BILLY BOB THORNTON (Willie) Academy Award-winning writer, actor, director and musician, Billy Bob Thornton is currently celebrating a high water mark in his career. He will be seen in several films released this fall and winter including the Disney epic “The Alamo,” in which he portrays legendary frontiersman Davy Crockett; the romantic comedy “Intolerable Cruelty,” directed by the Coen Brothers and co-starring Catherine Zeta Jones, George Clooney and Geoffrey Rush; and “Love Actually,” co-starring Liam Neeson and Laura Linney. In 2001, Thornton starred in the caper comedy “Bandits” for director Barry Levinson and co-starring Bruce Willis and Cate Blanchett; the noir “The Man Who Wasn’t There” for the Coen Brothers; and the heart wrenching, Oscar-winning drama “Monster’s Ball.” Each of the three performances garnered Thornton critical acclaim, and resulted in him being named Best Actor of 2001 by the National Board of Review, as well as receiving Golden Globe nominations for “The Man Who Wasn’t There” and “Bandits,” and an American Film Institute Award nomination for Best Actor for “The Man Who Wasn’t There.”
Thornton’s 1996 release of “Sling Blade,” which he starred in and directed from an original script he wrote, firmly secured his status as a preeminent filmmaker. For his efforts, he was honored with both an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Thornton also received an Academy Award nomination and Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his celebrated work in “A Simple Plan” for director Sam Raimi, as well as a Best Supporting Actor award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and a Best Supporting Actor nomination from the Screen Actors Guild.
Prior to “Sling Blade,” Thornton already had an extensive motion picture credit list. He wrote and starred in the “One False Move,” directed by Carl Franklin, which brought him immediate critical praise. In addition, Thornton took roles in such films as “The Winner,” for director Alex Cox, “Indecent Proposal,” directed by Adrian Lyne, “Deadman,” for director Jim Jarmusch and “Tombstone,” directed by George Cosmatos. Thornton has also appeared in the films “On Deadly Ground,” “Bound By Honor,” “For The Boys” and “The Stars Fell on Henrietta.” Thornton co-starred in the blockbuster action-adventure film “Armageddon” with Bruce Willis for producer Jerry Bruckheimer and he has also co-starred opposite Sean Penn and Nick Nolte in “U-Turn,” directed by Oliver Stone and in “Primary Colors” opposite John Travolta and Emma Thompson for director Mike Nichols. He also starred in the dark comedy “Pushing Tin” opposite John Cusack. Thornton was most recently seen in the comedy “Waking Up In Reno,” co-starring Charlize Theron, Patrick Swayze and Natascha Richardson and the drama “Levity,” in which he co-starred with Morgan Freeman, Holly Hunter and Kirsten Dunst.
As a writer, Thornton has worked on numerous projects for United Artists, Miramax, Universal Studios, Warner Bros., Touchstone Pictures, Island Pictures, David Geffen Productions and HBO. He also scripted “A Family Thing,” a highly regarded feature film that starred Robert Duvall and James Earl Jones for United Artists. For his second and third directorial outings, Thornton chose the comedy “Daddy And Them,” which he again wrote and starred in, and the best-selling Cormac McCarthy novel, the epic “All The Pretty Horses,” starring Matt Damon, Penelope Cruz and Henry Thomas. Thornton also co-wrote “The Gift,” starring Cate Blanchett, Giovanni Ribisi and Hillary Swank.
Movie Database
In Theaters
(13 votes)
(20 votes)
(52 votes)
(913 votes)
(3 votes)
(4 votes)