nominations. He received his third Academy Award nomination playing the cancer-stricken Bill Willoughby in “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.” And he also made appearances in blockbuster features, playing Haymitch in “The Hunger Games” series, Merritt McKinney in “Now You See Me,” The Colonel in “War for the Planet of the Apes,” and Tobias Beckett in “Solo: A Star Wars Story.” In short, Harrelson has not just spanned generations – he’s gotten better and even more popular with age.
But where did it all start? How does a humble and mumble-y man from Midland, Texas become one of the biggest movie stars on the planet? Well, let’s find out! Hint – it involves a particularly wacky audition and some fierce nose blowing.
Woodrow Harrelson was born in Midland on July 23, 1961. Now, we’re no meteorologists, but we’re going to assume it was a hot and sticky day in Texas. He was born to a secretary named Diane and an encyclopedia salesman slash professional gambler named Charles, who also happened to carry a recent conviction for armed robbery. Woody had a relatively normal Texan upbringing until 1968, when Charles left the family. At that point, and we’re not joking, Charles was working as a hitman. In the late 60s, he was tried for killing two men: Alan Harry Berg and Sam Degelia Jr. Aquitted for the first murder, the second earned him fifteen years in prison, although he was released after five for good behavior.
But the killing didn’t stop there. Not long after being paroled in 1978, Charles was convicted of murdering District Judge John H. Wood Jr. He had been hired by a drug trafficker named Jamiel Chagra, who was scheduled to appear before the stringent Judge Wood. Charles was convicted and sentenced to two life terms for the murder. He died in prison in 2007. Jamiel Chagra would reveal in 2003 that someone else had killed Judge Wood, but Charles’s conviction was never overturned.
Due to his clandestine activities, persistent court appearances, and extended prison time, Charles was not around for Woody’s upbringing. Woody and his two brothers were raised by their single mother Diane, whose job as a secretary did not afford the family financial security. Despite being raised poor, Woody has fond memories of his childhood and his mother, telling the Financial Times, “We were poor, but my mom always took care of us [and] we always had food. It was a lot to raise three kids on her own as a secretary but she did it and she sure did look after us.”
The Harrelson family later moved to Diane’s home state of Ohio, and Woody attended Lebanon High School. He moved to Indiana to attend Hanover College and received a Bachelor of Arts in theater and English.
However, as we all grudgingly know, a BA in theater does not a movie star make. Woody decided to leave the Midwest behind and move to New York with a friend to pursue a career in theater. He quickly found some success and landed small roles in various New York stage productions. But the stage isn’t where Harrelson would find his fame.
In 1982, a sitcom called “Cheers” started airing on NBC. It starred Ted Danson as Sam Malone, a retired baseball pitcher who ran a bar in Boston. One of the main characters was Coach Pantusso, Sam Malone’s old baseball coach turned bartender. The actor, a man named Nicholas Colasanto, had been a long-time sufferer of heart disease, and he passed away from a heart attack in February of 1985. “Cheers” was in the middle of its third season.
The show needed a replacement, and auditions were held in Los Angeles. Woody was set to take an understudy position for a play in New York but decided to fly out to L.A. and try for “Cheers.” The only thing was, he really didn’t think he would get it – his heart wasn’t in television, the producers had practically decided on someone already, and Woody’s audition was basically a formality. However, Woody impressed the casting director, who in turn took him to meet the show’s writers. Woody happened to be blowing his nose as he walked through the writing room door, and the writers found it absolutely gut-busting. He had made the room laugh without even auditioning, let alone saying a word. According to Woody, “Cheers” director Jimmy Burrows told him that he had the part right then and there.
It’s amazing to think that a simple nose blow can prove so fortuitous and life changing. Isn’t life funny? Harrelson was cast as the dimwitted Woody Boyd, and “Cheers” was changed forever. The show’s ratings increased dramatically and it was placed in the middle of NBC’s famous Thursday night lineup along with “The Cosby Show,” “Family Ties,” “Night Court,” and “Hill Street Blues”. The fourth season was also critically acclaimed, receiving eight nominations at the 38th Primetime Emmy Awards. Five of those eight nominations were for acting, as Ted Danson, Shelley Long, John Ratzenberger, George Wendt, and Rhea Perlman all received nominations in their respective categories. Rhea Perlman was the only winner of the group.
Woody Harrelson and Kelsey Grammar were the only main cast members to not be nominated, but that would soon change. The following year Woody received his first of five Emmy nominations for playing Woody Boyd, and he won for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1989. By 1991, this humble mumbler from Texas was a five-time Emmy-nominated actor.
“Cheers” ended in 1993, and Woody Harrelson had appeared in 200 episodes. Harrelson quickly transitioned to film, starring in the comedy-drama “White Men Can’t Jump” alongside Wesley Snipes. The movie was well received and grossed over $90 million at the box office. The transition to film and drama proved relatively painless. He starred in “Indecent Proposal” in 1993 and “Natural Born Killers” the following year. In 1997, Harrelson was nominated for his first Academy Award for playing pornographic magazine publisher Larry Flynt in “The People vs. Larry Flynt.”
Unfortunately, the late 90s and early 2000s proved a little slow for the now-Oscar-nominated actor. He still got roles, starring in the likes of “EDtv,” “North Country,” and “A Scanner Darkly,” but his stardom seemed to be fading. But then the Coen brothers came along in 2007, and Harrelson starred as Carson Wells in their critically acclaimed “No Country for Old Men.” The movie’s cast received the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Cast, and it served as Woody’s first major award nomination since 1996. It single handedly revived Harrelson’s career, and in 2009 he received his second Oscar nomination (which was just one of MANY nominations) for his work in Oren Moverman’s “The Messenger.” That same year he starred in “Zombieland,” a mainstream comedy which likely led to roles in more prosperous mainstream blockbusters like “The Hunger Games.”
Harrelson has done a lot of transitioning in his time, but it was all for the better. He went from small time theater to television, a move he didn’t particularly want to make but which turned out prosperous for the young actor. He then transitioned from TV to film, and comedy to drama and back again. And despite a brief slump, Harrelson would go on to star “The Hunger Games,” “Now You See Me,” and “War for the Planet of the Apes.”
It’s clear that whatever Harrelson does, he does it with a lot of heart. And his story proves that a simple nose blow can change the course of a life forever. So don’t be afraid to let loose with a real honker every now and again.
How Woody Harrelson Became Famous
From a small screen bartender to a big screen renaissance man, he sure has come a long way. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re taking a look at How Woody Harrelson Got Famous.
Woody Harrelson is one of those rare actors whose career has spanned multiple decades. He initially rose to fame in the 1980s playing Woody Boyd on NBC’s “Cheers.” Trust us when we say: It’s one of the greatest sitcoms of all time. And your parents probably loved it! Maybe a bit before your time, though? Harrelson subsequently broke into film in the 90s with movies like “Natural Born Killers,” “White Men Can’t Jump,” and “The People vs. Larry Flynt,” for which he received an Academy Award nomination.
Despite his success in the 80s and 90s, the 2010s seemed to be his best decade. He received two Outstanding Lead Actor Emmy nominations for his work in “Game Change” and “True Detective.” Those roles further earned him two Golden Globe and two Screen Actors Guild nominations. He received his third Academy Award nomination playing the cancer-stricken Bill Willoughby in “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.” And he also made appearances in blockbuster features, playing Haymitch in “The Hunger Games” series, Merritt McKinney in “Now You See Me,” The Colonel in “War for the Planet of the Apes,” and Tobias Beckett in “Solo: A Star Wars Story.” In short, Harrelson has not just spanned generations – he’s gotten better and even more popular with age.
But where did it all start? How does a humble and mumble-y man from Midland, Texas become one of the biggest movie stars on the planet? Well, let’s find out! Hint – it involves a particularly wacky audition and some fierce nose blowing.
Woodrow Harrelson was born in Midland on July 23, 1961. Now, we’re no meteorologists, but we’re going to assume it was a hot and sticky day in Texas. He was born to a secretary named Diane and an encyclopedia salesman slash professional gambler named Charles, who also happened to carry a recent conviction for armed robbery. Woody had a relatively normal Texan upbringing until 1968, when Charles left the family. At that point, and we’re not joking, Charles was working as a hitman. In the late 60s, he was tried for killing two men: Alan Harry Berg and Sam Degelia Jr. Aquitted for the first murder, the second earned him fifteen years in prison, although he was released after five for good behavior.
But the killing didn’t stop there. Not long after being paroled in 1978, Charles was convicted of murdering District Judge John H. Wood Jr. He had been hired by a drug trafficker named Jamiel Chagra, who was scheduled to appear before the stringent Judge Wood. Charles was convicted and sentenced to two life terms for the murder. He died in prison in 2007. Jamiel Chagra would reveal in 2003 that someone else had killed Judge Wood, but Charles’s conviction was never overturned.
Due to his clandestine activities, persistent court appearances, and extended prison time, Charles was not around for Woody’s upbringing. Woody and his two brothers were raised by their single mother Diane, whose job as a secretary did not afford the family financial security. Despite being raised poor, Woody has fond memories of his childhood and his mother, telling the Financial Times, “We were poor, but my mom always took care of us [and] we always had food. It was a lot to raise three kids on her own as a secretary but she did it and she sure did look after us.”
The Harrelson family later moved to Diane’s home state of Ohio, and Woody attended Lebanon High School. He moved to Indiana to attend Hanover College and received a Bachelor of Arts in theater and English.
However, as we all grudgingly know, a BA in theater does not a movie star make. Woody decided to leave the Midwest behind and move to New York with a friend to pursue a career in theater. He quickly found some success and landed small roles in various New York stage productions. But the stage isn’t where Harrelson would find his fame.
In 1982, a sitcom called “Cheers” started airing on NBC. It starred Ted Danson as Sam Malone, a retired baseball pitcher who ran a bar in Boston. One of the main characters was Coach Pantusso, Sam Malone’s old baseball coach turned bartender. The actor, a man named Nicholas Colasanto, had been a long-time sufferer of heart disease, and he passed away from a heart attack in February of 1985. “Cheers” was in the middle of its third season.
The show needed a replacement, and auditions were held in Los Angeles. Woody was set to take an understudy position for a play in New York but decided to fly out to L.A. and try for “Cheers.” The only thing was, he really didn’t think he would get it – his heart wasn’t in television, the producers had practically decided on someone already, and Woody’s audition was basically a formality. However, Woody impressed the casting director, who in turn took him to meet the show’s writers. Woody happened to be blowing his nose as he walked through the writing room door, and the writers found it absolutely gut-busting. He had made the room laugh without even auditioning, let alone saying a word. According to Woody, “Cheers” director Jimmy Burrows told him that he had the part right then and there.
It’s amazing to think that a simple nose blow can prove so fortuitous and life changing. Isn’t life funny? Harrelson was cast as the dimwitted Woody Boyd, and “Cheers” was changed forever. The show’s ratings increased dramatically and it was placed in the middle of NBC’s famous Thursday night lineup along with “The Cosby Show,” “Family Ties,” “Night Court,” and “Hill Street Blues”. The fourth season was also critically acclaimed, receiving eight nominations at the 38th Primetime Emmy Awards. Five of those eight nominations were for acting, as Ted Danson, Shelley Long, John Ratzenberger, George Wendt, and Rhea Perlman all received nominations in their respective categories. Rhea Perlman was the only winner of the group.
Woody Harrelson and Kelsey Grammar were the only main cast members to not be nominated, but that would soon change. The following year Woody received his first of five Emmy nominations for playing Woody Boyd, and he won for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1989. By 1991, this humble mumbler from Texas was a five-time Emmy-nominated actor.
“Cheers” ended in 1993, and Woody Harrelson had appeared in 200 episodes. Harrelson quickly transitioned to film, starring in the comedy-drama “White Men Can’t Jump” alongside Wesley Snipes. The movie was well received and grossed over $90 million at the box office. The transition to film and drama proved relatively painless. He starred in “Indecent Proposal” in 1993 and “Natural Born Killers” the following year. In 1997, Harrelson was nominated for his first Academy Award for playing pornographic magazine publisher Larry Flynt in “The People vs. Larry Flynt.”
Unfortunately, the late 90s and early 2000s proved a little slow for the now-Oscar-nominated actor. He still got roles, starring in the likes of “EDtv,” “North Country,” and “A Scanner Darkly,” but his stardom seemed to be fading. But then the Coen brothers came along in 2007, and Harrelson starred as Carson Wells in their critically acclaimed “No Country for Old Men.” The movie’s cast received the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Cast, and it served as Woody’s first major award nomination since 1996. It single handedly revived Harrelson’s career, and in 2009 he received his second Oscar nomination (which was just one of MANY nominations) for his work in Oren Moverman’s “The Messenger.” That same year he starred in “Zombieland,” a mainstream comedy which likely led to roles in more prosperous mainstream blockbusters like “The Hunger Games.”
Harrelson has done a lot of transitioning in his time, but it was all for the better. He went from small time theater to television, a move he didn’t particularly want to make but which turned out prosperous for the young actor. He then transitioned from TV to film, and comedy to drama and back again. And despite a brief slump, Harrelson would go on to star “The Hunger Games,” “Now You See Me,” and “War for the Planet of the Apes.”
It’s clear that whatever Harrelson does, he does it with a lot of heart. And his story proves that a simple nose blow can change the course of a life forever. So don’t be afraid to let loose with a real honker every now and again.
