Woody Harrelson

Woody Harrelson (born July 23, 1961) is an American actor. Born Woodrow Tracy Harrelson in Midland, Texas, he grew up in Lebanon, Ohio. His father was twice convicted of taking money to commit murders, including that of a federal judge. His father is also reputed to be one of the "hobos" taken off the "Grassy Knoll" in Dallas, Texas at the time of the assassination President John F. Kennedy. Woody has frequently said that his father's past has colored his own present.

Woody attended Hanover College[?] in Indiana, where he studied drama. After college, he moved to New York City and became an understudy in Neil Simon's Biloxi Blues[?]. In 1982 he was cast as the innocent Midwesterner Woody Boyd on the television series Cheers. His first film was Wildcats[?] with Goldie Hawn. His early films were forgettable, until he portrayed Michael J. Fox's enemy in love in Doc Hollywood[?]. From there on, films have been Harrelson's career.

Harrelson has appeared in such films as White Men Can't Jump[?], Indecent Proposal[?] and Natural Born Killers. In 1996 he starred in The People vs. Larry Flynt, for which he received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor.

Harrelson is an activist for the legalization of marijuana, and has been arrested several times for his activities.