Woody Harrelson is an American actor who made his film debut as an uncredited extra in Harper Valley PTA (1978). His breakthrough role was as bartender Woody Boyd on the NBC sitcom Cheers (1985–1993), which garnered Harrelson a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series from a total of five nominations. He would later reprise the character in other television shows, such as Frasier and The Simpsons. In 1992, Harrelson starred opposite Wesley Snipes in White Men Can't Jump. In 1993 he starred in Indecent Proposal with Demi Moore and Robert Redford. He then appeared in the Oliver Stone-directed Natural Born Killers (1994) alongside Tommy Lee Jones and Robert Downey Jr. For his performance as free-speech activist Larry Flynt in The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996) he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor and an Academy Award for Best Actor. In Harrelson's own words, The People vs. Larry Flynt is his favorite movie he's made and the best movie he's made. He next appeared in The Thin Red Line (1998).

From 1999 to 2000, Harrelson acted in the Broadway revival of The Rainmaker. He then had a minor role in the 2003 comedy Anger Management. From 2005 to 2006, Harrelson played Rev. Shannon in a London production of Tennessee Williams' The Night of the Iguana. His next film role was as bounty hunter Carson Wells in the Coen brothers-directed No Country for Old Men (2007), which won the Academy Award for Best Picture. That year he also portrayed physician Robert O. Wilson in the documentary Nanking. In 2008, Harrelson starred opposite Will Ferrell in Semi-Pro and Will Smith in Seven Pounds. His work in The Messenger (2009) garnered him an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male. He then starred in Zombieland (2009), later returning to the franchise in Zombieland: Double Tap (2019).

Harrelson starred as Haymitch Abernathy in The Hunger Games (2012). He would return to the role for three more films: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013), The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014), and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (2015). He then played the title role in the 2016 biopic LBJ. For his performance in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017), Harrelson was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, but he lost both to co-star Sam Rockwell. That year, he also portrayed the militaristic "Colonel" in War for the Planet of the Apes. The following year, he appeared in the Ron Howard-directed Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018). He then portrayed Admiral Chester Nimitz in the Roland Emmerich-directed Midway (2019), after having a minor role in Emmerich's 2012 (2009). During the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries, he portrayed candidate Joe Biden for multiple episodes of Saturday Night Live. In 2021, Harrelson portrayed serial killer Cletus Kasady and voiced the symbiote Carnage in the Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU) film Venom: Let There Be Carnage, having first played the former character in a mid-credits cameo in Venom (2018).

Film

Year Title Role Notes 1978 Harper Valley PTA Extra Uncredited1986 Wildcats Krushinski1990 Cool Blue Dustin 1991 L.A. Story Station manager Uncredited Doc Hollywood Ted & Venus Homeless Vietnam Veteran1992 White Men Can't Jump 1993 Indecent Proposal 1994 Natural Born Killers I'll Do Anything Ground Zero Hero1995 Money Train 1996 Kingpin The Sunchaser 1997 Wag the Dog Welcome to Sarajevo 1998 Palmetto 1999 Play It to the Bone EDtv Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me Himself Grass Narrator (voice) 2000 Welcome To Hollywood Himself Cameo 2003 Anger Management Galaxia / Security Gary Go Further Himself Scorched 2004 After the Sunset She Hate Me 2005 North Country 2006 Free Jimmy Dusty 2007 No Country for Old Men Battle in Seattle Dale Nanking 2008 Semi-Pro Sleepwalking Randall Transsiberian Roy Surfer, Dude Management Jango Seven Pounds 2009 Defendor Zombieland Tallahassee 2012 2010 Bunraku Hempsters: Plant the Seed Himself 2011 Friends with Benefits Ethos Narrator (voice) Rampart 2012 Seven Psychopaths 2013 How to Make Money Selling Drugs Himself Now You See Me Out of the Furnace Free Birds Jake (voice) 2014 2015 2016 Triple 9 Now You See Me 2 LBJ 2017 Lost in London Himself Also director, producer and writer Wilson Wilson War for the Planet of the Apes Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Shock and Awe 2018 Solo: A Star Wars Story Venom Mid-credits cameo 2019 Also executive producer Zombieland: Double Tap Tallahassee Midway 2020 Kiss the Ground Narrator 2021 Kate Varrick Venom: Let There Be Carnage 2022 Triangle of Sadness Randy 2023 Champions Marcus Marakovich Also executive producer Common Ground Himself 2024 Suncoast Paul Warren Fly Me to the Moon Moe Berkus 2025 Last Breath Duncan Allcock The Electric State Mr. Peanut (voice) Animal Farm Boxer (voice) Now You See Me: Now You Don't Merritt McKinney Ella McCay Eddie McCay 2026 Full Phil Philip Doom TBA Post-production

Television

YearTitleRolesNotes 1985–1993 Cheers 196 episodes1987 Bay Coven Slater Television film 1988 Mickey's 60th Birthday Television special 1989 Dear John Richard Episode: "Love and Marriage"1989–2023 Saturday Night Live Himself / various 5 episodes as host, 3 episodes as guest1990 Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme Lou the Lamb Television film 1994 Episode: "Fear of Flying" 1996 Spin City Episode: "Meet Tommy Dugan" 1999 Frasier Episode: "The Show Where Woody Shows Up" 2001–2002 Will & Grace Nathan 7 episodes 2012 Game Change Television film 2013 David Blaine: Real or Magic Himself Television special 2014 True Detective 8 episodes; also executive producer 2019 Live in Front of a Studio Audience 2 episodes 2020–present The Freak Brothers (voice) Main role; also executive producer 2021 Curb Your Enthusiasm Himself Episode: "The Watermelon"2023 White House Plumbers 5 episodes; also executive producer2026 Brothers Himself Main role; also creator and executive producer

Theatre Year Title Role Location Notes 1985–1986Biloxi BluesNeil Simon Theatre1987–1988JackLamb's Theatre1999–2000Brooks Atkinson Theatre2002On an Average DayBobHarold Pinter Theatre, London2005–2006ShannonLyric Theatre, London2012Bullet for Adolf—New World Stages Stage IVDirector and playwright2023–2024Ulster AmericanJayRiverside Studios, London Music videos +YearTitlePerformerAlbumRef.2015"Song for Someone"U2Songs of Innocence (single) Audio Year Title Role Notes Ref(s) 2023White House Plumbers PodcastHimself3 episodes See also List of awards and nominations received by Woody Harrelson

References

External links